30 April 2016 Overhead Tomato Supports

[Durgan]

http://durgan.org/2016/April%202016/30%20April%202016%20Overhead%20Tomato%20Supports/HTML/ 30 April 2016 Overhead Tomato Supports
A area,24 feet by 8 feet, was prepared for 21 tomato plants. An overhead support structure using rebar and fence posts about 6 feet high was built. Tomato plant will be supported by strings tied to the overhead structure. The plants will have no obstacles inhibiting growth of the fruit, and strings are added during the growing season as required. The structure is tied at appropriate places using plastic ties.

 

[Durgan]

http://durgan.org/2016/May%202016/7%20May%202016%20Mulching%20Tomato%20Bed/HTML/ 7 May 2016 Mulching Tomato Bed
A layer of wood chip mulch about three cubic yards was laid on the tomato bed. The tomatoes will be planted about the end of May. Mulch is used in my case to maintain moisture by inhibiting water evaporation from the Sun.

 

[headfullofbees]

We have to grow ours single-stem in the UK, because of the poorer light, but can grow them closer together (18" apart), but it's interesting to see how different climates make for different growing techniques.

 

[Durgan]

There is plenty of room in my garden area. Space planting is about 3 feet center, I let the plant grow where it will. No suckers are removed just a new support string added. Since most of my tomatoes are used for juicing, I let them ripen thoroughly on the vine. In a good year I harvest about 15 pounds from each plant.
http://www.durgan.org/2015/August%202015/16%20August%202015%20Pure%20Tomato%20Juice/HTML/ 16 August 2015 Pure Tomato Juice.
Twenty nine pounds of tomatoes picked today were made into 14 liters of juice, stored in liter jars. The tomatoes were cooked in one pot with one liter of water added to facilitate cooking. The jars were pressure canned in batches of seven for long term storage at room temperature. Pressure canned was 15 PSI for 15 minutes. No fuss and no muss.

 

[headfullofbees]

Here 10 lbs per plant is reckoned to be a decent harvest, and that's in the greenhouse.
1/2 - 2/3 of that outdoors, with beefsteak tomatoes being extremely marginal outdoors in Cheshire where I live.

Still, I suppose that, if I can get 4-5 plants into the area where you plant one, I can, for far more plants, and a huge amount more work, perhaps even exceed your crop, not that I'm competitive.

I suppose the difference is that you could use UK techniques if you wanted, but if I tried growing them the way you do, I'd end up with hundreds of green pea-sized fruit.

 

[Durgan]

One year I got almost nothing due to blight and a cold wet Summer.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XZHCV 16 September 2012 . 214 pounds of tomatoes picked 2,5,9,16 September
A total of 513 pounds of tomatoes was picked from about 32 plants over the season.Average 16 pounds per plant. There are probably another 100 or so pounds remaining if the weather holds with no frost.This is my best year ever for tomatoes.