Helen may have launched a thousand ships, but tomatoes have launched a million home gardeners.

By Chris Cohan

 

 

Helen may have launched a thousand ships, but tomatoes have launched a million home gardeners.

Is it a fruit or vegetable? First, who cares! Botanists would define it as a fruit, a seed- bearing structure that develops from a flower. The rest of us think of it as a vegetable and not just any vegetable but the queen of vegetables.

There are two types of tomatoes – determinate and indeterminate type. Determinate grow to a fixed size. They ripen simultaneously in a short period of about two weeks. They are ideal if you have limited space. Indeterminate will fruit throughout the summer season and until they are killed by frost. Staking or caging is a requirement for indeterminate tomatoes.

Which variety to choose is akin to asking which of your children you like the best. Go with those that give you the fewest problems and provide the most fruit. I have drifted to the small and medium-sized tomatoes as they ripen quicker, are less likely to crack, and get nabbed by birds and animals, while providing a daily crop. Early Girl and Better Boy are good, medium-sized fruits.

Early Girl is smaller, ripens faster, and is naturally sweeter than Better Boy. Sungold is a delicious golden color cherry.

Let’s be honest; you will walk into a nursery with a clear head of exactly what to buy. Then be swayed by the plants with flowers or prettiest pictures. So, worry not; just buy, plant, grow and eat.

Start from baby plants instead of seeds. Seeds require time and attention and can be a hassle for most. When you buy plants, go for the bigger plants in the big pots – the bigger the better. You will be rewarded by being able to harvest your tomatoes two or three weeks earlier.

Mulch before you plant. Mulching with organic materials is ideal because it builds the soil while conserving water and reducing weeds. A black plastic sheet is popular because it will warm the soil and eliminate weeds. Mulch reduces blossom-end rot and prevents disease spores from splashing onto lower leaves.

Provide good spacing between your plants. If space permits, plant four feet apart. Caging your tomatoes will give you enough room to walk around when you harvest your tomatoes.

Plant them deep for a robust root system. Once you decide where to plant your tomatoes, loosen up the soil about 1.5 feet in diameter and depth. Mix compost and fertilizer with the soil.

When you are ready to plant the seedling, cut the side of the planter using a scissors so that you can remove the seedling with the least disturbance to the root ball. This will reduce the transplanting shock and increase the chances of survival of your tender young plant.

To get a healthy root system, plant them deep – deeper than they were in their original containers. Remove lower leaves. Plant them deep after leaving about three to six inches of the crown above. Your plant may not look nice at this time; but don’t worry, in a few weeks it will grow and become much bigger. This procedure will promote rooting from the entire stem underground and will result in a plant with a robust root system.

Cover your tomatoes if you expect a cold snap. It is crucial that you wait until the last frost date for your area before planting your tomatoes. If there is a cold snap after planting, be sure to cover your plants.

Give a boost to the young plants when they are ready for nutrients. After you plant a young tomato, make a ring around the plants about a foot away. Sprinkle specialized fertilizers like Espoma Tomato-tone or others that are formulated for fruit production. And have limited nitrogen, which shall only promote green growth. Water well. As always, read directions before you apply your fertilizer.

Reduce disease. Thoroughly clean-up garden before planting, provide eight hours of sun and adequate spacing. Select resistant varieties. Once disease appears, remove all infected leaves. If it worsens, yank the plants PDQ. Hand-pick any insects or hit with a blast of water from hose. Interplant with marigolds. Keep soil moisture even.

Relocate tomato plants every year to stay ahead of soil borne disease and pests. Select a site where other nightshade family plants — eggplant, potatoes, peppers — have not grown for three years.           

Suckers emerge at spots where a tomato leaf attaches to stem. Pinch them out to improve air circulation and fruit quality.

Never over-water your tomatoes. Over-watering, rather than under-watering, kills most tomato plants as it reduces good aeration to root system. If your soil is not particularly sandy, watering two times a week is sufficient. This can be reduced if it rains.

Caging, staking, and providing support: Regardless of your method, tomato plants should be supported. I prefer caging, as it involves less work than staking.