Tomato questions
Tomatoes are easily the number one home vegetable garden crop. But it isn't because they are super easy.
Our friends at Greenstreet Gardens in Lothian answer your questions about growing tomatoes. And just in time.
Q. What’s all the excitement about an heirloom tomato?
An heirloom is a variety, often an old one, that is “true from seed” or “open pollinated." Some are modern; others are hundreds of years old and have truly been handed down from one generation to the next and even in different parts of the world.
Some of the popular heirloom tomatoes are: Banana Legs, Camp Joy, Brandywine, Snow White. Banana Legs Heirloom Tomatoes
Q. What is a hybrid tomato?
A. A hybrid is a variety created to combine desirable qualities like color, taste, disease resistance. Some of the more common hybrid tomatoes are: Better Boy, Early Girl, Beefmaster.
Q. What does determinate mean?
A. These tomato plants tend to be tidier and smaller in stature; often called bush tomatoes. Most of it will ripen at the same time. Attention canners: this is the kind for you. Only minor pruning needed. Some determinate tomatoes are: Black Sea Man, Window Box Roma. Black Sea Man Tomatoes
Q. So then, are indeterminate the opposite?
A. Pretty much – they are usually larger and keep growing and producing throughout the season (some are often mammoth plants). These guys should be staked, trellised or caged. Intensive pruning promotes continuous harvesting. The more common ones include Better Boy, Beefsteak and Big Boy. Most heirlooms are indeterminate. Some indeterminate heirloom tomatoes are: Black Cherry, Grape, Matina.
Q. What does a capital letter that follows the name mean?
A. Each letter stands for a particular disease or pest that the plant will be resistant to (but not 100% bullet proof). V=Verticillium wilt resistance, F=Fusarium wilt, N=Nematodes, T=Tomato mosaic virus, CC=Common Cold (just kidding).
By the way, Heirlooms will not show these notations since we don’t always know their parentage. We carry several products that will help with disease prevention and pest control, such as Eight, and Rot Stop. You need to be on the alert as diseases can spread to other plants and ruin the entire crop.
Q. What does “75 Days” or “49 Days” mean?
A. There should be a notation/estimate of the time it will take for your young seedling to fruit after planting based on good planting practices, consistent care and good seasonal conditions. Tomatoes that fruit in less than 70 days are generally considered “early," 70-85 days are “mid-season” and any over that are “late season." Beefsteak tomatoes are late season whopper tomatoes and perfect for those August picnics.
Q. How should I plant my tomato?
A. Dig a hole to accommodate the plant up to the top 2-3 inches of foliage. It’s ok to bury them this way; they actually grow roots along their stems. Remove any flowers or buds. Use Bumper Crop to amend your soil. Place the plant in the hole and replace the soil. Now is a good time to add fertilizer; we recommend Tomato-tone to help your tomatoes grow abundantly and healthy.
Water real well at the base of the plant. It’s a good idea to go ahead and stake your tomato at the time of planting. Then mulch it.
Q. What can you tell me about Tomato-tone? My neighbor says it works great.
A. Tomato-tone is a complex blend of natural ingredients that provides all the nutrients your plants need. Tomato-tone has been formulated to provide plants with a slow, steady feeding of all 15 nutrients which are essential to plant health -- a claim no other plant food can make.
Q. I heard about planting tomatoes on their side? What?
A. Yes, you can dig a long, shallow trench and plant them on their side. The plant will “stand up”- pretty cool to watch them grow this way.
Q. Quick tips for container tomatoes? A. Start with a container with good drainage and fill with Gardeners Gold. Then go ahead and add Tomato-tone. Water and fertilize regularly; we recommend using liquid Miracle Gro tomato food. Some happy choices for containers include: Tiny Tim, Patio.
Q. What if I am not ready to eat my just picked tomatoes?
A. DO not put them in a sunny window. DO not refrigerate – they will lose their flavor. Got too many? Share with your neighbors, wonderful coworkers or your favorite garden center staff ?. Why not can or juice your tomatoes?
Q. What’s this Topsy Turvy planter all about?
A. Turn your tomato gardening upside down which means, no weeding, no staking. These are ideal if you have limited space.
Q. Can I plant my tomatoes in the same spot as last year?
A. It’s best to rotate your crop to help avoid disease. If you cannot rotate, we recommend using Lobster Compost to enrich your garden area.
Q. What about irrigation methods?
A. Ooze Tubes and soaker hoses and our favorite, rain barrels.
Q. What is a tomato Ooze Tube?
A. They are a heck of a watering system; may look a little different but can keep plants watered for up to 2 weeks between refills, when used with fertilizer can increase crop production up to 4 times, are very effective when used with other vegetables and the tubes can be used for up to 4 seasons.
Q. What should I do if my plant gets yellow leaves?
A. Yellowing leaves can be caused by a variety of things, including under watering, lack of nitrogen and transplant shock. Tomatoes like rich, well-draining soil with lots of organic matter. Try Sea Mate for an organic source of nitrogen.
Q. What happens if the leaves curl?
A. Don’t worry – the plants should still produce fruit. The exact cause is not known. But we do know that the condition will get worse if the soil is kept too wet.
Q. What is the correct pronunciation of tomato?
A. You know that answer, some say “to-ma-to” some say “to-ma-ta”. Oh let’s call the whole thing off.
Q. When, what and how much pruning?
A. Only prune indeterminate tomato plants. Wait till the plant is about 3 feet tall to prune. Remove leaves below the first flower cluster. Pinch leaves that are sprouting from the corners of two branches (called “suckers”). Don’t go overboard as leaves add flavor to the tomatoes.
Q. I want to grow tomatoes but my yard does not get much sunlight. Help!
A. Try the very small sized tomatoes that can produce fruit with only 4 hours of sunlight, i.e. Sweet Million, Grape or Microtom.
Q. My friend told me about the Tomato Planter Bag. What is that?
A. They are great for decks, patios and balconies. These bags are 15 inches high and 12.5 inches wide and hold approximately 32 quarts of Gardeners Gold, a great planting mix. They have webbing handles to make it easy to move and they have porous seams which provide drainage. Made from woven polyethylene, these bags are re-usable and take up little storage space.
Q. What is an EarthBox?
A. Earthboxes are a wonderful way to grow your produce. Each EarthBox is a garden system that guarantees success without weeding, hoeing or digging. They are a maintenance-free high-tech growing system that controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden- with less fertilizer, less water and virtually no effort.
Q. How can I stop tomato Blossom End Rot?
A. Rot-Stop is a great product. This all-natural formula that adds calcium to the plant when Blossom End Rot is visible.
Q. You have referred to Lobster Compost a couple times. What is that?
A. Lobster Compost is all natural product specifically designed for conditioning gardens, beds and borders, and re-conditioning poor or maintaining healthy soils. The compost is made entirely from composted crab, lobster, salmon and aspen bark with added composted cow manure for texture. Lobster Compost is an excellent source of calcium and tomato plants loves calcium
Comments
I realize that this is free advice, but it's pretty much non-answers. I still would not recognize an Ooze Tube or an Earth Box if I tripped over either of them.
The Topsy-Turvy Bag, by the way, got less-than-glowing reviews over on D@L, from those who had tried them or have relatives/friends/neighbors who've used them.
Posted by: Eve | May 12, 2009 11:59 AM