Growing home garden tomatoes
You can now count me in the group of people that enjoys a vine ripen tomato. Growing up, I would consume tomatoes in any form except fresh. I was one of those kids that would not eat a tomato sandwich or put a sliced tomato on my hamburger. I guess with age comes wisdom because now, I can’t wait to enjoy those ripe tomatoes straight from my raised beds in salads and on sandwiches.
For most gardeners, their garden spot would not be complete without a few of their favorite tomato varieties. In many communities, it may even be a friendly competition on who can get the first ripe tomatoes annually.
Today, I will be sharing information on home garden tomatoes by use of a UGA publication by Bob Westerfield, UGA Extension Horticulturist. Do not forget to register for our Home Vegetable Gardening Workshop on February 21st. You can call the office or email me and I will gladly send you a flyer by email or mail. Bob Westerfield will be our guest presenter. For starters, we are still months away from planting the first tomato transplants in the garden. I would strongly recommend waiting past the last frost event before considering planting transplants.
Traditionally, we say once you get past April 15th annually, you are past frost danger, but recently we experienced heavy frost April 21st and 22nd. Many experienced gardeners will not put tomatoes in the ground till later April or even early May. Tomatoes prefer soil that is welldraining of excess moisture and high in organic matter. Soil pH ideally is in the 6.2-6.8 range. Now is a great time to run a $9 garden sample to the UGA Soil Test Lab to obtain lime and fertilization recommendations.
I mention often about planning for gardening success. Soil testing is one of those keys to planning. If the pH is too low, lime will be recommended and you will be given a rate. Adding lime to the garden can be done now if recommended in order for the lime to interact with the soil profile. In absence of a soil test, a general recommendation would be 5 pounds of dolomitic limestone per 100 square feet. Dolomitic limestone also provides calcium and magnesium to the soil with both being important elements for plant growth and health.
Some gardeners like to grow their own tomato transplants indoors from seed instead of buying transplants at stores. If you want to grow your own transplants, you need to start 4 to 7 weeks before they are to be planted in the garden spot. If you are going to grow from seed, use a light soil mix and give the developing plants plenty of light. Westerfield adds that you may need to use supplemental light if a south facing sunny window indoors is not available.
About a week before transplanting in the garden, you need to “harden-off” indoor grown transplants by gradually exposing the plants to increasing number of hours of outdoor light each day. Keep in mind that tomatoes are warm season plants that perform better at temperatures of 70-80 degrees F and need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day when choosing a sunny area for the garden is important.
Being prepared to properly irrigate tomato plants is important. You should consider using drip irrigation or soaker hoses. These forms of irrigation will help conserve moisture and will help keep plant foliage which can reduce foliar disease issues. Tomatoes will need 1 to 2 inches of water per week depending on the soil type. If we are not receiving adequate rainfall, you should irrigate the plants completely 1 to 2 times per week. Remember that heavy soakings are better than numerous light watering events.
Mulch can be a great benefit in the garden spot. Mulching can take place soon after transplanting. You can use compost or chopped leaves for example. Mulch can reduce weed issues and help conserve soil moisture. Apply mulch at a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Newspaper can also be used as a mulch option. Lay the newspaper about three sheets thick around plants then place an organic mulch on top of the paper.
Which tomato varieties should you grow? Honestly, the varieties you grow is related to personal preference and goals with the tomato fruit. Tomatoes come in different shapes, sizes and colors. For some gardeners, varieties grown may be even tied to family tradition meaning they grow the same varieties a parent or grandparent grow. In tomatoes, you have determinate and indeterminate varieties.
Determinate varieties produce most of their crop in two to five pickings and the crop is normally early. Determinate varieties producing mainly at one time can be helpful for folks that do a lot of canning. Indeterminate varieties set fruit clusters along a vine stem that will grow all season. They will produce fruit if harvested up to first frost.
Take advantage of varieties that have been bred or hybridized to be resistant to some of our pest issues such as fusarium wilt or early blight.