Giant Veggies : Giant Tomato Growing

Tomato Beds:Your tomato bed (s) as mentioned before should be located in the northern most part of your garden to ensure you do not shade other plants you have growing, if this is not the case any place with full sun is best. The preferred method for growing giant tomatoes in Western Canada's colder growing zones is in raised beds so that ribs and the likes can easily be attached to the beds and it helps aid in warming the soil much faster in the spring than regular ground rows, however every one could benefit from these as it as well makes mowing and working in your garden easier.

To make these you’ll need to purchase some lumber (for information purposes I‘ll use a 4‘x 20‘ bed) purchase 1 - 2”x12”x8’ for sides cut in half and 4 - 2”x12”x10’, attach two of the lengths together with scrap wood (on the outside of the bed) to give yourself a 20’ length, and screws (deck screws preferred 2 ½”) Your beds can be of any length past 4’ but don’t go more or less than 4’ wide. I usually garden using the square foot method where tomatoes need as little as 1sq. ft. for giants though go no less than 4’ wide, why I say no more than 4’ wide is because the average person has a reach of 24” any more than 4‘ wide and you will need to walk on your beds to weed, sucker etc. and you should never ever walk on your beds. See Diagram 1(a)

In the Diagram 1(b) it shows the complete 4’x20’ tomato bed, again this type of bed is needed mostly in northern grow zones but can be used by everyone. To further explain the bed lets look first at stakes. Stakes used with this type of bed should be in two parts the lower part shown above has two holes drilled in the top two foot level, this is so once the top of the bed is removed (also called a canopy, ribs etc.) the larger 8’ piece can be added using a screw/washer/nut to extend the tomato stake to its full 10’ height. You should insert the bottom part just prior to planting. With this method you will not disturb the roots of the plant by staking at a later date.

Next lets look at the rib bases that will secure the top/ribs to the bed base, this is made from 2" rigid pvc and cut in pieces of 12" the same height as the tomato bed, as well notice two holes drilled in one side (only) of the pipe this is so you will have access to insert your screw driver and attach the pvc lengths to the inside of the bed walls one in each corner and then one every four foot length. If you want a taller canopy for your bed it would be these bases you would extend NOT the ribs on the top part as you will get more stability here, to do this just add length, say you wanted it 4’ higher just make the bases 5’ instead of 1’ make sure the holes are drilled in the bottom 1‘ of the pipe.

We now move on to drip/soaker hoses, while there are other methods of watering the preferred is drip/soaker hoses installed again before planting, trying to unravel and lay hose after planting may cause damage to the plants so it’s best to do it before. One rule of thumb is to try to do all work in the beds prior to planting or after the harvest except for regular up keep of your plants, this will limit the number of possible mishaps. Drip/soaker hoses should be laid on the two ft. line as this is where most of your feeder roots will have spread to after fruit set, plus it will even the watering to the whole bed.

Some people prefer to water using pipes laid at the bottom of the beds, usually around the 8" to 12" depth. While it does promote deep rooting of plants this practice causes more harm than good as you are forcing your plant to go deeper for water and nutrients. Stick with top watering as your roots will be in the top 12" of the soil and over 80% of feeder roots in the top 6". If you apply a good mulch to your beds and set out a regular watering schedule you will not need to have a deep rooted plant to survive hot dry summers.

Now lets discuss the tops of the beds or ribs, hoop house etc. These are optional for growers that plant after the last frost date and who have ample grow time for these giants, usually 100 - 120 days, for northern growers I strongly recommend using these as it is much easier to extend your growing season in the spring rather than the fall when your giant tomato plants are 8’ to 10’ tall. As well, you as I, will get a kick out of people driving by shaking their heads in disbelief that you are actually growing in the minus temperature’s.

First let's look at Diagram 1(c) This is the frame that makes up the top of the bed. It is made of 1½” flex pvc piping with holes drilled through the top and at the sides, this allows you to use 1/8” airplane cable to pull it tight and sturdy. The easiest way is to cut all holes (just large enough to feed the 1/8” cable through) in the piping, insert all ribs into their bases and run cables through out. As you run the cables between each rib ad a washer a clamp another clamp and then another washer. Leave a little extra cable on all of the three lines at the end (right) of the bed then start at the other end (left end) you want to loop the centre cable through a clamp and crimp it as shown in the diagram, make sure you add a washer and then a clamp at the ends before you loop the end and crimp as this will be used at the top outer side of the first rib, now attach the loop you just created to the outside of the bed walls using screws about half way down. Once this is attached go to the top of the first rib make sure it is standing straight (I used two people to do this, one to hold the ribs straight and one to pull the cable tight and crimp) and push the washer and clamp on the inside (right) part of the rib snug to the rib and crimp, now go to the outside (left) of the rib, this washer and clamp was the one you added last just before you looped the end and crimped, I forgot this once and had to pull the cable all the way out and re-run it again. Ok now snug and crimp this outside clamp, next go to the number two rib, again pull the cable tight and on the inside (right) snug and crimp the clamp, do the same to the outside (left) of the second rib and continue like this all the way to the end. (Pull tight, snug and crimp, right side then left side) Once you come to the end, loop all the remaining cable through leaving a big enough loop to screw to the side of the wall bed you might have two feet feed back through past were you crimped just cut this off or leave it, it doesn’t matter. Now go back and do this with the side cables. Once your done just throw clear poly over it, weight it down on the ground and your done. Instant mini-greenhouse. One other thing, I use three pieces of poly that way I can work in the bed without having to roll back all the poly.

It is also a good idea to put a thermometer in to keep an eye on heat, if it does get a little warm roll up one of the ends to cool. If you want a bigger top I’ve included the following, Diagram 1(d) but won’t go into detail, just about anything is possible with this type of a set up, even a full blown greenhouse complete with shelves and all above your growing beds, just roll it up and stick it in a corner in the garage or shed when your done with it.