Japanese Tomato Ring

Ever wonder why your best tomato plant is the one that came up in the compost pile, instead of among the ones being nurtured in the garden? There are several reasons why this occurs, and you can recreate this same growing condition by installing a Japanese tomato ring.

Start by purchasing a ten foot long piece of concrete reinforcing wire that will be used to make a large cage. The wire should be 5 feet wide, with a 6 inch mesh size. Join the ends together and tie securely. This will form a cage that is slightly over 3 feet in diameter.

Select a sunny location for installing the tomato ring. You will need a circular area that is about 6 feet in diameter. Spade and turn the soil in this area to a depth of 8 inches. Smooth the surface by raking and place a 6 inch deep layer of compost on the soil surface.

Stand the wire cylinder upright on top of the first layer of compost and secure the base with short stakes. Sprinkle one-fourth cupful of dolomite lime and the same amount of a balanced garden fertilizer over the surface of the compost. Add a 6 inch deep layer of leaves, followed by another layer of compost, plus lime and fertilizer.

Continue alternating layers of leaves and compost until the material on the inside of the wire reaches a minimum height of two and one-half feet. The top layer should consist of leaves. Shape the top layer so that it is concave, with the center being about 2 inches lower than the outside edge.

Place a cupful of fertilizer on the surface of the top layer of leaves, in the center of the pile. Water from the top in order to thoroughly soak the pile.

Set tomato plants in the ground on the outside, and within 2 inches of the base of the wire. A 3 foot wide cage will allow room for 4 plants to be evenly spaced around the outside edge.

Mulch the plants with a 3 inch layer of leaves. Also, mulch a 2 foot wide band around the base of the cage. Keep plants watered until they are well established and the roots begin to grow into the material inside the cage.

Subsequent irrigation is done by applying water to the top, in the center of the pile. This allows for complete watering and movement of the fertilizer without wetting the foliage and stems.

This system has several other advantages. The alternating layers of compost and leaves provide a highly organic medium and plenty of air for the roots. And, no separate staking is required. As plants grow, simply tie them to the wire.

This is a space saving technique with the potential for producing heavy yields of tomatoes. If other tomato growing methods have been unsuccessful for you, give this one a try.