MarcD
Cook
We have very little growing space, a 2 foot wide strip next to our driveway where we have chives, parsley and thyme growing.
However, I have a small space for tomato plants. I have one plant I put in in late February. It is now 7 feet high and 4 feet around, and full of tomatoes
The tomato plant sounds impressive.
My growing season is just long enough to make gardening a 'one shot deal'. I plant ~2,000 sq ft of different crops.......mostly corn, beans, and tomatoes. Oh.....don't forget peppers......
This was the worst year I've ever had.....that includes 2012 when we had a severe drought. I had a 3 week delay when my neighbor was unable to till my garden and I had to find another person with the right equipment. There is no way you can till heavy clay soil with a front tine tiller......unless you want to spend a few days of hard labor.
I made the mistake of using unprocessed top soil to start my seedlings....it was infested with fungus gnat eggs. The gnats are harmless to the plants but the larvae eat the plant's roots...... Some seedlings were so stunted I had to replant and try again. My kitchen was filled with flying pests......
Mistake #2 was neglecting to erect the fence to control the wildlife......huge mistake. 40+ tomato plants were eaten by deer.....some plants cost me $10 per seed. Fences will not deter chipmunks......they burrow under them and eat tender young sprouts. If the young sprouts survive, the rabbits will make short work of them........ The last straw was when raccoons stripped all the sweetcorn just as it was close to being harvested.
I got a handful of grape tomatoes for my efforts. Oh well....there's always next year and a fence. When I was a young man I never had to resort to a fence to protect my garden.