Plants 3' apart in rows 4' apart, moderatly pruned to 6 or 8 stems and trained to florida weave had ample room but I wouldn't say too much. You could squeeze it by a half foot both ways and probably do no harm.

Some plant much closer but I don't like crawling through a jungle :-)

I'd agree with Dave's measurements. You could cut it to 3' square for each plant and maybe get 15-18 plants total depending on how you stagger planted them and what the shape of the 60 sq' is. But access will be limited and so will air circulation.

If you used florida weave for support and you did extensive pruning then you could squeeze in more. I have one bed that is long and skinny 3'x20' and with florida weave I was able to do a 10 plant row in it last year with no problems - except the pruning which I hate. ;)

It had less overall production than my standard 4' sq. caged rows but it worked.

{{gwi:8327}}

Dave

Thanks. I will see how many I can fit. What's your minimum recommended spacing between plants?

What's your minimum recommended spacing between plants?

Asking me? Like I said above, 3' minimum, same as Dave recommended. Personally I wouldn't use it. Tried 3' once and that was a real mess.

If you mean with florida weave and pruning then 2' minimum as I did in my 20' row described above.

Dave

I don't mind them being close together if it's a bit difficult to access the fruit. The growing area is approx 5 feet wide. If growing them close together would inhibit their production, then that's what I'm mainly concerned about. I have read that plant spacing should be 18-24" if I remember correctly. Not sure about this though...I might end up spacing them like that anyway as long as it won't suffocate the plants or something like that.

Look around and see if you have room (after all the other things are planted and have their space) for a container or two. Full 6-8' plants can be easily grown in 15 or so gallon containers. Because of soil problems, I grow every thing in containers and have limited space (much less than you indicate). My grow list for 2009 is currently at 62 varieties and that does not include super-dwarf types. A five gallon bucket can grow most 4-6' plants even though watering becomes more frequent as containers get smaller.

There's also a short list of toms that are well suited to grow in hanging baskets. They produce some very tasty snacking and salad toms and the number of varieties just seems to get larger as more Northern and Eastern European varieties become available.

So, look around for an opportunity to add a container.

Ted

If you pruned to 2 or 3 stems max you could probably plant every 2' but I would still keep at least a 3' path and keep them harshly trained to the Fl. W. or stakes. You need to be able to see and treat problems quickly and get decent air flow but then 5 hrs of "strong afternoon sun" may yield its share of sun scald on such skinny plants.

Watering needs will be more intense. All kinds of problems happen from failing at that.

The sq. ft. gardening forum may have other advice and I guess it is a way to try the most varieties most quickly but I prefer more room and suppliment as Ted suggested, with containers.

I'll see how many I can fit in what space I have, and then maybe look at some containers if I can get the space.

I am 16 (will be 17 this spring) so naturally I don't have my own property yet, so everything I do has to be OK with my dad first. :) A container would have to "look nice" in a given area...

I'm a hydro grower and am usually on that forum, but I love growing tomatoes so much that I spend a lot of time here too.

Anyway, to my point: go vertical! I grow strawberries and tomatoes and I grow UP! I grow the tomatoes in perlite and use the "static" method. All this is explained on my Web page. I'll throw a link in below.

I grow 100 individual strawberry plants on a "growing station" that takes up 8 square feet in my greenhouse. It is 6 feet tall and grows 50 plants per side.

I also grow tomatoes, which are tethered on a rope suspended from a rod anchored 5 feet off the floor. Each plant is indeterminate and I both "super-crop" the trunks as well as use the "single-truss fruiting method". The plants put out tomatoes like there's no tomorrow and all the fruit is at waist height!

I don't see why it wouldn't work in an outside garden as well. In fact, you could use the "static" method of hydroponic growing in a pot outside on the dirt. I grow most of my tomatoes outside on concrete!

Hope this spurns you on! My Web site motto is "Grow On -- I Dare You!"

Here is a link that might be useful: TenGreenThumbs

Catman, A resourseful young man as yourself should be able to find someone nearby that would trade the use of a small space, provided the right tending and share cropping agreement could be struck.

Don't let your age limit your imagination and determination for success.

Set your goal. Plan for how to achive it. Work your plan.

Its almost like magic.

Catman,

One more thing.

A mantra to internalise,

Adapt, Improvise, Overcome!

With that attitude you will learn new things everyday and very little can stop you from achieving any realistic goal.

freemangreens - thanks for the link. Will have to look into it.

Dave - I have some friends who I will give a few tomato seedlings to if they want them, as I did last year. They have a stream running behind their house, and I might grow pumpkins down there where they have a constant water supply and sunlight, and I might do some sort of share cropping agreement like you said. Last year we both grew toms and had sort of an exchange going...I will see what I can come up with as far as pumpkins though as I need a spot to grow them...

I went over my garden today and marked off with small stakes where I can plant tomatoes. In staggered rows, I can fit 16 plants, with no less than 2 feet between each plant. I will stake them vertically on bamboo canes and prune most of them to 2 or 3 stems. I hope this will work. I think I may have cut down on my original desired area for red beets and herbs, but some herbs will be grown in the front garden while this side one will be mostly tomatoes.

If you don't mind close quarters and can stake the toms (not put them in cages) you can plant them as close as 18" apart with 2' between rows. That's more than enough room for them to grow.

Mike

Sounds good. I will have at least 2ft between each plant and I don't intend to use cages. The rows are staggered so they can be closer together but they still leave at least 2ft of space between the plants. Without staggered rows, I could do the 18" apart with 2ft between rows like you said.