My 2012 Tomatoes

Last year, I grew 3 different varieties of Tomatoes. All with amazing success. I planted them earlier than I normally would here, but kept them covered with a large clear plastic bag (the extra large kind you use for recycling cans or bottles). As the days got warmer and we had more sun, I would take the bags off during the day, but keep them wrapped up at night. If there was a chance of Frost, I would also put a large sheet over them as well. I also put the sheets to use later in the year for hail protection. I was pretty lucky to be home during all the major storms we had so I could get them covered and then uncovered as soon as possible. As you can see in the earlier pictures, I started them out with some “ghetto” drip irrigation. It is just a 3 litre bottle, with a few holes popped into the bottom. You fill it up in the morning, and then the water slowly seeps out of the bottle, and the tomatoes are very happy. This doesn’t work well when the plant is gigantic, but when they are first starting, It worked wonders. There is also basil planted in with the tomatoes, which surprised me at how well it helped to grow them together. This year, I will be replicating what I did last year.

Before I get to the photos, The 3 varieties I grew: Cherry, Early Girl, and Roma.