Home Garden Tomatoes in Georgia
Westerfield, UGA Extension Horticulturist.
For starters, you need to select the tomato varieties you wish to grow in the garden. I try to stay out of the trap of saying one variety is better than another. I tell folks that your variety selection normally goes back to family tradition or simply a flavor preference by the individual. Another thing to keep in mind is your goal. Some folks who want to do a lot of canning may want to choose a determinate variety as compared to an indeterminate variety. The difference is a determinate variety will produce most of their crop at one time. You can normally get all of that harvest in 2-5 pickings. The indeterminate varieties set fruit clusters along vine stems and may produce up to frost. Keep in mind that our hybrid varieties will have some resistance to some pests such as diseases. When selecting tomato varieties, think about your goals and don’t be afraid to plant a new favorite from time to time. You may start a new family tradition that way.
Again, it is too early to set out transplants. Most experienced gardeners will wait until at least the middle part of April before even thinking about planting tomatoes. To ease the gardening experience, wait until the treat of late spring frost has passed. The soil temperatures can still be too cold, plus the soil can be too damp. Transplants put in the ground too early can be stunted, susceptible to root rot and have to be protected when those cold nights arrive. Tomato plants put in the ground when growing conditions are better can outperform earlier planted items.
Tomatoes like a welldrained area that is great in organic matter. Westerfield suggests that manures, compost, rotted sawdust or other humus can be tilled in the garden soil as soon as the area can be worked in the spring. I will remind that if you use manures or other potentially herbicide containing materials, do not apply. I see a lot of herbicide injured garden plants and many times it is from the manure applied or maybe from hay material where the field was sprayed for weeds. Tomatoes like a soil pH of 6.2 to 6. 8. You still have time to soil test the garden spot and apply lime if needed to improve the soil pH levels. A proper soil pH will mean that fertilizers applied should be better utilized by the plants.
When you choose your transplants, only select healthy appearing tomato plants. Remember that tomatoes can develop roots all along the stems so plant them deep to encourage great root development. When you put in the planting hole, you can set the transplant down to the first set of true leaves near the soil surface. Westerfield reminds that if transplants are in peat pots it is not necessary to remove the container, but be sure to plant deep enough so the pot is not exposed to the soil surface. Exposing the peat pot to the soil surface can cause the root ball to dry out. After planting, firm the soil around the plants to remove air pockets. At planting, you can give the plants a light fertilization. You can make your own starter solution by using two tablespoons of 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 dissolved in one gallon of water for the solution. You will then put one pint of this solution around each plant. Do not fall in the trap of over fertilization of tomato plants. Many gardeners each year simply give the plants too much fertilizer, especially nitrogen. You can end up with pretty plants, but no fruit. If you do not conduct a soil test for recommendations, I will give you one from our publication. In absence of a soil test, incorporate 1.5 pounds of 10-10-10 for 100 square feet of bed prior to planting. After the plants have set the first tomatoes about the size of a quarter, you can side dress with 10-1010 at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet of bed. You can do this every 3-4 weeks until harvest is over. For more information, contact UGA Extension- Gordon County or email gbowman@ uga.edu.