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Tomato Cultivation (commercial ??)

evard's picture

Tomato Cultivation (commercial ??) (post #12581)

evard on Fri, 05/29/2009 - 18:12
in

recently traveling on the Eastern Shore of Virginia/Maryland we
noticed planted tomato fields with strips of rather mature grass (or grain) between each set of five or so rows of tomato plants.
Anyone have an idea of why this is done ( and is it useful to
the home gardener? ) Thanks, E

-A +A
Astrid's picture

(post #12581, reply #1 of 7)

by Astrid in reply to evard [original] on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 01:00

The idea might be isolation of separate crops to keep plants growing true.

New Mexico home organic gardener

Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. Emerson

New Mexico home organic gardener Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. Emerson
evard's picture

(post #12581, reply #2 of 7)

by evard in reply to Anonymous [original] on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 13:59

Thanks -- but these were whole fields of tomatoes. About five rows
of tomatoes planted thru plastic, then the grain, followed by more
tomatoes, grain, etc etc etc

Astrid's picture

(post #12581, reply #3 of 7)

by Astrid in reply to Anonymous [original] on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 18:14

I think it must be crop rotation. Tomatoes pick up diseases easily. By rotating crops, tomatoes in a row one year, then planted one or two strips away in a bed which had been for grain or whatever else is grown, the incident of disease is reduced.

New Mexico home organic gardener

Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. Emerson


Edited 5/30/2009 2:15 pm by Astrid

New Mexico home organic gardener Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. Emerson
jimcco's picture

(post #12581, reply #4 of 7)

by jimcco in reply to evard [original] on Sun, 05/31/2009 - 00:08

I have seen this in some veg crop plantings for 2 reasons.


1) it is a more attractive home for insect pests than the crop. Rye is allopathic.


2) it serves as a wind break


Never seen it done in staked tomatoes as they really don't have a big insect problem.


Were these short staked (3') determinant for fresh market (to be picked as breakers ie, just starting to turn. Or were they tall stake 5-6' indeterminate for farmers market.


If not staked they were probably Roma type for processing.

evard's picture

(post #12581, reply #5 of 7)

by evard in reply to Anonymous [original] on Sun, 05/31/2009 - 21:42

Thanks for the reply -- these were large fields of about five rows of
staked plants in plastic covered ground, then the grain alternated with
tomatoes, grain, etc. I don't know the tomato variety, but having seen the fields at other times of the year, they were almost certainly determinate.

1946's picture

(post #12581, reply #6 of 7)

by 1946 in reply to Anonymous [original] on Tue, 06/02/2009 - 04:17

One possibility that comes to mind is that they may be organic tomato fields, and the buffer zones are for beneficial insects to hang out in. Also tomatoes can be attacked by all sorts of viruses and wilts, etc., and by giving them a buffer zone, the buffer zone can break the spread of disease from patch to patch.

evard's picture

(post #12581, reply #7 of 7)

by evard in reply to Anonymous [original] on Tue, 06/02/2009 - 20:23

Thanks for the idea... makes about as much sense as anything yet.
Apparently tomato farmers don't read Fine Gardening....