We spent a lot of time admiring the amazing variety of tomatoes they had planted. The Laughlins actually keep about 250 different varieties of seed, which they ve collected from all over the country. Mike said that the ugliest variety they grow, Cherokee purple, is in high demand from consumers based on its flavor. Overall, the heirloom tomatoes are more labor intensive, and result in more spoilage, but the flavors, colors, and textures are incredible. They market these to farmer s markets in Worthington and Westerville, and also sell to Wild Oats as well as two smaller health food stores in Columbus.
Weeds are the biggest problem.
To combat them the Laughlins lay down a heavy straw mulch , which works well for them as a weed suppressant. It also puts organic matter back into the soil they till that straw mulch back in. And it helps hold soil moisture, especially important in a drought year like we ve just had. They use T-tape in the beds, which has openings about every 6 inches for the water to drip out. Between beds they maintain grass aisleways, which also helps control weeds and has several additional benefits, including protecting the soil.