Tomato Cage Germination Tunnel

[wintersown]

I sow seeds in containers and then cover them over with a tunnel made from prostrate tomato cages and clear vinyl. I've also used these to extend the season for greens like leaf lettuce or low growing herbs like parsley or cilantro.

In the link below there are several photos, you can click on them and they'll expand into bigger pictures.

wintersown.org/wseo1/Tomato_Cage_Germination_Tunnel.html

[Alan]

Great Idea Trudi! Last year I used a low tunnel and direct seeded a couple hundred cherry tomatoes in mid-April underneath a layer of 6 mil clear plastic, I got some really good germination and a bit of a jump on the cherry tomato market and it was due to the inspiration of your winter sowing!

[wintersown]

Hi Alan,

Several years ago I had read an article about a grade school in NJ working under the auspices of Rutgers. The kids direct sowed tomato seeds under tunnels and went on to having a great harvest. Direct sowing toms is not something most people in America would consider doing but its common in most of the third world, and regions with long growing season. I think a hobby grower would be appalled by the idea, but if a bunch of school kids can do it I think almost anyone could.

A couple of years back I made small sowing containers with styrofoam coffee cups, I like them because you can scribe the tomato name into the rim with a Bic and for drainage just punch the bottom once with a pencil. They're easy to make and they last well throughout winter outside because the UV rays don't rapidly breakdown the plastic.

I had hundred of these cups, I nested them into nursery trays for flats and put them under the germination tunnel. I was sowing all the varieties I had from cold regions--all the Russian, Polish, and Eastern European toms. I did get great germination, I think the earliest were Glasnost, Cosmonaut Volkov and (maybe) Olena Ukrainian though (I think) there was one called Polish Heirloom which was just as fast as OU.

This year I'll be working again with more cold region toms and hope to duplicate the success I had two years back.

Trudi