Tomatoes and candy potatoes are two scrumptious and easy-to-grow backyard staples. However are you able to develop them collectively, or are they finest saved in separate areas? Many types of various vegetation may be grown in the identical backyard, offered you could have sufficient area, however not all vegetation develop nicely as shut neighbors.
Some vegetation develop rather well collectively and might even profit one another. Companion planting has been practiced for generations. Companion vegetation profit their neighbors by enhancing the soil circumstances, offering a service like shade or help, attracting pollinators, or repelling pests. It’s all the time a good suggestion to study companion vegetation as a possible manner to enhance the well being and vitality of your backyard.
Another vegetation, nevertheless, are finest refrained from one another. If two vegetation are each heavy feeders, they are going to instantly compete for soil vitamins. Vigorous vines can simply shade and outcompete shut neighbors. Different vegetation might appeal to the identical pests or be extremely prone to the identical illnesses and needs to be grown in separate areas of the backyard.
The most effective issues about gardening is that there’s no absolute proper or incorrect strategy to do it. Anybody with a sunny location can develop some backyard vegetation, even when the area is so simple as a sunny balcony or deck. The bigger your backyard, the extra vegetation you’ll be able to develop, however don’t let restricted area cease you from gardening.
Each tomatoes and candy potatoes may be simply grown in containers, in addition to in additional typical gardens. Let’s now take a more in-depth take a look at these vegetation, what it takes to develop them, and whether or not or not it’s best to develop them collectively.
The Fast Reply
A single cabbage plant can develop quite massive and would require its personal area. Cabbage are heavy feeders and don’t like competitors from shut neighbors. Place seedlings 12 to 24 inches aside so that they every have loads of room to develop.
Whether or not you begin your vegetation from seed or start with bought seedlings, the last word spacing between vegetation would be the identical. Every plant would require loads of daylight, water, and fertilizer all through the rising season.
The Detailed Reply
There are many vegetation that develop nicely with each tomatoes and candy potatoes, however these two vegetation needs to be grown individually. Tomatoes and candy potatoes are each extremely prone to a number of the identical bacterial and fungal illnesses, and one contaminated plant can shortly unfold the illness to any close by wholesome vegetation.
To complicate issues, many pests and illnesses can linger within the soil for one or two years after preliminary an infection. Subsequently, it’s smart to not plant tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, or candy potatoes in the identical backyard space any ahead of a 3-year rotation.
All of those vegetation can unfold a number of the identical illnesses to one another, both by way of shut contact or by way of contaminated soils.
Each tomato and candy potato vegetation thrive in very related circumstances, nevertheless. If in case you have perfect rising circumstances for one, you’ll be able to simply develop the opposite, offered that you’ve sufficient area. Each tomatoes and candy potatoes thrive in full solar and a heat local weather.
They each want wealthy, moist, well-drained soil. They each profit from the addition of natural compost at planting time and through the rising season for an additional increase in vitamins to offer loads of fruits and roots to reap.
As you intend your backyard, you’ll be able to simply incorporate tomatoes and candy potatoes, simply not in the identical mattress. Find out how and when to plant them and what they should thrive. Put together your backyard plot nicely upfront and supply perfect rising circumstances.
Attempt rising them every with some companion vegetation that with assist them alongside. Most of all, have enjoyable along with your vegetation. Attempt rising one thing just a little totally different, and also you would possibly uncover a brand new favourite summer time backyard veggie.
Tomatoes
Upon getting loved consuming a garden-fresh tomato, you’ll by no means need to eat a store-bought tomato once more. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an annual fruit-bearing backyard plant that’s straightforward to develop, scrumptious, and worthy of a sunny spot in any backyard.
Many tomato vegetation are tall and sprawling “indeterminate” varieties, able to producing tomatoes all through the most popular summer time days and till the primary frost.
Different styles of tomato are “determinate” and can produce one massive mid-season crop after which die again. If in case you have restricted area or need to attempt rising tomatoes in a container, search for a compact dwarf selection that may keep small and bushy.
If you’re keen to attempt beginning tomatoes from seed, you’ll be amazed by the huge variety of varieties out there for the adventurous gardener.
You’ll be able to get pleasure from small, medium, or large-sized fruits. Take a look at a rainbow of multicolored fruits, together with crimson, orange, yellow, inexperienced, bronze, and striped! You can see tomatoes perfect for canning or slicing, and others excellent for consuming contemporary off the vine.
Candy Potatoes
Candy potatoes are enjoyable and simple to develop. Candy potatoes are usually not grown from seed however from “slips.” A candy potato slip is a younger vine begin you can purchase on-line or from a backyard heart or begin your individual from a store-bought candy potato!
In contrast to common potatoes, candy potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are associated to morning glories. A single candy potato vine will simply develop 6 to 10 toes lengthy and might develop wherever from 3 to 10 candy tubers underground. Candy potatoes are orange and fleshy and may be cooked into many tasty dishes.
To attenuate illnesses lingering within the soil, permit at the least 2 years between planting candy potatoes, common potatoes, tomatoes, or peppers on the identical plot of land.
Candy potato vines can develop fairly lengthy and vigorous, however they develop readily in pots, raised beds, and conventional backyard rows. The vines are engaging and sometimes grown as decorative annuals cascading over the sides of enormous pots.
Companion Planting
Interplanting, or companion planting, is using one plant to learn one other. Companion vegetation can present structural help or shade, assist with weed suppression, break up arduous clay soils, or repair nitrogen into the soil and make it extra out there to different vegetation. Companion vegetation also can appeal to pollinators and deter pests, serving to different vegetation develop higher and produce extra fruits.
Each tomatoes and candy potatoes have many companion vegetation that may assist them develop. Vegetation like peas and beans are legumes and enrich the soil, benefitting different vegetation. Some closely fragrant vegetation like basil and marigold might help repel pests.
Different vegetation like yarrow and parsley are pollinator favorites and appeal to a large number of useful bugs. Develop an assortment of various companion vegetation all through your backyard, and plenty of different vegetation will profit as nicely!
Timing of Planting
Each tomatoes and candy potatoes are warm-season annual crops and can develop all through the summer time and till the primary frost. Because you gained’t be rising these two vegetation in shut proximity, you don’t have to fret an excessive amount of about coordinating the planting occasions. Ideally, put your vegetation out on an overcast day to assist decrease transplant shock.
Tomatoes may be planted outdoors after the final frost date when the soil temperature has reached at the least 60 levels. The best rising temperature for tomatoes is wherever between 65 and 85 levels. Should you began tomatoes indoors, take a number of days to harden them off to assist transition them to outside rising circumstances.
Candy potatoes may be planted outdoors when the soil temperature has warmed to about 60 levels. These vegetation prefer it scorching and can fortunately develop in temperatures starting from 65 to 95 levels. Water them nicely after transplanting and maintain the soil moist so your vegetation can alter nicely to their new rising circumstances.
Gardening Type
You’ll be able to develop tomatoes and candy potatoes in some ways. If in case you have a backyard specified by rows, you’ll be able to simply develop these vegetation in separate rows. If in case you have raised beds, develop them in separate beds. If you’re container gardening, develop a compact tomato plant in a single pot and a candy potato plant in one other pot.
Basic ideas for rising success:
- Begin with high-quality, well-drained soil.
- Develop your vegetation in full solar.
- Maintain the soil moist
- Maintain your backyard well-weeded.
- Add nutritious compost to provide vegetation the vitality they should develop and thrive.
- Observe for indicators of pests and illnesses.
- Rotate crops to attenuate soil contamination.
- Destroy, don’t compost, any diseased plant materials.
- Mulch round vegetation to enhance soil circumstances.
- Entice useful bugs.
- Give your vegetation loads of area to develop.
Supreme Rising Circumstances
| Tomatoes | Candy Potatoes | |
| Mild | Full solar, at the least 8 hours of shiny daylight per day. | Full solar, at the least 8 hours of shiny daylight per day. |
| Water | Constantly moist soil. Common 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Uneven watering could cause fruits to separate. Don’t over-water or permit soil to remain moist. | Constantly moist soil. Common 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Uneven watering could cause fruits to separate. Don’t over-water or permit the soil to remain moist. |
| Soil | Wealthy, unfastened, well-drained. | Wealthy, unfastened, well-drained. |
| Vitamins | Add natural compost at planting repeatedly mid-season when vegetation start fruiting. | Add natural compost each month after transplanting. |
| Mulch | Mulch round vegetation to retain soil moisture, improve soil vitamins, and shield towards some pests. | Mulch round vegetation to retain soil moisture, improve soil vitamins, and shield towards some pests. |
| House | Enable at the least 12-18 inches of area between every plant. Compact vegetation may be grown barely nearer collectively than full-size vegetation. | Candy potatoes are vigorous vines and require plenty of area. Don’t prune your vines to maintain them compact, they want the vitality from the leaves to supply wholesome tuberous roots. |
| Help | Develop tomatoes with a tomato cage or prepare to a stake to maintain them upright, save area, and maintain fruits off the bottom. | Candy potatoes don’t want help. The vines are usually not climbing and shouldn’t have tendrils, so they are going to sprawl alongside the bottom. |
| Season | Tomatoes are delicate to chilly and develop throughout spring and summer time, fruiting from summer time till fall. | Candy potatoes take a very long time to develop and require a comparatively lengthy rising season. |
| Harvest | 60-100 days from seed. Tomatoes may be harvested all through the rising season. | 90-120 days from transplanting slips. Candy potatoes are sometimes harvested as soon as, when potatoes have reached the specified dimension. |
Widespread Pests
One of the frequent pests of the tomato plant is the tomato hornworm. These big inexperienced caterpillars shortly eat one leaf after one other. Thankfully, hornworms are straightforward to identify, straightforward to establish, and simple to take away (they’re innocent to people).
Different pests to be careful for embody flea beetles, which create quite a few small holes within the leaves, and aphids and thrips, which suck plant juices with their tiny piercing mouthparts.
As a result of candy potatoes develop underground, there are lots of pests that trigger harm to their roots. Potato weevils, grubs, and wireworms all bore into the fleshy roots and might trigger intensive harm. Above floor, you might even see flea beetles or cucumber beetles, each of which munch on leaves, creating quite a few holes.
Attempt to give your vegetation the very best rising circumstances potential so they’re wholesome and resilient. Some pests may be prevented or minimized through the use of floating row covers, planting pest-repelling companion vegetation, and working towards crop rotation.
Should you do discover insect pests, attempt to take away them with out utilizing pesticides as a result of pesticides hurt useful bugs in addition to pests.
Ultimate Ideas
Rising each tomatoes and candy potatoes could be a very tasty, prolific, and rewarding expertise. These vegetation love the warmest summer time climate and thrive in related rising circumstances. Tomato vegetation will give you fruits all through the summer time and till the primary frost, whereas candy potatoes will yield one bigger late-season harvest.
However since these vegetation can share most of the identical pests and illnesses, you should definitely give every a separate area within the backyard. Give your vegetation loads of area, full solar, and wealthy, well-drained soil. Rotate crops yearly and check out companion plantings with useful companions to maximise crop vitality.
