her able hands

I finally got the rest of the tomato trellises built, and all 130 plants tied up, just in the nick of time. One row was getting unwieldy, sending off roots along the stems and clinging to the grass in the walking path.

I wanted so much to buy a ton of eight foot bamboo poles this year, and to make long teepee style trellises, but decided to work with what I had from the last couple of years, even though the method was deeply flawed. So I pounded in the green t-posts, and dropped the fencing down between the two rows of plants, losing two in the process. Really, it’s best to put your fencing in FIRST, then set the starts out. I had a big cone of ugly cotton yarn that I knew I would never knit anything but facecloths with, and couldn’t imagine when I would fit facecloth knitting into my life again, so that’s what I used to tie up the plants, leaving plenty of room for stem growth by making a figure eight around it.

I also used the cotton to tie together the two smaller trellises I built out of tree branches that came from Chris’ day in our little woods with his chainsaw. They’re pretty in a rustic way, and sturdy enough. Though I suspect they might be just a tad short for the varieties planted, which can get up to five feet tall. But maybe mine won’t, seeing as I didn’t get them in the ground until the end of June. They’re only just now beginning to set fruit. I tie a figure eight loop around a branch joint and stem, then lace a couple more figure eights up through the branches and secure the string to the top bar of my trellis.

The main problem I noticed with the fencing trellis last season was fruit growing IN the fence. I tried to make sure I pushed the branches all the way through when I saw small tomatoes hanging inside one of the big, open rectangles, but they must have popped back because I lost count of how many obscene tomatoes I had to slice off the fence, two giant red ass cheeks split by galvanized fencing. With close to 300 plants to tend on my own, it’s no wonder they got away from me.

They tasted fine for all their inconvenience, especially sliced into big wedges, topped with crumbled blue cheese, thin slivers of red onion, fresh chopped basil, minced fresh garlic, then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic. Coarse salt and cracked pepper, natch. The more of that recipe that comes from your own back yard, the better.

Have I mentioned how much I love tomatoes? Or how much I love Farmgirl’s post about tomatoes. Man, she is such an inspiration.

After a couple of days of unsuccessfully trying to come up with the perfect way to begin this post (including sitting and staring at a blank computer screen for minutes on end), I finally realized that clever, flowery prose extolling the virtues of homegrown tomatoes to gardeners and foodies is totally unnecessary.

The tomatoes are ready. Enough said.

I can’t wait to try her recipe for Summer in a Bowl. Funny, that’s exactly what I’ve called my tomato salad for years.

I tend to prune the heck out of my plants too, which helps with my non-regulation planting style. I definitely want the plants to have plenty of air circulation, and to put as much energy as possible into bringing forth Mondo Tomatoes.,

I’m toying with the idea of trying the Florida weave next year, thanks to all of Stephen’s helpful trial-and-error this summer. I really like his idea to use coated clothes line instead of twine or string. And the nifty threading tool he made! I’d need to plant my ‘maters in single rows instead of double, but then I could plant a fat row of basil right down alongside in my four foot wide beds. Picking for Summer in a Bowl all in one spot. Sweet!

Besides the incredible food, I think the opportunity to experiment is one of the things that appeals to me most about gardening. If I could just find a way to eliminate the bloody mosquitoes, I’d have it made in the shade. Or sun, that is.

Technorati Tags: tomato, trellis, garden, Florida weave

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