Monday 30 December 2013

Setting boundaries

Total freedom is not a good way to raise anything, neither animal nor vegetable. Children thrive whem they discover the boundaries. Boundaries enable the child to develop depth rather than simply shooting for breadth all the time. Kids will push and push until they find the boundaries - so it is essential to have some.

The same goes with plants, I realise. Last August, I planted three tomato bushes, but with way insufficient support, and a paltry dollop of care. They ended up in a jungle of squashed fruit down at the bottom of a wind blown tangle of branches. Lots of fruit, but little satisfaction of a job well done. So, I am trying afresh. This abomination is no more, and in its stead I have two tom thumb varieties in pots clambering up an inverted cage. Thank you, Letty. Oops, still not taping them as instructed. But, I am snipping the side-shoots to make it all less crowded, and removing the lower leaves. I also have them both in a pot at the side of the house out of the wind. Fruit has already formed. I realise this is late in the season for tomatoes, but Sydney has such a wonderful climate that I am going to push my luck and see hoe much of the year is open to growing tomatoes.

2 comments:

MargaretP said...

My tomatoes got out of hand pretty quicklt too, especially as I am away for nearly a week at a time,so have been on the lookout for a good idea to keep them tamed and off the dirt.
A gardening show host said this was the best idea he had tried , a piece of steel mesh horizontal to the ground, raised up (think it was wired to star pickets) about 2 feet.
You just train the plant up till it grows through the wire and it spreads out as it gets big.
I am sure you can rig up something similar

Julie said...

So the theory being that the toms drop down through the mesh ready for the picking. Would only want it one foot wide for ease of picking, I guess. WOULD THEY GET SUFFICIENT AIR AND LIGHT? i HAVE TO ASSESS MY SECOND METHOD YET, WHICH IS WORKING THUS FAR, BUT EARLY DAYS.