Our tomatoes are finally getting big enough to be trellised. After one more thorough hoeing last night, we spread a thick layer of “mulch-hay” (i.e. hay that had gotten wet after baling, and then sat around rotting for over a year). The hay should help keep moisture in around the plants, which is important, even with drip irrigation lines everywhere.
After the first row of 75 plants was mulched, we put tomato cages around each plant to help keep the plant growing upright and keep the fruit off the ground. This is not only convenient for picking tomatoes, but it prevents rotten fruit and decreases disease issues.
For our second row of tomatoes we will try the basket-weaving method of trellising. (We ran out of tomato cages) We already pounded in posts every 4 plants, and tomorrow, we’ll weave twine around each tomato, and secure it at the post. Here is a link to a video, produced by the Maine Ag Extension service, that shows an easy way to basket-weave tomatoes.
