12:00 PM Sun, Jul 01, 2007 | Permalink
Rudolph A. Hempe  Email
|
Journal photo / Kris Craig
Master Gardener Rudi Hempe at a woodchuck hole at URI's East Farm in South Kingstown: In their battle with growers, the woodchucks are winning
The blog editor recently posed this question: "Are you just watching your veggies grow at this point or is there tending to be done to promote a better harvest?"
The answer is there is plenty of tending to be done.
Watering
We have had a dry spell (at least in southern R.I.) and so make sure you keep up with watering. Water the root zone, not the foliage, and the best way is to use soaker hoses or, better yet, drip irrigation. The latter method takes some planning and initial outlay so it may be too late for this season.
At the Master Gardener Demonstration Vegetable Garden at East Farm (Route 108 1/2 mile south of Kingston) we have a model drip irrigation system that can be viewed by visitors any day (although on August 11 we will have an open house there). Drip irrigation installations put the water right at the root zones. Water is conserved and evaporation is eliminated. Dripworks is one supplier that will even devise a drip irrigation plan for your garden if you send them a description and drawn layout. Many farmers are using drip irrigation these days to conserve water and reduce costs.
To conserve more water, put down a mulch of straw (not hay!) -- shredded straw works best but is more costly.
If you lack soaker hoses (which do not last very long) or drip irrigation it is best to avoid overhead sprinklers which wet leaves and can promote diseases. Rather, use a watering wand and place the water at the bases of plants.
Pests
It is best to avoid spraying vegetables to control pests. Rather, pick them off by hand and drop them into a can of soapy water. Look for pests under leaves. Remay (a spun cloth that transmits light and rainfall) tents are good devices to protect some crops likes broccoli from egg-laying moths.
Critters
Watch out for woodchucks (the Projo will have has an article on them at East Farm next week Here it is: In their battle with growers, the woodchucks are winning ) and rabbits. Good fencing is a must. Deer are also a problem in many areas. Again fencing is the answer. The East Farm garden has examples of woodchuck and deer fencing.
Weeding
No one likes to weed but it is a must in a vegetable garden. I use a hoe with a small sharpened blade (one inch high and 4 inches long) to get in close around the vegetable plants. Shreaded straw mulch helps keep them down. These weeding hoes are pricey but should last for many years. Some suppliers offer replacement blades. Sources are garden centers, or on line at Johnny's, Gemplers, A.M. Leonard.
Fertilization
I use an organic drench on my vegetables (fish and seaweed emulsion which is mixed with water) every two weeks. To this I add powdered kelp.
For tomatoes, make sure you side dress with some kind of fertilizer when the blossoms appear. Clip off the lower branches to promote air circulation at the bases of tomato plants to reduce the chance for disease.
Supports
Make sure all your vegetable supports are in place and secure. Use bamboo poles and rough twine for pole beans, climbing netting for cukes and peas and if you use tomato cages make sure the branches are well enclosed. I have given up on the regular tapered tomato cages as they tip when the plants get heavy. At East Farm we made our own cages years ago out of heavy duty-fencing but this was expensive.
Coming soon
Suspend, don't cage your tomatoes and treat your veggies so they won't get a "headache"!
New comments
New photos
Authors
New posts
Projo blogs
Archives
Hi,
I don't use the tapered tomato cages. You can buy ones that are rectangular and quite sturdy. I believe I got mine thru the mail from Gardener's Supply. Here is a link to the cages in their current web catalog:
http://www.gardeners.com/Tomato-Support-Cages/default/15172.prd
A nice thing about these is if you grow very tall tomato plants, like Brandywine, you can stack the cages as the plants get taller (bend the legs of one cage inward, and slip that cage into the top of another cage.) I use plastic hinged clothes pins where the cages join for extra reinforcement, a couple of clothes pins on each side.
This normally works fine. If the plants get very big, I tie adjoining cages together for extra stability. (The neighboring cages don't have to be really close together, it's that if a whole bunch are tied together, a heavy plant can't take them down, they are stable, esp. if they are planted in a block instead of a row.)
The cages fold flat for easy storage when not in use.
Report Abuse
I agree with Karen that the type of cage she uses is better than the tapered ones. But with the quantity of tomatoes that I raise (I raised 400 plants this winter--most of which go to charity gardens) I found those cages to be a bit pricey. I do have three of them and found them superior. Rather, the last two years I have been suspending tomatoes with a system that I saw in a commercial greenhouse. Will describe that soon.
Report Abuse
Dozens of gardeners have explained what they're using to keep the tomatoes up here: Tomato Support Techniques.
Here are some, although you may learn more from what people say didn't work:
Report Abuse
I have pretty much gone thru many, many tomato varieties each year, but I was reconsidering as I read about the fellow's 5' wide cages and wondered what variety needed that. Then I realized from his description of building them that he meant 5' circumference, darn :-)
I note someone was trying to avoid having green tomatoes. What's better, a mayonnaise and freshly picked tomato sandwich, or picalilli made from green tomatoes...
Then someone mentioned shopping at the Outlet (not ours, of course) and I got all nostalgic.
Report Abuse