The Tasteful Garden - Growing Tomatoes

Growing Tomatoes:

Tomatoes are one of the easiest and most forgiving plants you could ever grow. All they require is sunshine, some watering when it is hot and dry, and enough heat to develop fruit. A large enough space in the garden helps also. Compost added to the soil is the best way to insure good quality fruits and healthy plants and studies are beginning to show that the tomatoes will actually taste better and have more nutrients when they are grown using organic techniques.

A fully grown tomato plant will be about 4-6 feet high and many of the heirloom varieties like "Brandywine" and "Cherokee Purple", and almost all cherry tomato plants can grow to 8-12 feet high. If you tried to grow them on your balcony in a small pot you would not have much luck. When you purchase the plants they look like they only need about 12 inches so make sure that you allow at least 2-3 feet of garden for each plant, more if you are growing cherry tomatoes. If you don't have much space and want to grow in containers, choose a variety like Bush 506, Elfin, or Windowbox Roma for smaller more manageable plants.

Tomatoes need lots of sun to develop the sugars in the fruit that make them taste so good. You need to allow a minimum of 6 hours per day of direct sunshine. If you have less than that you should only grow very small sized tomatoes like "Sweet Million", "Yellow Pear", or "Grape" as they can produce fruit with only 4 hours of sun.

When you plant your tomato plants, you should always plant them deeper than they have been growing in their pots. The stem has the ability to sprout roots when it is buried underground which allows the plant to double its root system very quickly which means that it can take up more water and nutrients that it needs. This will also add stability to the plant and makes the stem grow strong. Plant them up to the top set of leaves, or where the stem begins to thin out.

Watering is not nearly as important as you would think. Tomatoes grow in very dry conditions in many parts of the world without a problem. Over watering is the number one cause of tomato diseases. It also makes the fruit taste bland and washes away soil nutrients from the roots. Drip systems are very good for tomatoes as they water deeply without wetting the leaves and stems which causes diseases. Let your plant tell you when it is thirsty, the leaves will look like they are starting to wilt. A deep watering will revive them within 10-15 minutes. Then base your watering schedule on how long it takes to get them to that wilt point again and water a half day before. Mulching around the base of the plant will hold moisture in and keep diseases from being splashed onto the plant.

Staking and Supporting Tomatoes

You will also want to set up some form of support for your tomato plants because once they are full of fruit they sometimes fall over and break branches. Use a good heavy duty support or make one yourself keeping in mind the size of the plant when fully grown. We form cylinders from metal hardware cloth or fencing material tied together at the ends, which you can find at the local builders/hardware store. Make sure the holes are large enough for your hands to get through to pick your fruit. Or you can make your own supports like these.

Lastly, the tomato plant will require the daytime temperatures to be above 70 degrees and below 85-90 to set fruit. (Some are more heat tolerant like "Mexico") Also, the nighttime temperatures must be above 55 degrees or your yellow flowers will fall off which make the fruit. There will be more flowers that will develop once the nights warm up.

Harvest your fruit when it is fully ripe and feels slightly soft. Never refrigerate tomatoes and let them sit on your kitchen counter for a few days before eating them to allow them to continue making sugars and you will have the best tomatoes in town.

Vegetable Gardening in Containers

For those who do not have room for a vegetable garden or are unable to dig and weed, container gardening can be done easily and inexpensively. All you need is a sunny, warm place and containers large enough for the plants you want to grow. Sunny decks, patios, and other areas are great for container gardening and do not require the difficult digging that starting a garden usually requires. Most vegetable plants will grow quite large so your containers must be large enough and not too crowded. Container gardening requires diligent watering and regular feeding, but it can be easy and fun for kids and adults. The main things you will need are:

Large Clay or Plastic Pots 24" in diameter or larger (half whiskey barrels work great
Watering Can or Hose
Good Potting Soil (enough to fill your pots)
Plant fertilizer or compost

For planting vegetables, you’ll need to allow approximately 18-24" in diameter for each plant. This includes tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, beans, squash, peppers and other large plants. These can be planted first and then you can add smaller vegetable plants such as onions, carrots, lettuces, or herbs around the bottom of the plant to fill in a large container.

First prepare your potting soil by filling the container and adding plant food according to the directions on the package for vegetables. I prefer organic plant food or worm castings or you can also use a slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote pellets which last a long time and are less likely to overfeed. Moisten the potting soil by adding water and mixing soil until it feels damp all the way through. Place the pot in the sun and you are ready to plant. Next, dig a hole large enough for the vegetable transplant, turn the plant upside down, tap the bottom, and gently pull the base of the stem until the plant comes out of the container. Place the plant in the hole and fill around the edges pressing gently. Water the plant immediately after planting.

Plants should get at least 6 hours of sunshine per day. They can grow with less, but they will not produce fruit in the shade. It is also very important to keep your plants watered regularly. Put your finger down into the soil approximately 2-3” deep and see if the soil is dry at that level. If it is, then water well until water runs out of the bottom of the pot.

You will need to stake or support plants such as tomatoes, beans, & cucumbers, tomato cages or bamboo stakes work well. Follow the directions on your fertilizer package for vegetables. Check for worms or chewed leaves and if any are found you can spray some Bacillius Thuringiensis (or BT) once a week and that should keep them away. Aphids and other crawling type insects can be controlled by using our Neem II which has Pyrethrins and Neem combined for great organic protection.

Growing is easy and fun and the payoff of vegetables from your own garden is worth the wait.

Blossom End Rot - What is it and how do I prevent it?

Blossom End Rot is probably the most common tomato "disease" and the most scary of them all. This problem occurs on the actual fruits and destroys the first crop very quickly. After all our hard work planting and watering and watching them grow, literally overnight this black rotten spot shows up on our beautiful new tomatoes. There are many reasons that this can happen but primarily it is a lack of calcium in the fruit production cycle and the fruits literally rot from the bottom up.

Sometimes there is calcium in the soil and the roots of the plant cannot take it up into the stem which interrupts the fruit production. Very wet soil, very dry soil or the back and forth of each can be the cause of this interruption. It is very important when you water your tomato plants to give them deep and less frequent watering so the soil stays moist longer in between waterings.

The best technique for watering is to turn a hose on at a slow trickle and leave it running for about 1/2 hour to an hour, depending upon your weather conditions and your rainfall. In most areas, if rainfall is about one inch per week, you should not need to water your plants at all. Sprinklers do more damage than good as they generally just wet the leaves, which spreads diseases, instead of soaking the soil where the roots are. Mulching with a layer of leaves or straw shades the roots and keeps the moisture from evaporating too quickly. If rainfall is extremely heavy, you can mulch with black plastic to prevent too much water going to the roots.

Another cause of blossom end rot is Ph problems. If you don't have the proper soil Ph, the plants roots cannot function properly and turn the calcium into a form that it needs. It is like trying to drink lemon juice for the plant! Acidic soil or Alkaline soil are measured by testing the soil every year and amending with either Lime or Gypsum to correct extreme conditions. As a general rule, if you get regular to heavy rainfall all year long you probably have Acid soil and need to add lime every year at a rate of 1# per 100 sq. feet. This can be found at any garden center and is very inexpensive. Hydrated lime can also be purchased in our catalog and is fast acting. If you get almost no rainfall at all in summertime, you probably have Alkaline soil and need to amend with Gypsum.

The other cause of blossom end rot is lack of nutrients which includes calcium. If you did not need to add Lime, it is likely that your soil will have enough calcium in it for the plant but possible that it does not. Chemical fertilizers generally have some calcium added to them as a trace element but organic fertilizers do not. Eggshells, oyster shells, crab shells are all made of calcium and make great additives to increase the calcium levels in your soil. These can be added about every 1-2 years as you plant.

If you are reading this and you have blossom end rot occurring now, the best treatment is a quick acting product called "Blossom End Rot Stop spray" which is a liquid form of calcium that can be sprayed on the fruit and leaves to stop the damage temporarily. Then adding a fertilizer which contains calcium should correct the soil conditions. If your soil is acidic then adding lime that is already water based, will change the Ph and prevent more rotting. These products are available in our catalog along with soil test kits to check your soil Ph.