Don't Fence Me In!
Over the weekend, I tried some methods of containing the potted flax so it may grow more upright. I put tomato cages into the pots and had the "brilliant" idea to add some nylon netting to further contain the stalks. Hmmm...
It really didn't like being contained within the netting. The stalks bunched together and were so miserable that I could almost feel it! So, I took off the netting...
It didn't take long for the stalks to reach back up to the heavens when they were released from the netting prison. Lesson learned. Flax likes its freedom. I will keep the tomato cages, though. They will give the stalks something to lean on as they get taller without constraining them too much. I may also be forced to thin the crop a bit. I am always hesitant to cull growing plants, although I know it can help the remaining plants grow more vigorously. But, I will need a tweezer to get into the pot and thin them. Oh, why didn't I do this earlier in the growing cycle? They need to be densely planted, but at some point, they also need room for their roots to grow. To not cull them may risk killing the entire crop. (There is a more profound lesson about life to be learned here. Enough of the heavy, though.)
There has been, perhaps, another benefit of growing the potted flax crop. The potted cherry tomato plants standing behind the flax are growing like monsters this year!
They are easily 8 feet tall, and it's only the end of June. Typically, my potted tomatoes grow nearly this tall by the end of the season, which would be in 2 more months. Perhaps they enjoy growing beside the flax? Do they have long conversations about life and reaching the sun? Or is there some plant-to-plant competition going on here? 😉
In a few days, I will be blogging about some exciting news regarding the subject of flax and the next year. Keep in touch!
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