[Growster...]

I tried this a few years ago, and it's quite an interesting way to get the 'leggier' toms in.

You dig a shallow trench about 6" deep, and just lay the tomato plant horizontally along the trench. When you are holding the first real leaves, possibly near the first truss, (you need a bit of intuition here), you just gently bend the growing tip upwards and hold it in place with a small cane, possibly tying it if you want.

Keep planting the toms along until you reach the next-door house but three, (sorry, just until the edge of your garden - I get carried away), and then fill in the trench and level.

The toms are quite happy growing that way, and of course, are much shorter, but you don't have that foot or so of bare leg! Stake as normal.

The stems create extra roots along the buried part, and therefore soak up more goodness to grow!

[lacewing]

I have heard of this method but never tried it. Now that I have a reminder, I will give it a go this year. I promised myself I'd cut down on the number of tomatoes this year, but I  have ended up with about 30 plants again. Still seem to be searching for the finest tasting tom!

[MJS]

Still seem to be searching for the finest tasting tom!

Me too

I might give this method a try too.

[Growster...]

I have heard of this method but never tried it. Now that I have a reminder, I will give it a go this year. I promised myself I'd cut down on the number of tomatoes this year, but I  have ended up with about 30 plants again. Still seem to be searching for the finest tasting tom!

It's an interesting method Lace, it worked well, and they took off for a good crop, but unfortunatley succumbed to wilt later on! We got most of them chopped up in the freezer!

That could have happened at any time, so don't concern yourself at that particular scene!

We're on planting about thirty-forty outside, and twelve in the greenhouse, and several to various family and friends...

[Growster...]

Why not try a few MJS?

It does work, and when I lifted the roots, although, as above, they'd been bashed by the wilt, there were signs of a good root array!

[MJS]

Why not try a few MJS?

It does work, and when I lifted the roots, although, as above, they'd been bashed by the wilt, there were signs of a good root array!

I'm definitely trying one or two plants this way and will see how it goes.

[Growster...]

Thanks MJS, it'd be good to see how the olde system works!

I'll find room to do the same down at the plot, but as we've just decided to put in yet another row of leeks, there may not be room...

Mind you, I could dig out another seven s.f. at the top, and that'd be enough wouldn't it...?

[MJS]

Mind you, I could dig out another seven s.f. at the top, and that'd be enough wouldn't it...?

 

[Kleftiwallah]

I have tried this a few times due to seeing the 'auxiliary'rootlets growing out of the lower stem.   Cheers,   Tony.

[compostqueen]

I've done it with leggy toms but I planted mine into two of those long trough planters. You could do it in growbags too.  It works fine and is a good use of leggy tomatoes that would otherwise end up in the compost. Most of my toms end up leggy 

[Paul Plots]

It would make sense that layering should work as ring-culture makes use of new/additional roots developing along the lower part of the stem.

Planting outside?
I have given up after so many blasts of blight. It seems not worth the effort, space or time. 

[Growster...]

Absolutely Kleftiwallah!

[Growster...]

I reckon that bloke, 'Leggy Toms', is onto a winner here Compostqueen! ;0)

You're right of course, you can bury the stems right up to the first flowers,, which may even be half the plant!

[Growster...]

"ring-culture makes use of new/additional roots developing ".

Learner, I hadn't considered that it was a ring culture thing, but, of course, you're right about that.

It's bad news when you have to give up growing veg because their diseases just come back and haunt you every year. I'm crossing fingers on clubroot for the same reason, it used to be everywhere round here, but I'm giving it a go, because it's the only way to find out!

[Kristen]

"ring-culture makes use of new/additional roots developing ".

Learner, I hadn't considered that it was a ring culture thing, but, of course, you're right about that.

Ring Culture didn;t used to be like that. You had a bottomless pot that you planted into, in conventional fashion - rather than extra deep, or just to get stem roots - yand you stoff the thing on a aggregate that was there just to supply water - and feeding was into the "pot".

Nowadays there seem to be bottomless pots that are offered for standing on growbags, dunno whether the intention is to plant into them, and earth-up to get new roots from the stem, but I think the idea is to feed the top and water the bottom.

So perhaps the term "ring culture" has transformed?

I've never understood the concept of only feeding the ring roots. I understand that feeding roots are different to drinking ones, but my thinking is that only giving moisture to the feeding roots once a week, or less, means that they are severally stressed inbetween times?  Being "pot-like" I can't see them drawing up much moisture from below, but maybe they do like using capillary matting?

I'm crossing fingers on clubroot for the same reason, it used to be everywhere round here, but I'm giving it a go, because it's the only way to find out!

Good luck with that.  I think one of the key problems with clubroot is that there are plenty of weeds that are in the Brassica family, so conventional crop rotation is not as beneficial as for other crop-specific Bugs and Diseases