Backyard garden: 6-foot tomato plants, Racine, Wisconsin

Racine, Wisconsin — The heirloom tomato beds that Amy dug and planted in late May, and mulched on June 1st now sport tomato plants over 6 feet tall, as well as basil and peppers. So far, we’ve only harvested a couple of ripe Roma tomatoes.

We staked the tomato plants using the “Florida Weave” method. The stakes themselves are 10-foot rods of 5/8-inch rebar buried two feet into the ground. As the summer progressed, the rebar bent toward the center with the weight of tomatoes, so we may look for a more rigid solution in future growing seasons.

The raised bed has herbs — parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme — as well as a full flat of assorted marigolds and a couple of English lavender plants. Don’t believe the nonsense about rabbits avoiding marigolds and lavender. There’s most likely a rabbit sleeping in that bed just a couple of feet from Amy even as this photo is taken.