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cibula11 · 04-14-2008, 01:32 PM

I am wanting to plant a garden for my wife and I. I would like to use the majority of the garden for salsa. I am using raised beds 4x4 feet in size. I just can't find anywhere that says how many plants I should be using. I have tomato, peper, jalapeno, and possibly onions to plant. I will be using 2 of the 4x4 beds. Any ideas on number of plants?

Square Eye · 04-14-2008, 03:39 PM

I did exactly that last spring.

I'm so sick of salsa.

My small garden only takes up an area roughly 5' x 12'.

A tomato plant will take up a good 2' x 2' area, 5' high . The jalapeno about the same but it shouldn't be as tall. Bell type peppers are shorter plants and can be contained in a small tomato cage if you're worried about tipping. My peppers rarely go 3' high. Onions can get very large in a 1' square but many people run them very close together and let them compete for their own space.

My suggestion is that you plant your tomato on the North, your peppers West and onions on the South. If you arrange them any other way, the tomato plants will be tall enough to starve the other plants from sunlight. To cage the tomato plants, I have used the large cages from the rural farm suppliers but the best plants grow in cages made from concrete reinforcement mesh. The 6" squares are just right. As the plant grows, I weave the ends of the plant back and forth between the mesh and it's amazing how fast they grow. I clean a few fish every year and I'm always amazed at how strong the scrap fertilizes my plants. Just dig a hole between plants about 8" deep and dump in a half pound of fish heads lol

Anyway, 2 tomato plants to a box, 2 jalapenos in one box, 3 (or 4) bell peppers in the other and onions around the South and maybe West edges. The next concern will be keeping those 4 to 5' tall tomato cages upright. I lost one last year to the wind from a fast moving afternoon thunderstorm. I'll be building my cages this year with 6' fence posts and 10' conduit laterals. Some fence wire or concrete floor mesh...

This is an old pic of my little garden spot from a couple of years ago

**inspectorD** · 04-14-2008, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Square Eye

I did exactly that last spring.

I'm so sick of salsa.

I clean a few fish every year and I'm always amazed at how strong the scrap fertilizes my plants. Just dig a hole between plants about 8" deep and dump in a half pound of fish heads lol

You must be part Injun.

What is that Huge green bird in the background?

Square Eye · 04-14-2008, 06:32 PM

That is a banana tree

I plant one every year. The big leaves seem to help keep birds away. "Seem" is the critical word here though. It may be my imagination because I like the banana tree lol
It usually gets around 9 to 12' tall.

I think maybe between 1/8 to 1/4 Cherokee from my mother's side?

**inspectorD** · 04-14-2008, 06:44 PM

Is the tree for producing bananas ? Or a show stopper for the birds?
If it works for the birds...I'm agonna try it.

I knew you must be injun....you know too much about the land.

Now us Italians....hey what can I say.