Well, it’s the last day of May 2025. The moon was new late on May 27th. So with this waxing moon energy it’s prime-time for getting your frost tender tomatoes, peppers, and squash planted.
It’s been a wild ride for me, up until last Wednesday that is. After getting all my tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, winter and summer squash in the ground I also got all my chores completed, housekeeping on multiple fronts. This was all in preparation for knee surgery which was canceled the morning of… Drat and dang it all!
This will probably turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Now all my chores are done and I’m not convalescing. I’m feeling free and easy.
The veggie gardens are booming. The hot weather last weekend really did the trick. All my potatoes and bush beans started showing their little heads early last week. The pole beans and winter squash are trellised. The tomatoes are set up with their various supports, depending on whether they’re determinate or indeterminate. Companion veggies, herbs and flowers are planted in “guilds” together. All is well in the garden.
So, what’s the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes? The terms tell the story. Determinate tomatoes grow to a point, usually three to four feet, and stop. Indeterminate tomatoes grow and grow with no stopping until frost. I’ve heard of folks growing determinate tomatoes year round in greenhouses with plants rambling everywhere.
And what’s a guild? Well in permaculture “guild” refers to plants that grow well together; veggies, herbs and flowers. This is also called companion planting.
One well known guild is the “three sisters,” beans, corn and squash. The corn acts as a trellis for the beans, the beans add nitrogen to the soil and the squash shades the soil. Corn is a heavy feeder and benefits from the bean’s nitrogen.
In my garden everything is mixed together in beneficial groupings. It’s a bit of a free-for-all with veggies, herbs and flowers thrown together. Flowers like borage, nasturtiums and marigolds mix well with most veggies. Herbs serve a similar purpose with a few exceptions. Everything seems to like basil.
The blending of various guilds makes for a very healthy garden and confuses insect predators. Plants that attract pollinators are called insectary plants. Herbaceous plants which produce multiple spikes of flowers like lavender, anise hyssop and cat mint attract multiple types of pollinators and their strong fragrance helps to deter cabbage moth, squash beetle and other predators.
A permaculture principle that’s important is to make sure bare soil is covered. I think planting things close together and using low spreading plants throughout the garden acts as a living mulch. You can mulch with many things, including rocks. I like to plant things close but also use leaves, rotting straw and pruned vegetation; as I pull weeds and cut things back I leave them where they fall. This is called chop-and-drop in the permaculture world.
Getting back to tomatoes, I think it’s important to train them up off the ground. There are various ways of doing this. I have used tomato spirals for years to support indeterminate tomatoes. This requires removing the side shoots and keeping one central leader. Another way to support indeterminate tomatoes is by using the “Florida weave.” Look it up.
For determinate tomatoes you can use cages because they don’t grow tall. I usually plant three or four tomatoes around the perimeter of one cage and keep them each to a central leader as I train them upward. You can also plant one determinate tomato per cage, inside the perimeter, and let it go free. I feel it’s important to keep plant growth supported vertically as it increases airflow and sunlight which helps prevent disease and improves yield.
That was a mouthful! Next time I’ll talk more about permaculture principles in the garden that decrease work load and make for bountiful harvests.
In the mean time remember time spent by a stream or in a forest help you feel lighter and make the world look brighter (and we could all do with some of that)!
I’m hoping your gardens are burgeoning and that I’m contributing to your enthusiasm in the gardening world. You are always welcome to ask questions. My email address is [email protected]. Please be respectful.
