Nicky and Dave Schauder are passionate about helping families grow their food, and medicine and find God in the garden
How to plant your leggy tomatoes
|
Hey there, garden friend.
A new fence is almost built, which means more beds, more growing, and more food. Standing in the middle of all of it last weekend, watching families discover what a real permaculture garden looks like up close, and what that might mean for their own lives, it was a good reminder of why we keep showing up. ❤️
|
Most people dig a round hole and drop the tomato in upright.
But tomatoes grow roots all along their stems when buried — so the more stem you bury, the stronger the root system.
We call this trench planting. Instead of a round hole, you dig a trench lengthwise, lay the tomato on its side, and bury the entire stem — even if it's leggy, even if it already has fruit on it. Just leave the top few inches pointing up.
The plant roots along the whole length. It anchors deeper. It reaches water further down. It handles summer heat better than anything planted upright ever will.
We learned this the hard way after a few summers of watching our tomatoes struggle in July. Now it's the first thing we do if we have leggy tomatoes.
Speaking of the Solanaceae family...
Dave and I wrote a guide on
🍅 tomatoes, 🌶️ peppers, 🥔 potatoes and 🍆 eggplants,
called How to Grow Solanaceas Successfully.
- Trench planting
- Our favorite heirloom varieties after 50+ trials
- Companion planting maps
- Midsummer care
- and a full FAQ from real questions our webinar attendees asked.
| Read How to Grow Solanaceas Successfully |
(The webinar recording is at the top of the post if you prefer to watch.)
Grow abundantly,
Nicky & Dave
Dave & Nicky Schauder
Nicky and Dave Schauder are passionate about helping families grow their food, and medicine and find God in the garden
Do you like tomatoes, Reader? Tomatoes from Alix's VA Garden a few years back Or peppers, potatoes or eggplants?Well, these plants all happen to be part of the Solanacea plant family.And where we live in Virginia, these family members are growing in ground for us. But how do we ensure we actually get a successful harvest of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes or eggplants? Join us tonight at 4:30 PT / 5:30 MT / 6:30 CT / 7:30 ET. Dave and I are hosting a live webinar focusing on the Solanaceae...
Dear Reader, There's a log cabin on the back of our property that brings me so much joy. Now, the truth is, it has seen better days. It's rickety. There are gaps in the eaves. The red cedar is showing its age and the chinking is falling apart. We don't have the budget to do what it needs right now. But this week, I walked in with a broom, a vision, and printed art by Scottish artist Anne Thubron, and I thought: what if I just start here? Anne, by the way, illustrated much of the botanical art...
Dear Reader,Just wanted to celebrate Wilma from Washington, a member of our GIY Community. Just look at her beautiful lettuce bed! Wilma's transplanted lettuces growing beautifully with rosemary! Meanwhile, at Bethany Farm, every day has been planting day for our family. As soon as the kids get off school, we do a nature walk/run at a nearby trail. My PlantNet app ID-ed this as "Dames rocket" a beautiful purple brassica that peppers the trail we run. And then head home where I unplug the wifi...