Deep watering encourages a strong root system. Avoid overhead watering and afternoon watering. Mulch 5 weeks after transplanting to retain moisture, keep soil from splashing the lower leaves, and control weeds.
Apply 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch such as straw, hay, or bark chips. To help tomatoes through periods of drought, find some flat rocks and place one next to each plant. The rocks prevent water from evaporating from the soil.
Fertilizing You should have already worked compost into the soil before planting, and added some bonemeal to the planting hole when transplanting. If you are using an organic granular formula such as Epson Tomato-Tone or , pull mulch back a few inches and scratch 2 to 3 tablespoons fertilizer around the drip line of the plant. Water in, and replace mulch. Continue fertilizing tomatoes about every 3 to 4 weeks until frost.
Note: Avoid fast-release fertilizers and avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. As stated, too much nitrogen will result in lush foliage but few flowers and little or no fruit. Pruning, pinching, staking If growing vining tomatoes, pinch off suckers new, tiny stems and leaves between branches and the main stem. This aids air circulation and allows more sunlight into the middle of the plant.
Gently tie the stems to stakes with rags, nylon stockings, twine, or soft string. As a plant grows, trim the lower leaves from the bottom 12 inches of the stem. No flowers, no fruit? Low humidity can also affect pollination; the ideal is 40 to 70 percent. If humidity is low, mist the plant to help pollen to stick. To avoid overpopulation of insect pests, follow these basic tips: Monitor tomato plants daily, checking under leaves, checking fruit, and checking near the soil.
To dislodge many pests like aphids, spray plants with with a good jet stream from the hose. Handpick insects bigger insects like tomato hornworm with gloves on, dropping into a bucket of soapy water. Apply insecticidal soap directly to the insect on the plant; this works for smaller pests such as aphids and spider mites. Apply horticultural oils or sprays diluted in water. If you choose as a last resort to use insecticides like Sevin, keep in mind that you may be killing beneficial insects as well.
Tomato Pests Tomato cutworm early in the season. Indicated by a chewed stem Aphids will cause yellow curling leaves and white sticky residue Flea Beetles cause holes in leaves Tomato Hornworm and tobacco hornworm cause defoliation Whiteflies indicated by sticky white residue.
Leaf miners are indicated by tunnel or zigzag patterns on leaves Corn earworms aka tomato fruitworms , stink bugs, and slugs cause holes in fruit When it comes to tomato diseases and other problems, most of the work is in prevention. Here are some tips to avoid tomato diseases: Plant disease-resistant tomato varieties. Rotate crops at least every three years in the same spot. Avoid planting Solanaceous family members as well potato, pepper, and eggplant.
Ensure well-draining soil. Always mix in compost or organic matter. Water consistently! Do not overwater if you forget nor underwater. Destroy infected plants. Unfortunately, you often need to remove and discard infected plants or the disease will overwinter. Do NOT put in a compost pile. Solarize the soil. If the problem is really bad, you can treat your soil by covering it with plastic during the hottest part of the summer for 6 to 8 weeks; the sun will destroy the bacteria.
Tomato Diseases and Problems Blossom-End Rot causes the bottom side of the tomato to develop dark, sunken spots, due to a calcium imbalance. See the link for remedies and prevention. Early Blight is a fungal disease that causes leaves to drop. In July, the risks of blight increase, due to the combination of high humidity and warm days and nights. If you catch it early and destroy infected leaves, you plant may survive. The best defense for outdoor tomatoes is good ventilation and stripping off the lower leaves as the fruits develop helps this, as well as helping the ripening tomatoes have maximum exposure to sun.
Late Blight is a fungal disease that causes grey, moldy spots on leaves and fruit which later turn brown. The disease is spread and supported by persistent damp weather. Fusarium Wilt starts with yellowing and wilting on one side of the plant and moves up the plant as the fungus spreads.
Unfortunately, once this disease strikes, the plant needs to be destroyed. Powdery Mildew is a fungal disease which leaves white spots or a dusting of white on the leaves. It can be managed. See the link to learn more. Cracking: When fruit growth is too rapid, the skin will crack. This usually occurs due to uneven watering or uneven moisture from weather conditions very rainy periods mixed with dry periods. Keep moisture levels constant with consistent watering and mulching. See our article all about Tomato Diseases and Disorders.
How to Harvest Tomatoes Leave tomatoes on the vine as long as possible. Harvest tomatoes when they are firm and very red in color, regardless of size, with perhaps some yellow remaining around the stem.
Harvest tomatoes of other colors orange, yellow, purple, or another rainbow shade when they turn the correct color. Place mature, pale green tomatoes stem up, in a paper bag and loosely seal it. Or wrap them in newspaper and place in a cardboard box. Cooler temperatures slow ripening; warmth speeds it. Check weekly and remove soft, spotted, diseased, or ripe fruit. Never place tomatoes on a sunny windowsill to ripen; they may rot before they are ripe! Watch this video for tips on how to ripen green tomatoes.
Paper or peat pots must be completely buried to avoid drawing moisture from the soil around the plants' roots. Lightly tamp the soil around each plant, and water thoroughly. Most tomatoes develop into sprawling 6- to foot-tall plants; add tomato cages or stakes to keep the plants upright and the fruit off the ground. Add a 3-inch layer of mulch around the plants, pulling it back 3 to 4 inches from each stem.
Water regularly when the soil is dry to a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Fertilize with a balanced slow-release fertilizer or a water-soluble fertilizer. Alternately, add a shovelful of compost next to each plant approximately six weeks after planting. You can also water the tomatoes every two weeks with 1 to 2 cups of compost tea. Ruth de Jauregui is an old-school graphic artist and writer who focuses primarily on garden topics.
She writes a weekly garden column and authored 50 Fabulous Tomatoes for Your Garden. She continues to write nonfiction articles on gardening and other topics and is working on a second "50" book about plants that attract hummingbirds. When buying plants, choose sturdy plants up to a foot tall. Transplant outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Stake or cage plants at the time of planting.
Pick all the fruit and bring it indoors before the first frost at the end of summer. Soil pH and fertility. Open all Close all.
Soil testing, fertilizer and mulch Have your soil tested to determine pH. Apply phosphorus P and potassium K according to soil test recommendations. Many Minnesota soils have enough phosphorus. Unless your soil test report specifically recommends additional phosphorus, use a low- or no-phosphorus fertilizer. Too much nitrogen fertilization will lead to plants that are bushy, leafy, and slow to bear fruit.
Do not use any fertilizer containing a weed killer "Weed and Feed" , as it may kill your vegetable plants. When the first fruits start to enlarge, apply fertilizer alongside the row of plants.
Spread the fertilizer in a six-inch wide band, and scratch it into the surface of the soil. Improve your soil by adding well-rotted manure or compost in spring or fall. Do not use fresh manure as it may contain harmful bacteria and may increase weed problems.
You may not need additional fertilizer applications, depending on how much organic matter you apply. You can use black plastic mulch to increase the soil temperature, protect plant roots and help keep soil moisture. Selecting plants. Finding and buying tomato plants When buying plants, choose sturdy plants up to a foot tall. They should have stems at least the diameter of a pencil with leaves closely spaced up the stem. Do not buy plants with spots on their leaves, as you will likely bring disease into your garden.
If you buy plants from a mail-order catalog, you may need to keep them indoors until it is time to set them out. Treat the plants as if you had started them yourself. Choosing tomato varieties Bush-type determinate. By the time the weather begins to warm in June and July, the plants should be large and tough enough to withstand the weather in the great outdoors.
When the time is right, sow tomato seeds in pots in a high quality seed starting mix. Keep tomato seedlings brightly lit by a grow light or in a very bright window. This will keep the young plants tougher and more compact.
What about transplanting the seedlings out into the garden? This is all about temperature. Err on the side of caution, as tomatoes are tropical plants that really dislike the cold. When the weather has warmed up, transition tomato seedling into the outdoors by hardening them off , getting them used to the sun, wind, and weather. Place the seedlings in a sheltered place outdoors for a few hours every day, gradually increasing this over the course of about ten days.
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