Tomato Growing

Filed under: Fruit Vegetables, Tagged as: in the garden, tomato

 

July is time for tomato love.

First, if you live in a region with long, warm summers, now is the time to plant a second, late-season tomato crop. This is easy to do, now that your first tomato crop is established you can cut several healthy 8-inch-long suckers from your existing plants and get them started in containers.

 

With a bit of shade so that they don't scorch and plenty of water, these tomato suckers should be ready for transplanting into the garden in about two weeks. When the time comes, strip off all but the top set of leaves of your new plants and bury them up to just below the leaves in the garden. A second harvest of tomatoes will arrive in late summer.

 

Now, as for your tomatoes already underway, you have already seen the yellow flowers and you may have fruit on the way. For your best crop ever, remember tomatoes need even moisture and regular feeding. One more time: tomatoes need even moisture and regular feeding.

 

First: Water your tomatoes deeply but infrequently. The soil around the roots or your tomatoes is best evenly moist. About 8 inches from the base of the plant, put your finger into the soil. 4 or 5 inches down; there the soil should be moist, not dry or wet--it's too wet if your finger is glistening. Water your tomato bed once a week for every five days at the height of summer. Water from the bottom of the plant, directly on the soil--don't let water sit on the foliage or fruit; also water early in the day.

 

Second: feed your tomatoes. This is especially important if your tomatoes are growing in poor soil. Water each plant with 1 cup of fish emulsion solution (1 tablespoon per gallon of water) from planting time until the first blossoms form. After the blossoms are on board, you can add a cup or two of compost tea to the base of each plant weekly.

 

Now here are few more tips to love your tomatoes in July:

 

• It's not too late to support your tomatoes. They are probably putting on some pretty good growth right now. If you don't have a cage in place, you can corral your tomatoes by placing stakes at the end of the row of plants and weave twine in figure-eight fashion around the plants and stakes. You can also place a stake near the plant and loosely support plants with string or twine.

 

• Give tomatoes partial shade if you live in a hot summer region where sunscald to leaves and fruit could be a problem. Blossom-drop can also happen if plants aren't protected from hot sun.

 

• If pests like tomato pinworms have been a problem this year or in the past, cover plants with a floating row cover to protect them. Covered plants will need a daily light shake to ensure good pollination (tomatoes are usually wind pollinated).

 

• If you've had bacterial spot infections in the past, use a copper spray on your tomatoes as soon as the fruit forms.

 

Finally, pick your tomatoes when they are fully ripe. You've loved them for a couple of months, now enjoy their flavor at the very peak of ripeness. That's what it's all about!

 

Posted by Stephen Albert on July 09, 2008 under: Fruit Vegetables , Tagged as: in the garden, tomato
Permalink | Comments (0) | Email to a friend | Print