Planting Peppers and Trellising Tomatoes
We planted several different varieties of peppers in the field and high tunnel at the end of last week. As you can see in the photo above, our peppers are planted in beds covered in weed fabric. This will minimize time spent weeding while also keeping the soil warmer and allowing the plants to grow quicker. Here are the varieties we planted: King Arthur (bell pepper), Lunchbox (snacking pepper), Cornito (sweet roasting or frying pepper), Baron (poblano), Shishito, and Jalafuego (jalapeno).
The tomatoes we planted last week are swiftly growing which means it’s time to get them trellised! Since tomatoes have a vining growth habit, they need support as they grow. In the high tunnel, we use a method that employs an overhead system of roller hooks and string (above). A string is suspended above each plant so that as the tomatoes grow, we can gently wind the main stem around the string. This keeps our plants supported while also allowing us to take advantage of the available vertical growing space.
If you’re curious about growing your own tomatoes and other spring crops at home, we recommend joining Farmer Matt for our Seasonal Gardening Class on Saturday, March 22nd from 10:30-11:30am! This beginner level gardening class will cover the basics of starting your home garden from choosing which varieties to plant to how to care for and eventually harvest them. Each attendee will get to choose some of our potted tomato plants to take home in order to kick start their own garden. This class is open to the public but there is a special discount for Jordan Ranch residents (email us for the code at JordanRanch@Agmenity.com). Tickets can be purchased here.
In Season at the Farm Stand: Curly Kale, Dino Kale, Collards, Scallions, Green Butter Lettuce, Red and Gold Beets, Swiss Chard, Cilantro, Cone Cabbage, Salad Mix, Carrots, and Red Romaine
