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Seasons
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Nothing beats a juicy, sweet, homegrown
tomato sandwich!!! And I have this little pet peeve...when I eat a
tomato sandwich, I want a bite of tomato before I get a bit of
bread. That means I like a big tomato that extends beyond my
sandwich.
There are literally hundreds of different varieties of tomatoes but
they basically fall into three categories; slicing, paste and cherry.
Varieties are either "determinate" or
"indeterminate."
Determinate: (D) the variety will grow to a certain height and
produce a set amount of tomatoes. You can grow these without any support
and allow them to sprawl on the ground or surround them with a low
cage. They do not need to be pruned.
Indeterminate: (I) the growth of the plant has no
limits. They grow and set fruit continuously. They have a higher
foliage-to- fruit ration. The bigger the plant, the better the
fruit! Will get more yield per square foot in your garden. For
larger fruit they should be pruned. Pruning: Do not prune
until the plants are well established in the garden-at least a week.
Remove (snip with scissors or pinch) all suckers. These are the
nonflowering stems that grow between the main stem and the leaf
crotches. I usually prune for several weeks to get one main stem
and reduce my side stems but then get lazy and let them go.
The harder you prune, the less fruit you will have but the tomatoes will
be much larger. Growing Tomatoes
There are four ways to growing tomatoes.
Stakes
This is my favorite. I use one 6' T-Post per plant. I set the
post when I plant my tomatoes to avoid damaging the tender roots as they
start to grow. If you want to do a good job and want the
post to hold your plant, use a T-Post and drive it a foot into the
ground. T-Post are a little more of an investment but well worth
the extra $2. At the end of the season, I pull the stakes and
store them on a pile behind the storage building. They last
forever. Use twine, strips of cloth or nylon hose to gently tie
the stalks to the post.
Advantages:
- Saves space.
- Keeps vines and tomatoes off the ground.
- Easy to prune resulting in larger fruit.
- Easy to pick, spray and watch for insects and diseases.
Disadvantages:
- Takes time and effort to set post, tie and prune. Pruning is
a must!
- Tomatoes are more prone to cracking, water stress, blossom end rot
and sunscald because they are exposed.
Cages
This is probably the most popular method however; I do not personal
like it! The best is one made from heavy wire (concrete
reinforcing wire) to form a cage. The lightweight ones available
at nurseries do not last, but they are better than nothing!
Advantages:
- Easy to use
- Plants need little care.
- Plants grow naturally and support themselves.
- Very little problem with sunscald.
Disadvantages:
- They are bulky to store.
- You have to stake the cages with several poles or they will blow
over.
- Is not easy to prune.
I will never forget the year I tried cages. I had beautiful,
lush plants growing out the top of my 6' high cages as you can't prune
with cages. We had a summer storm and it blew everyone of my cages
over and uprooted each plant as I had not staked the cages. I decided
that if I had to stake cages, I would much rather put one stake per
plant and be done with it!
Trellis
Suspend twine from a trellis and securely stake into the soil beside
each plant. Gently flip the growing end of the plant around the
twine. (I have not personally tried this method)
Lazy Way!
This method is to do nothing! Simply allow the plants to lay on
the ground or mulch.
Advantages:
- Saves work
- No need to prune.
- Higher yields but smaller fruit.
- Foliage protects from sunscald.
Disadvantages:
- Wet, humid weather triggers rotting, slug and snail problems.
- Requires more space per plant.
- Harder to pick.
- Branches laying on the ground may take root
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Planting:
I dig holes 12 inches deep and 3 feet apart in a row. In the
bottom of each hole I add 1 cup of lime or KlaySoft (Gypsum), 1 T.
sulfur and 1 T. Epsom Salt per hole. Tomatoes need a lot of
calcium (Lime) to prevent blossom end rot. They are also high
users of magnesium (Epsom Salt). Add some soft compost or composted cow
manure. Stir together and set the plant deep into the hole with
only the top branches above the soil surface. Pinch off all the
lower leaves. The little hair-like fuzz on the side of the stem is
roots that will give stability and additional area for root growth to
help nourish the plant.
Fertilizing:
Side dress with 1/2 cup 5-10-10 per plant. After the first
fruits form side-dress with a small amount of Miracle-Grow for tomatoes
or 5-10-10. (1 cup will do 10 plants). You do not want to over
fertilize or you will have excessive stalks and no fruit.
I learned the hard way one year. I put one small shovel
full of fresh chicken manure around each plant. My plants went
wild. I have vines but grew into one huge, solid mass-head high
and not one tomato!!!
Harvesting:  For
best flavor, harvest when they are firm and fully ripen. In the
fall, remove the bottom leaves, flowers and fruit that will not ripen
before frost. This will direct all the energy into ripening the
remaining tomatoes. Just before frost pick any
tomatoes that are starting to turn. Set them on the counter indoors to
allow to ripen. The hard, green tomatoes may be pulled and
wrapped in newspaper. Store in a cool, dark room and they will ripen
within a few weeks. 
Problems
Blossom End
Rot: Blossom End Rot first appears on the bottom of the tomato as
a large, brown or black sunken area. When this happens pull the affected
tomatoes off and throw away. They will not get over it and are no
good. They will sap the plant of energy in producing other
tomatoes. It occurs when it is too cool, too hot, too much water
or not enough water. It usually effects the first tomatoes as the plants
are putting on some quick growth and then a hot spell hits. They
suffer moisture stress and the roots aren't able to take up enough
calcium to satisfy the needs of the fast-growing plants. After
the plants have developed golf ball size fruit, I mix one pint of
calcium (available at farm supply stores or nurseries) in 5 gallons of
water. I divide it between 12 plants, sprinkling it over the
plants and around the stalks. This is instantly absorbed by the
plants. I do this as a safeguard to prevent any problems. If I
have a continuing problem I repeat the process again. You may
also use calcium chloride (deicing salt) which is sold at farm supply or
hardware stores. Mix 2 T. in a gallon of water and spray on plants
2-3 times a week. Blossom Drop Blossom drop occurs in cool
and very hot weather. Early in the season when the night
temperature falls below 55 degrees the blossoms will fall off the plant.
Some plants will drop their blossoms when summer night temperatures
reach 75 degrees at night and 100+ during the day. Other causes
are when the plants don't get enough water, planted in too shady of an
area or after an overdose of fertilizer. Sunscald: Sunscald
occurs when the green tomatoes are exposed get too much sun. A
yellowish-white patch appears on the side of the tomato facing the sun. Warning:
No Smoking! No smoking in the garden! Tobacco smoke passes
on the tobacco mosaic virus, one of several very serious viruses that
can infect tomatoes and other crops. Fusarium Wilt and Verticillium
Wilt These wilts are very serious. The lower leaves turn
yellow, wilt and die. There are no remedies and the soil-borne fungi
remain in the soil for many seasons. It is best to destroy these
diseased plants immediately and plant only varieties resistant to these
diseases. |
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Hertzler
Farm
and Feed Inc.
June
26, 2004 I like to stake my tomatoes. This is the Whopper variety.
