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So I have a small garden space, roughly 4'x12', running along a tall brick wall, and I've decided to try my hand at growing tomatoes there. I've worked out the planting timing for my area (this weekend is perfect), but I'm stumped about what to do as far as a support system. Cages? A Trellis? Strings? Wire? Clips? I had no idea there were so many options and now I'm overwhelmed.
The problem is this: I don't know what kind of tomatoes I have. All the instructions I can find are like, "Do it this way for tomatoes varieties that are more viney, and that way for tomatoes that grow more as bushes."* The seeds I have were harvested from some random tomatoes I found at the farmer's market. They were in a bin with a half-dozen other varieties that all shared one sign: "Heirloom." (I bought some of each and these beat the pants off all the cooler-looking varieties when it came down to the taste-test).
I have no idea if they're viney or bushy. I don't know if their plants grow huge or stay smaller. They're about the size of a typical grocery-store tomato, but with much more delicate skin, and they're red. That's all I know.
I don't want to use something too small and weak and end up with huge plants that fall over just when they're at their best, but I also don't want to make a silly-looking massive support system for eensy plants.
What's the best practice when you're dealing with mystery seeds?
*Went back to look up the vocabulary: they're either Determinate or Indeterminate
The problem is this: I don't know what kind of tomatoes I have. All the instructions I can find are like, "Do it this way for tomatoes varieties that are more viney, and that way for tomatoes that grow more as bushes."* The seeds I have were harvested from some random tomatoes I found at the farmer's market. They were in a bin with a half-dozen other varieties that all shared one sign: "Heirloom." (I bought some of each and these beat the pants off all the cooler-looking varieties when it came down to the taste-test).
I have no idea if they're viney or bushy. I don't know if their plants grow huge or stay smaller. They're about the size of a typical grocery-store tomato, but with much more delicate skin, and they're red. That's all I know.
I don't want to use something too small and weak and end up with huge plants that fall over just when they're at their best, but I also don't want to make a silly-looking massive support system for eensy plants.
What's the best practice when you're dealing with mystery seeds?
*Went back to look up the vocabulary: they're either Determinate or Indeterminate
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