No Till Pots??

As many of you know most of my vegetables are grown in pots like the ones in the picture below. During the winter several of them grow collards or turnips, and others just kill off summer weeds and allow whatever comes in the springtime.

My process each year is to (1) clear the pot of weeds (2) leave the collards and turnips (3) turn the soil in each pot (4) top off with barnyard dirt and (5) plant the vegetable.

This year there is a slight problem. Early Feb I totally busted an Achilles tendon, had surgery to repair and am out of commission for 4 more weeks. I have been able to get tomatoes started in my greenhouse but no way I can get them in the pots for quite awhile. I have some folks who have offered to help, but I hate to see them go to the same trouble I do each year.

So, I thought about deer food plot methods, of NO TILL planting and throw and mow. Do you think we could get good result by simply (1) removing weeds or collards from pot (2) dig planting spot with hole diggers or such and (3) plant the tomato. Then when I am able to get around I could do the soil top off around the growing plant. What do you think? Thanks for your help

I have always started my tomato plants in pots. I normally use wrapped up newspaper to make my own pots about 8 to 10 inches tall. This is one way I always have fresh garden tomatoes before anyone else. I put about 5 inches of good potting soil in the pots and when the plants have grown about 5 inches tall I pinch off all but the top four leaves and fill the soil up to the bottom leaves. Then when the plants are ready to go to the garden I have a very good root system. I lay the plants horizontally in a shallow trough after again removing all but hte last four or six leaves and bury them. Prop up the leaves so they are off the ground to prevent rot and let them go. The root system they develop with this method is unreal.

ouch, just thinking about breaking an achilles makes me cringe, good luck on your recovery.

G