Jennifer and I — with some help from Jennifer’s sister — planted 48 tomato plants on Sunday. We had been shooting for 60, but 48 fit our space better. We have poor soil, so we planted each plant in a hole with “planter’s mix” soil. We also planted assorted squash.
A word of warning: I called and had my utility lines marked, but in one case we found a line several feet away from the marking. (The guideline is 18 inches on either side.) So apparently the markings are largely guesses. I also suggest that you photograph the markings, so if you hit an unmarked line you have a good defense against related fees. At our old place a landscaping company hit an unmarked Comcast line, and the company’s careful documentation prevented Comcast from passing along the repair fees.
It may not look pretty, but all I care about is the survival and growth of my tomato plants. Next year we hope to have a considerably prettier yard (which had completely reverted to weeds when we bought it last summer).
Oh my god. First of all, let me say you are going to have a TON of tomatoes (you already know this)! I planted exactly that many plants about 5 years ago and the results were astounding. There was a lot of canning and freezing going on and we gave a ton of vegetables away too (we also grew everything else under the sun). I only regret that we could not eat them all fresh as they ripened. I’d love to hear what varieties you planted. Brandywine are my favorite.
Second, let me say I’m SO jealous! I just didn’t have time for a vegetable garden this year, particularly with the greater amount of work and resources required at high altitude.
I hope you photograph the results!