Question about plant spacing

Ericka2385 5/29/2012, 12:48 am

Hi Everyone...

I'm in the planning stages of putting my garden together, and have questions about a couple of plants not addressed in Mel's book. There are spacing suggestions from the seed companies, but from what I've seen so far SFG uses my garden space more efficiently and I think i can give the plants a smaller footprint. Does anyone have experience growing these?

Artichokes and Brussels Sprouts... I'm thinking about giving each a 2x2 square, which would be on the 'safe' side of planning. I'm wondering if it would work to put two plants kiddie corner in a 2x2 square box, and just put something that would like some shade in the other two squares...

Ground Cherry/Tomatillo... Everything I've read on these say to thin to 36'', so again the 'safe' planning would be to give them a 3x3 square. I'd like to be able to get away with 2x2, but I don't want to overcrowd them.

Any thoughts??

mtottle 5/29/2012, 4:08 am

Brussels sprouts don't need 2x2, the sun leaves get about the size of cabbage around a big stalk with the sprouts in the middle. One per 1x1 square is fine. They do get a bit crowded but mine didnt seem to mind one bit last year.

But artichokes, as delicious as they are, are a beast. It's a humongous thorny wandering perennial thistle. You don't want it in your SFG because it can very easily get to be 7-8 feet tall and 6 feet in diameter in a season. I would put it in a full-sun corner of your yard where it won't shade anything important. I attempted them last year but they didn't like where I put them and they didn't survive. So I'm trying again with crossed fingers, considering how expensive they are in the supermarket! Smile

elliephant 5/29/2012, 2:23 pm

The trouble with tomatillos is that they get as wide as they do tall. I'd say they need at least 2x3.

quiltbea 5/29/2012, 2:50 pm

@elliphant.....Are Husk cherries tomatillos? I planted two in pots this year because I had no room left at the inn and I'm wondering how they will be growing? I put cages around them.

elliephant 5/29/2012, 3:18 pm

quiltbea wrote:@elliphant.....Are Husk cherries tomatillos? I planted two in pots this year because I had no room left at the inn and I'm wondering how they will be growing? I put cages around them.

I think they are in the same family. This article seems to indicate they are. I had a tomatillo growing in a pot last year and I think a cage would have been great. But a hornworm got to it, so I gave up on it before the move. Meant to plant tomatillos this year, but somehow never got around to it.

quiltbea 5/29/2012, 3:40 pm

@Ericka....I didn't mean to hijack your thread. Thanks elliphant for answering.

As for Brussels sprouts, I grow mine in 1 square, but along the outside edge so they can feel good about being a bit wide.

Question about plant spacing 08-07-14

Ericka2385 5/29/2012, 6:47 pm

@Quiltbea, no worries about thinking you hijacked my thread. I'm just happy to get all the information I can, and thank you, everyone else, for the info.

This year is **my** first garden, now that I'm finally settled into a home and can expand from container gardens. I grew up working in my families gardens, but have never had my own. It's super exciting.

J_in_HamiltonON 5/30/2012, 10:37 am

Hi there:

I'm growing two types of ground cherry for the first time (also this is my first year using SFG-inspired growing setup). So I don't know for certain what size they will grow to but from what I have read they might stay as "small" as 18" leaf-spread, and as large as 2-3' spread. Maybe depends on the actual variety. I have Physalis pruinosa and Physalis edulus from William Dam Seeds. I just can;t wait to taste them!! As mentioned, I'm not following the SFG method by the book, and I left between 18 and 24" between the Physalis pruinosa plants which is probably not enough space but we'll see. Most of my Physalis edulus will be in pots with ample space. I have 6-8 of each and expect to be completely over-run with ground cherries by the end of the season:cheers:

Jason

quiltbea 5/30/2012, 10:45 am

Welcome Jason. I've been doing this for 4 years but this is first time for husk/ground cherry tomatoes for me, too. We'll learn together.

JustMe 5/31/2012, 12:30 am

Brussells - I planted 1 per square. This is my first year. So far, so good.

Tomatillo - this will be my first year with this also. Thanks to this thread, I'll be heading back to the garden shop to buy another. I didn't know at least two plants were needed. (Now to rearrange my new bed layout...) I was planning to grow them like a tomato - 1 per square.

J_in_HamiltonON 5/31/2012, 1:06 pm

Hi again:

Okay, I am only for the first time growing "ground cherries" and it is very clear that there is a lot of confusion what that name really means. This thread started with a reference to "tomatillos / ground cherries". I suspect they are quite different. From what I've read, there are manny variations but the important ones (at least for US and Canada) seems to be:

Tomatillos: Physallis ixocarpa (mexican Husk Tomato), Physalis philadelphica http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mexican_husk_tomato.html suggest this plant is self-sterile. Fruit is typically picked and eaten while still green.

Ground cherries or cape gooseberries : Physallis peruviana ("Aunt Molly); Physallis edulus (the ones I bought from William Dam Seeds are called"Little Lanters")
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/cape_gooseberry.html states "In England, growers shake the flowers gently in summer to improve distribution of the pollen, or they will give the plants a very light spraying with water." - which to me strong suggests that these plants have self-pollinating flowers much like those of tomatoes. Fruit is allowed to fall off the plant (why it is called a ground cherry) before gathered and eaten. Is smaller and sweeter that the tomatillos.

I gave a single Physallis peruviana seedling to a friend. So I guess he will be a guinea pig Razz

to determine whether or not they really are self-sterile. Many of my seedling set fruit while still indoors, suggesting they do self pollinate or at wind pollinate (I used a fan on then in 15 min on - 30 min off intervals to encourage stronger stems)

So again I think the thread may be going off topic a bit (sorry) but maybe this is of some value? Comments?

Thanks

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