Anybody like to help me grow tomatoes in a novel way?
In another thread, Baa said it's a wondrous idea to plonk a bottomlesss flowerpot - upside down - over a growbag.
I'm doing that this year for outdoor tomatoes and (in the greenhouse) peppers.
But... another idea I use to grow in my awful paddock soil (clay over a hardpan of chalk and flint) is to ram a deep hole through the hardpan with a crowbar, wiggle it around to form a cone, then fill the cone with compost. On top goes a big bottomless flowerpot half filled with compost and held in place with a cane.
The tomato module etc goes on top and is filled up to the first leaves with compost.
I get giant plants even in 'impossible' soil.
Problem is, I have now committed myself to planting 240 tomatoes that way - and each takes 5 minutes to set out!
Anybody know an old codger close to Ivinghoe Aston (Dunstable area) who'd like to earn some cash in hand, ramming holes in the next three weeks?
John
Help wanted ramming holes!
Woops, forgot to mention... does anyone know a cheap wholesale source for 240 x 5ft bamboo canes, plus 100 x 7ft canes? Mail order is fine, if they're not available within drive distance of Dunstable.
Just remembered I have an awesome number of beans to set out too...
And the garden centres seem to have sold out of suitable canes. (I know, I always leave it till the last moment.)
John
John I did tomatoes that way a few years ago. tomato feed is put in the pot while watering feed is put in the grow bag.
Mark
John, I keep wondering so I'll ask. I have awful clay too. If I did the rammed hole and a one gallon size hole with the compost instead of putting a pot on the top, would that be the same effect??
It's less work doing it the bttomless pot way tiG
Mark
Yes that's ring culture, a lot of the old gardeners used gravel instead of growbags at the bottom. I didn't know why it's fallen out of favour really.
Yes, you can ram a very big hole - even in terrible soil filled with rubble - and fill it with compost, and it will work.
I did that to grow pattypan squash in my paddock last year, and they roamed everywhere. But that's work!
This year, for avid feeders like squash, I'm filling some big builders' rubble bags - the kind that hold tons of sand - with compost and soil. And dunking the squash in that.
The good news is, squash (at least) will grow well even if there's no drainage. So I don't have to spoil the bags by perforating them. They're immortal, so I can re-use them indefinitely.
You can get such bags free from any builder. They just throw them away.
John