Its the last day of June and, as I sat down to write this, my hands were green, tomato plant green. At some point between June 20th and June 30th, the tomatoes went bonkers. Sure they are indeterminate tomatoes that are supposed to vine everywhere, but, I mean, they are really vining everywhere! The pure gigantaciousness of the tomato plants put my cute little tomato cages to shame. I have fashioned some tomato cage antennae from bamboo stakes to provide improvised support for the sprinting branches. While not the best of solutions, I am hoping that they work for this season. So far only the 8 amish paste plants and the 2 german yellow plants need the stakes. I am fairly certain all the tomato plants I started are indeterminate so perhaps the others are just late to the game and the whole garden will be sprouting tomato cage antennae by middle of July.
So, lesson learned, try trellising the tomatoes next year OR go with my dad's suggestion of building my own really high tomato cages out of that wire concrete grid you can get in a roll. I have yet to determine which would be easiest or more cost effective in relation to the space it takes up in the raised bed.
Another lesson I have already learned early in the season is that I really need a dedicated pumpkin patch. You always hear the terms pumpkin and patch together, but I never really understood that it was practical rather than literary. Folks, dont let your pumpkin vines crawl all over your front lawn. Already I have to hold the vines up when my husband mows. And, I totally envision just telling my neighbors across the street that anything that fruits on their side is finders keepers.
I am making notes in my garden journal...its going to be a long and glorious season!
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