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Nature's bounty
Tomato garden proves fruitful with hard work, smart choices, collaboration
Friday, Oct. 16, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photos
As the tomato season comes to a close "The Three Amigos" display their successful summer crop. Despite the outbreak of East Coast Tomato Blight their crop was good. From left are Dock Collins of Prince Frederick, Tom Alexander of Sunderland and Cliff Champion of South Carolina.
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Editor's note: This story was sent to us by Tom Alexander of Sunderland and edited for use in The Calvert Recorder.
While many tomato farmers were trying to evade the recent Eastern Tomato Blight, a trio of men was able to produce a bounty to make many jealous.
Tom Alexander of Sunderland said it all started back in 2001 when a friend on a commuter bus recommended Dock Collins, a Prince Frederick businessman, to do some landscaping for Alexander.
"[My wife, Fran and I] soon became good friends with [Tom] and his wife Rosie. We found ourselves talking a lot about gardening and farming. So, two years ago, we teamed up and put in a garden together and found that it was a lot of fun and successful to boot. This year we expanded the garden and Dock's relative, Cliff [Champion], who was visiting from South Carolina, joined in on the fun and bounty. So, we called ourselves ‘The Three Amigos.'
"We made a decision to grow primarily tomatoes but also put in cucumbers, squash, hot peppers, okra, eggplant, collards, bush beans and pole beans. The tomato crop consisted of 75 plants all in 5-foot by 2-foot cages. We didn't hear anything about the Eastern Tomato Blight until after we had planted. Overall we were very lucky in having only a few plants affected."
The variety of tomatoes in the arsenal consisted of better boy, big boy, beefsteak, super steak, Brandywine, Arkansas traveler, delicious, golden jubilee and sweet 100.
Gardening is hard work, and Alexander suggests that prospective gardeners prepare their bodies by eating a large bowl of oatmeal every morning. His father-in-law, Ted, would always say, "Feed a horse oats and he'll work all day."
Collins said people often don't realize how hard the farmer has it. First there is the cost of the equipment needed, the fuel to run it and repair issues. Next, farmers have to endure Mother Nature — drought, floods, hail, high winds, blight, disease and a barrage of insects including the plant-devouring Colorado potato beetle. Add in the deer, groundhogs, rabbits and birds and the challenge begins.
It's especially hard when the rabbit becomes a buddy.
"We found that when going out to work in the garden a rabbit would be hanging around. At first he would be eating the grass on the outskirts of the garden. We didn't chase him and he began to trust us somewhat," Alexander said. "We named him Peter and began talking to him. Then Peter met Pamela and then came the little ones — Priscilla and Patrick.
"Well, the rabbits certainly took care of part of our bean crop. My grandmother always said, ‘Plant extra so the animals can eat, too.'"
One evening Alexander was out picking tomatoes and would leave them in certain spots to pick up later with a basket. When he came back to pick up a certain pile, his buddy, Peter, had nibbled on every one of the seven tomatoes.
Even though all of this comes into play when trying to have a successful garden, The Three Amigos said they had only one fear — tomato rustlers. Therefore the location of their garden plot remains a secret.
"We did worry about rustlers coming in at night to load up but we were lucky and that didn't happen," Alexander said. "Actually we gave a lot of our tomatoes to friends, family and co-workers. Dock and Rosie also gave quite a few to friends at their church in Prince Frederick. They also took some to relatives in South Carolina. Dock said that the relatives couldn't believe the size of our tomatoes"
In summing up, the Amigos said this: "You have to count your blessings when you have a good crop and share the bounty with others who only wish they could have a garden. Take care of the earth and the earth will take care of you."
Grow your own bounty
The Three Amigos said that despite the Eastern Tomato Blight their crop did well. They said their success was based on several factors, and they shared some tips for tomato growers looking forward to next year:
- Good soil makes for good crops. Test your soil so you can make improvements.
- Don't plant until the ground is warm. We don't plant until May 10 or after. You're going to have a good crop right up until frost so no need to risk your plants by planting too early.
- Lay out your garden so that your plants will be 5-feet to 6-feet apart in all directions. This is the secret for a great yield because it gives the plants plenty of air and sunlight, which are most important.
- Use good plants. We buy ours from Loch Ness Farm in Owings. We also start some of our plants from seeds saved from the prior year's harvest. Check out the Internet on how to ferment, dry and store seeds.
- Dig a hole/trench for your plant and add a little fertilizer. We use Miracle Grow mixed with water in a bucket. Put your plants in the soil deep with at least of the stem being underground. The stem will become part of the root system and make a strong plant.
- As the plants start to grow, work the soil around the plant and pull the dirt to the plant. Do not fertilize the plant at this stage. Too much nitrogen will result in a beautiful tomato plant with no fruit.
- Cage your tomato plants. We use concrete reinforcing wire and cut it to make the cage 24-inches across. You can buy it in rolls at most building supply stores and is 5-feet high. Use a bolt cutter to do the job. Cut the end so that you will have prongs for securing the cage in the ground.
- As the plant grows keep moving the branches up in the cage. They love to grow up. Some of our plants have grown to more than 7 feet.
- Add a little powdered lime around each plant. Tomatoes need calcium and this will help to prevent blossom end rot and other diseases.
- Keep the weeds out. They suck up the nutrients in the soil that the tomatoes need. Mulch with some straw at the base of the plant. This will help to hold the moisture during dry times and also keep down the weeds.
- We tie a few strips of pantyhose to each cage. This creates some static electricity and energizes the plant. This has not been scientifically proven but a least its fun rounding up the pantyhose.
- When the plant blooms tap the cage every day. This helps to get the pollen distributed. We can't count on the bees as much as we used to.
-When the plant produces small green tomatoes start a regular regimen of fertilizer or plant food.
- Talk to your plants and become one with them. I know you think we're crazy. If you talk, they will listen. If they talk back, have one less cocktail before starting the conversation.
The Three Amigos' Green Tomato Preserve Recipe
Ingredients:
4-pound green tomatoes
Juice of one lemon Grated rind of lemon
5 cups Sugar
1/8 to cup of crystallized ginger, minced
Directions:
Dice the tomatoes. Add lemon juice, grated rind, sugar and ginger.
Cover and let stand for a few hours.
Bring to a boil and continue to cook until thick. Do not burn.
Pour into hot sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Makes 2 to 3 pints.
