<![CDATA[This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go.]]>This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go. The soil becomes rock-hard clay at approximately 6", so I use a posthole digger to make an 18" hole that gets filled with compost. And to make watering easier and more effective, I have PVC pipes, capped at the bottoms, that have 1/8" holes along their lengths so that I can quickly slosh in a bunch of water and let it slowly percolate to the roots. A bit of work to make these watering funnels but the tomatoes develop very deep roots and are fine if ignored on a hot day.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/da3d5369-7016-4ff9-8bc8-a4d9f7786cc4/this-morning-i-prepped-the-spots-at-my-allotment-where-the-tomatoes-will-go.RSS for NodeFri, 17 Apr 2026 02:38:32 GMTMon, 13 Apr 2026 18:10:14 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go. on Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:52:56 GMT]]>@kingfisher68 I usually plant in early May and start getting fruit in mid July, earlier with the smaller varieties.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/users/colinpurrington/statuses/116398907518882248https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/users/colinpurrington/statuses/116398907518882248Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:52:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go. on Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:48:40 GMT]]>@colinpurrington
They look delicious. How much time do they need to grow and ripen?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/kingfisher68/statuses/116398890744689978https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/kingfisher68/statuses/116398890744689978Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:48:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go. on Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:43:08 GMT]]>@AnneMacro I highly recommend making the investment. They work really well for soil like that.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/users/colinpurrington/statuses/116398868931995501https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/users/colinpurrington/statuses/116398868931995501Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:43:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go. on Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:41:37 GMT]]>@kingfisher68 Tomato varieties I like are Mikado, Mortgage Lifter, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Speckled Roman, Blush. But I also love trying heirlooms I've never heard of, so perhaps 1/4 of the spots go to those. There's nothing better than harvesting a big basket of different tomatoes and eating slabs of them with fresh mozzarella and an expensive balsamic. Pure joy.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/users/colinpurrington/statuses/116398862992131007https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/users/colinpurrington/statuses/116398862992131007Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:41:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go. on Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:32:42 GMT]]>Here's my tomato waterer in action. The screening attached to the wine-bottle funnel prevents insects and garden debris from getting trapped inside the PVC tube.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/users/colinpurrington/statuses/116398827900760100https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/users/colinpurrington/statuses/116398827900760100Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:32:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go. on Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:20:41 GMT]]>@colinpurrington Ooh I like that. We have a slightly-raised bed on top of not very exciting soil on top of clay.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/AnneMacro/statuses/116398780679774005https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/AnneMacro/statuses/116398780679774005Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:20:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to This morning I prepped the spots at my allotment where the tomatoes will go. on Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:19:34 GMT]]>@colinpurrington Tomatoes are very expensive in Europe (approx. 5€ per kilo) this time of the year. What kind of tomatoes are they?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/kingfisher68/statuses/116398776308395228https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/kingfisher68/statuses/116398776308395228Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:19:34 GMT