How to Grow Tomatoes
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable for home gardeners. No other vegetable
comes close to it's popularity. And, it is no wonder, as there is nothing
better than a ripe tomato straight out of the garden. Better still, eat one
while you are still in your garden. Many tomatoes never makes it past the
garden fence.
Growing tomato plants is easy. They produce an abundance of fruit. The best
tomato, is one that ripens on the vine. With a wide range of varieties to
choose from, there is a tomato plant that's just right for every home gardener.
While many people believe that tomato plants originated in Europe, they actually
are native to Central America. Explorers who travelled to the New World,
found the Aztec Indians growing them. These explorers brought tomatoes back
to Europe in the 16th Century. Southern Europe readily accepted them, and
they became common in Italian cuisine.
Types of Tomato Varieties:
There are hundreds out tomato varieties to choose from. The varieties of
tomatoes can be found in the following groups:
-
Cherry Tomato-A favorite of kids and adults. These bite-sized tomatoes
are easy to grow, ripen early, and are a perfect snack right in the garden.
Leave a bowl of cherry tomatoes on your kitchen counter, and they disappear
in a hurry. They are used in a variety of ways, including salads, vegetable
trays with dip, and shish-ka-bob. After the gardening season, Cherry Tomatoes
all but disappear from the marketplace, with those that remain commanding
a high price.
-
Grape Tomato - Small and bite-sized,
like it's cousin the Cherry Tomato, these tasty morsels have gone from unknown
to t"the rage" in just a few years. Why? These egg-shaped fruit are sweeter
and tastier. More on Grape Tomatoes.
-
Main Crop- These are the mainstay of home gardens. Main crop varieties
mature from early to mid-season, are big, round, meaty, and prolific producers.
-
Plum or Roma- Often called paste tomatoes, they are small and plum
or mostly cylindrical in shape, and usually have a pointed bottom. They have
far less "juice" than other varieties, and are not as sweet. Plum tomatoes
are used to make paste, sauces, canning, and even ketchup.
-
Beefsteak- Beefsteak tomatoes are the King of the tomato crop. They
grow so big that one slice covers an entire sandwich! They also have a big,
flavorful taste. Beefsteaks have the longest maturity dates, but are well
worth waiting for.
-
Long Keepers- This variety is small, usually, yellowish orange in
color. They can be stored in a cool, dark place for several months. How long
you ask? My neighbor showed me his leftovers in June from the prior fall.
As he discarded his remaining supply, he culled a few good ones for his evening
meal!
Thought for the Day If life deals you lemons, make lemonade. If it
deals you tomatoes, make Bloody Marys.
Starting Tomato Seeds:
Tomato plants are usually started indoors. Planting tomato seeds is an exciting
time. It is one of the very first gardening projects of the year. After a
long winter, you are itching to get your hands back into some "dirt".
Begin starting tomato seeds indoors in small containers, eight to ten weeks
before the last frost date for your area. Sow tomato seeds about 1/8" inch
deep, using seed starting soil.
As soon as the seedlings emerge, they need full sunlight to grow sturdy.
Lack of sunlight causes the plants to grow "leggy". Use grow lights to supplement
the amount of available sunlight.
Tip: To help your plants grow sturdy, place a small fan on low nearby.
Or, lightly brush the tops of the plants with your hands a couple times each
day.
How to Grow Tomatoes:
Growing tomatoes is easy. It's one reason for their popularity in your home
garden. Just prior to planting them in your garden, "harden them off" by
bringing them outside during the daytime and for increasing hours, until
you are leaving them out overnight. Use of a coldframe is recommended, but
not a requirement. If frost is predicted, bring them indoors.
On planting day, pour liberal amounts of water with a soluble liquid fertilizer
on them. Plant them in the garden carefully. To minimize transplant shock,
avoid disturbing the roots. Normal spacing is 24 " apart, in rows 30" to
36" apart.
Fertilize on a regular basis. Early applications should be high in nitrogen.
As blossoming occurs, switch to fertilizers which are higher in Phosphorus
and Potassium. Too much Nitrogen fertilizer results in lots of lush green
leaves, and little fruit. A fertilizer specifically formulated for tomatoes,
will help to maximize your crop.
Try Jobes Fertilizer spikes.
Keep your tomato plant well watered. Deep watering is preferable, over more
frequent, light watering. You want moisture to go deep to all the roots of
the plant. Water directly to the roots. Keep water off the leaves if at all
possible. Tomatoes are susceptible to plant disease that grows in wet, humid
conditions.
Tip: Even if you have a garden out back, we recommend finding a place
along the back of the house for just one tomato plant. This one plant will
be the last to succumb to frost in the fall. The warmth of the house, and
a light plastic sheet or cloth tossed over it at night, will allow you to
harvest fresh tomatoes after the first frost, right when prices are rising
in the grocery store.
To maximize your crop, and minimize disease and insect damage, stake or cage
tomatoes. They will reward you with more tomatoes. And, they will be cleaner,
as they will not be sitting on the soil.
Days to Maturity:
Varying types require from 55 days to 85 days (Beefsteaks). The race is always
on in my neighborhood to get the first ripe tomato of the season. Most of
us also grow and await the beefsteaks. One slice from these delicious beauties
more than fills a sandwich.
Cold and hot spells will affect fruit development and growth. Fruit set will
not occur below 55 degrees or above 90 degrees Farenheit.
Insects and Pests:
Tomatoes can experience insect problems with cutworms and a few other garden
pests. Also, if not staked or caged, snails and slugs will munch on the ripening
fruit.
Did you Know? Tomato plants emit a mild toxin that discourages many
small insects from bothering them.
Diseases of Tomatoes:
A number of plant problems can arise, usually in mid summer heat and humidity.
Blights and fungus infections can occur in the high humidity. Early treatment
with fungicides is effective. Spacing plants too close cuts down air circulation
and promotes disease.
Blossom end rot can also affect the fruit. This is a round, brown, indented
spot on the bottom of the tomato. It is caused by either uneven watering
or a lack of calcium in the soil.
More
on Blossom End Rot.
Tip: Do not water at night if possible in hot and humid weather if
possible. Moisture and humidity combined with high temperatures promotes
plant diseases. If possible, water at the roots.
Hardiness:
Tomatoes like it hot! They will die if exposed to frost. Make sure to plant
them after the last frost.
Tip#1: Cover your young seedling if frost is predicted. A simple and
easy cover for small seedlings is to buy large or extra large plastic
disposable cups. Place them over the seedling at dusk, and remove them in
the morning. There is usually little or no wind on nights with frost, so
they are not easily tipped over.
Tip#2: If you get a light frost overnight and you did not cover up
your plants. Go out early before the sun rises, and spray your plants with
the garden hose. This melts the ice off the plants and may save them.
Harvesting and Storing Tomatoes:
Tomatoes store well in a cool, dry location. Do not put them in the refrigerator.
While they last longer in the refrigerator, they will lose their flavor and
texture. Keep them out of direct sunlight.
Just before frost, pick tomatoes while the are still green or orange. Wash
them thoroughly. Rinse in a light solution of 1 gallon of water and a tablespoon
of bleach. This kills off bacteria that rots the fruit. Allow them to dry,
then put them in a cool, dry, dark place.
To ripen tomatoes indoors, bring a couple at a time to a warm, sunny window.
Canning Guidelines - Information on canning
tomatoes and other vegetables.
Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable? It's a frequently asked
question. While we all grow tomatoes in our vegetable garden, they are actually
classified as a fruit. The U.S. Congress debated this in 1893.
Read
the ruling.
A Tomato Press makes fast work preparing
sauce and juice for canning tomatoes .
Buy Now
Other Resources:
Tomato
Mania In-depth information and advice from Garden
Hobbies
Problems
with Tomatoes
Buy Tomato Seeds
Buy Hot Kaps
Veggie Cages Throw away the wire and hoop tomato
cages. This revolutionary cage expands a whopping 7ft! Stores flat in almost
no space. Try them on sweet peas, tomatoes, pole beans, and other climbing
climbing flowers and vegetables.
Garden Recipes:
Homemade Tomato and Vegetable Juice
Our Garden Recipe Collection |
