GMG Series: What’s New in Jenna’s Garden?
There’s been some drama this week in Pleasant Street resident Jenna Howard’s plot in the Burnham’s Field Community Garden. Read on for the photos and details.
By Jenna Howard
Week Six
Last week was a week full of lessons! If you read my week five update, you already know that I made the horrible mistake of cutting dry leaves off my squash. I’m sad to report that the squash did not make it! Unfortunately, in just a matter of a few days most of the squash’s big, beautiful leaves dried up and left the fruit completely exposed to the sun. I had to pull the squash from the garden because it was clear that there was no reviving it. Fortunately I did get five healthy Patty Pan squash from the plant.
I also had a great learning experience with my tomato plants this week. After a few days of high winds, I found all three of my tomato plants lying on their sides. I realized it was not only due to the strong winds but also the fact that my tomato cages were not tall enough. At this point it would be impossible to take the cages off the tomatoes, so I had to come up with another way to secure the tomatoes and keep them upright. I did that using giant stakes and then tying the stalk of the plants to the stakes. I also used gardeners’ Velcro and ties to keep all the stray branches in place.
It was a week of lessons learned! Luckily, the garden is looking much better but I can’t help but feel like there is something missing now that my giant squash is gone.
For Weeks 1-5 click here
Good Morning Gloucester 
Jenna, for next year you may want to consider horizontal support on 10 ft high vertical posts. The tops of the tomato plants are tied to line and then the line is looped over the horizontal beam above and secured. Each week you tighten up a bit. That way the plants can be varying heights, depending on species. This method works really well when multiple tomatoes are under cultivation.
There are various methods for finding this support system. You can buy it in metal or make it yourself (or have it made) in metal. Or you can make it out of wood.
A friend from the Pacific Northwest gets tomatoes that grow 8 and even 10 feet every year and this is the method she taught me to use. Works great.
LikeLike
I think I’ve dropped more than 200 bucks in really pretty stackable tomato cages over the years but your idea of a horizontal support way up that you tie off to makes sense. I’m going to do that next year. With so many varieties in the garden I don’t know which ones are going to go monster tall or monster bushy.
Meanwhile the yellow and red cherry tomatoes are ripe and eating the first few in the garden it’s all worth it. The only epic fail this year was the turnips. Ridden with wormy things.
LikeLike
Jenna, looking at your pictures, you had a virus on your squash transmitted by the squash bug. It was not your fault for cutting those leaves. Squash bugs are very, very hard to treat organically. next year just try a new spot, or take a year off from squash.
LikeLike