I've never heard of planting tomatoes sideways. Does it take up more room when you plant them sideways?

 

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Probably, since the tomatoes will be growing along the ground as opposed to upright in a tomato cage or trellis. However, I always grew my tomatoes upright and never had such an amazing yield as my sister got. Could be due to a number of things but I'm all for trying it her way!


http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/tp/TomatoTips.htm


"Bury tomato plants deeper than they come in the pot, all the way up to a few top leaves. Tomatoes are able to develop roots all along their stems. You can either dig a deeper hole or simply dig a shallow tunnel and lay the plant sideways. It will straighten up and grow toward the sun. Be careful not to drive your pole or cage into the stem."

 

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interesting.


I think I may have to try it!


I brought my citrus trees out of the garage yesterday. Was so excited about that.

 

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I'm...so...sore. Instead of working in the veggie garden I was working almost all day in my front yard garden. Moving plants, taking out dead ones, putting in new ones. It's gorgeous though; I'm so pleased with it. I have a little strip along the sidewalk by my house left to do, but it'll have to wait till later this evening when it cools down, or maybe tomorrow morning.


Started hardening off my peppers today also. I think they'll be ready to plant outside in a week.

 

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Just wanted to mention in case you didn't think of it that peppers cross pollinate. I forget how many feet they need to be apart to make sure it doesn't happen but I know if they are 10-20 feet away from each other, that you never know what the insects will do. They may cross, they may not. I really think it's some thing like 300 yards apart to be perfectly safe.


If you plant peppers right next to each other they definitely will cross breed.

Oooh I did not know that...good point! I don't think it'll be a concern though because I don't think my peppers will make it I didn't harden them off properly, or long enough, or something, and they have all pretty much bit the dust. It's been a learning experience however, and I don't grudge the failures especially since we've had so much more in the way of successes so far!


I'm having trouble finding my camera But once I do I'll take some updated pics of everything!

 

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One site I just visited said 500 feet apart. You can cover the plants with fancy bags to prevent insects from cross pollinating them. The down sides are expense and also the fact that you will have to pollinate the flowers your self with a pipe cleaner or small paint brush.


I don't ever try to cross peppers but have had it happen on accident before. Last year my cayenne bush crossed with an habanero. Fortunately the hab didn't cross. I ate the super hot, oddly shaped cayennes. lol.

Oh and almost forgot to tell you that most chili gardeners do not grow from seeds. They just buy the plants at the nursery, and quite often they have already been hardened off in the sun out side the green house.

500 feet??? LOL never gonna happen in my back yard. The whole thing isn't much more than 50 feet across. I guess I'll either have to do one pepper variety at a time or cover the flowers and pollinate myself. The growing from seed was easy but this was my first time trying to harden anything off. I'd buy the plants from the nursery but they don't have the varieties I want.

 

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You can order the plants from the internet. I'm sure google will turn up a large variety of sources.


Also if you want to try to grow peppers with out crossing them and with out using the netting, then my advice is to plant only two varieties and on opposite sides of the yard. Some times it works, and some times it don't. You may like the hybrids any way.