Tomato Madness

Posted by Ena Clewes
January 12th, 2008
Filed in Fruits, Veggies and Herbs
Tags: Compost, nutrients, tomatoes

Tomatoes are grown by more gardeners than any other vegetable. If the letters that I get indicate anything it is that it seems that this is the only vegetable that many people grow!!

Here are some tips that may help you in your tomato growing:

Grow the correct variety. This may sound obvious but it really isn’t. Many gardeners who move around the country still stick to the same variety that they grew in a different climate zone. It is best if you have moved, to go to your local nursery and ask them what grows best in your area. Ask about diseases that might occur in your area and if resistant varieties are available.

Amend the soil. Tomatoes are heavy feeders. For an average bed of eight feet long and two and a half feet wide, I add about one hundred pounds of compost , then I add two pounds of bonemeal and mix in fertilizers in six to eight inches. There is no benefit in placing the amendments too deep because they will be carried down with the watering anyway. Finally add on top of the bed, a calcium source to prevent blossom end rot.

Dig deep.Loosen the soil a good eighteen inches down. This will give your plants a head start in the race to grow healthy,deep roots.

Plant deep. Plant the young tomatoes one or two inches deeper than the soil level.

Stake the plants. This method helps to expose the leaves to the sun and air, and this in turn helps fight disease.

Water them. Tomatoes are best watered with a soaker hose as this prevents water from splashing onto the leaves and causing moist conditions for mildew and late blight to grow.

Cover them. Tomatoes will not set fruit until nightime temps stay above 55 degrees. To protect new plants from late frosts place two-litre bottles with the bottoms cut out, over the seedlings. Using old tires to ring growing tomatoes is often a method used by many gardeners very successfully.

Good Luck with your tomato growing!