Growing Tomatoes

Tomato Growing

Homegrown tomatoes straight from the garden are a summertime favorite, however, you might not be achieving theheartiest bounty possible. Read below for some of the best tomato growing tips.

1.Choosing the right variety: Choose a cool-climate variety for regions with shorter growing seasons to ensure that they mature and turn red. An example of an early producing tomato is the ‘Early Girl’ variety, which matures 50 days after planting. Choose a hot-climate variety for areas that have hot summers, to ensure they continue producing during peak heat. Southern gardeners are known to use the ‘Heatmaster’ variety, as they are heat hearty.

2.Growing habits: Tomato plants are either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate plants are bush varieties that stop growing at about three feet tall. These type of plants fruit all at once and most determinate plants like to be in tomato cages. Indeterminate varieties get quite large and need support stakes that are at least five feet tall. You should stake them early to ensure foliage is not laying on the ground, as that makes the plants more prone to disease. These plants continue to fruit until the plant is killed by the frost.

3.Disease resistance: Choosing tomatoes that are disease resistant can potentially avoid verticillium wilt, which is a fungal disease that spreads from the roots to the vascular system. The tags on tomato plants generally have capital letters on them, and you should pay close attention to the letters displayed. They represent the plant’s disease resistance. Generally, hybrid tomatoes are more disease resistant, with some examples being ‘Iron Lady’, ‘Defiant’, and ‘Mountain Magic’.

4.Temperature: It is important not to plant tomatoes in the ground too soon. Soil temperatures should be consistently above 60ᵒF, and you can warm the soil with black plastic during the weeks leading up to planting. If it is going to cool down, cover the plants with row covers or sheets of plastic. Tomatoes are very frost sensitive.

5.Sunlight: Tomatoes adore sunlight. A position in full sun will produce the best yield, however, tomatoes planted in very hot climates can tolerate dappled shade. Tomatoes like at least six hours of direct sunlight every day.

6.Soil condition: Planting your tomatoes in soil that has been heavily doctored with organic material will increase their yield. This can be rotted manure or garden compost. This not only provides nutrient but also holds moisture during the peak heat of summer. Ensuring that you have not planted plants in the tomato family (eggplants, peppers, potatoes) in that soil in the past two years also ensures maximum nutrient availability.

7. Mulching: Mulching around the base of your tomatoes, with a product such as salt marsh hay or Lucerne Farms Mainely Mulch, will ensure that the soil is able to conserve moisture, as the mulch impedes evaporation. The mulch also ensures that soil-borne diseases and fungi are not splashed onto the plant when it is watered. Mulch also reduces the number weeds that can compete for nutrients and moisture.

8.Removing leaves & suckers: You do not want to remove leaves and suckers of determinate plants, as they only produce a few clusters of fruit. Removing those leaves and suckers could drastically reduce fruit production. You can, however, remove leaves and suckers of indeterminate plants, as the continue growing and will produce fruit on the remaining stems.