Here we are with the tomatoes starting to really take. Notice the cages I use for supporting the plants as they grow. I picked these up years ago from a cement company in Berkeley - rebar with wide apertures that can keep the plants upright through the season with easy access to the fruit as they mature.
As tomatoes are the most important planting of the year for me, I plan the entire season around where and when they are set. To avoid any diseases or pests from carrying over between years I move the tomatoes among the various beds in the yard from year to year making sure not to plant them in any bed that had tomatoes (or potatoes for that matter as they're closely related and can share diseases) within the previous two years. Prior to planting I completely turn the soil over and liberally add well-rotted steer manure to keep the soil friable. In the bed (8' x 4') I dig six deep holes, turning the soil in each with blood meal and bone meal, then plant the tomato seedling deeply covering the plant about 1/3 of the way up above the root level as roots will then grow from the portion of the stalk that is buried. The more roots the better. I then establish a moat around the plant so that water can collect when I water them without draining off. Since the best method of watering tomatoes is to water deeply but not too often, I typically flood each plant for about five minutes each 3 times a week. I want to make sure that there is enough water each time to reach as deeply as possible under the plant as that is ideally where I want to get the roots to grow. Watering too shallowly will promote more root growth near the soil surface and watering too often will not allow the plant to get a good dry period which it needs to alternate with wet periods.
Costoluto Fiorentino - an Italian heirloom
Roma - a paste tomato - good for pasta sauces
Better Boy - early, the best bet for large-fruit in borderline fog climates
Cherokee Purple - an heirloom
Early Girl - prototypical early fruit for this borderline foggy zone
