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Posted by Lorea (U14415784) on Tuesday, 4th May 2010
I've grown tomatoes outside for three years with quite good results. However I've read in two different places that planting them outside through black plastic increases the yield. Can anyone confirm that this is true?
The only advantage that I can come up with is that water doesn't evaporate quickly and perhaps less or no weeds in that area.
To add to MalanD's comments;
The other possible reason is the black plastic absorbs heat meaning the atmosphere around and under the plants is warmer.
I concur with both of your above but mightn't it not make watering difficult?
You can push a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off next to the stem and water through that. It saves water anyway and gets it to where it is needed most, could use any bit of tubing or so that is wide enough to water in quite easily, if too narrow you'll get fed up and not give enough! (There speaks the voice of experience huh?)
That makes sense.....but I still can't help thinking it would be common practice by now if it was such a good idea.
Also, I've an abhorrence of bits of black plastic in the garden >>>>>>>>> slug heaven !!
Thinking about growing tomatoes commercially in black plastic - there would be no need as commercial tomatoes are not grown outdoors anyway, and some not even in soil but in hydroponic systems. Most of the coast line of southern Spain is covered with hundreds of thousands of plastic greenhouses, plasticoos, in which are grown many of the tomatoes, peppers, chillies, aubergines and so on which reach our supermarkets. They put the plastic over, not under.
Regarding black plastic in the garden, yes, it is not lovely I agree, but maybe just a small area to help good fruit production might not be such a disgrace? After all, many gardeners use growbags, which are just black plastic with a pretty paint job on the outside!
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