How to Grow Tomatoes?

Tomatoes, growing tomato plants, tomato varieties, harvesting and soring tomatoes, tomato seeds

 

        Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable for home gardeners. No other vegetable comes close to it's popularity. And, it is no wonder, as there is nothing better than a ripe tomato straight out of the garden. Better still, eat one while you are still in your garden. Many tomatoes never makes it past the garden fence.

 

        Growing tomato plants is easy. They produce an abundance of fruit. The best tomato, is one that ripens on the vine. With a wide range of varieties to choose from, there is a tomato plant that's just right for every home gardener.

 

        While many people believe that tomato plants originated in Europe, they actually are native to Central America. Explorers who travelled to the New World, found the Aztec Indians growing them. These explorers brought tomatoes back to Europe in the 16th Century. Southern Europe readily accepted them, and they became common in Italian cuisine.

 

        Tomato Varieties:

 

        There are hundreds out tomato varieties to choose from. The varieties of tomatoes can be found in the following groups:

 

• Cherry Tomato-A favorite of kids and adults. These bite-sized tomatoes are easy to grow, ripen early, and are a perfect snack right in the garden. Leave a bowl of cherry tomatoes on your kitchen counter, and they disappear in a hurry. They are used in a variety of ways, including salads, vegetable trays with dip, and shish-ka-bob. After the gardening season, Cherry Tomatoes all but disappear from the marketplace, with those that remain commanding a high price.

 

• Grape Tomato - Small and bite-sized, like it's cousin the Cherry Tomato, these tasty morsels have gone from unknown to t"the rage" in just a few years. Why? These egg-shaped fruit are sweeter and tastier.

 

• Main Crop- These are the mainstay of home gardens. Main crop varieties mature from early to mid-season, are big, round, meaty, and prolific producers.

 

• Plum or Roma- Often called paste tomatoes, they are small and plum or mostly cylindrical in shape, and usually have a pointed bottom. They have far less "juice" than other varieties, and are not as sweet. Plum tomatoes are used to make paste, sauces, canning, and even ketchup.

 

• Beefsteak- Beefsteak tomatoes are the King of the tomato crop. They grow so big that one slice covers an entire sandwich! They also have a big, flavorful taste. Beefsteaks have the longest maturity dates, but are well worth waiting for.

 

• Long Keepers- This variety is small, usually, yellowish orange in color. They can be stored in a cool, dark place for several months. How long you ask? My neighbor showed me his leftovers in June from the prior fall. As he discarded his remaining supply, he culled a few good ones for his evening meal!

 

         How to Grow Tomatoes:

 

        Growing tomatoes is easy. It's one reason for their popularity in your home garden. Just prior to planting them in your garden, "harden them off" by bringing them outside during the daytime and for increasing hours, until you are leaving them out overnight. Use of a coldframe is recommended, but not a requirement. If frost is predicted, bring them indoors.

 

        On planting day, pour liberal amounts of water with a soluble liquid fertilizer on them. Plant them in the garden carefully. To minimize transplant shock, avoid disturbing the roots. Normal spacing is 24 " apart, in rows 30" to 36" apart.

 

        Fertilize on a regular basis. Early applications should be high in nitrogen. As blossoming occurs, switch to fertilizers which are higher in Phosphorus and Potassium. Too much Nitrogen fertilizer results in lots of lush green leaves, and little fruit. A fertilizer specifically formulated for tomatoes, will help to maximize your crop.

 

        Keep your tomato plant well watered. Deep watering is preferable, over more frequent, light watering. You want moisture to go deep to all the roots of the plant. Water directly to the roots. Keep water off the leaves if at all possible. Tomatoes are susceptible to plant disease that grows in wet, humid conditions.

 

        Even if you have a garden out back, we recommend finding a place along the back of the house for just one tomato plant. This one plant will be the last to succumb to frost in the fall. The warmth of the house, and a light plastic sheet or cloth tossed over it at night, will allow you to harvest fresh tomatoes after the first frost, right when prices are rising in the grocery store.

        To maximize your crop, and minimize disease and insect damage, stake or cage tomatoes. They will reward you with more tomatoes. And, they will be cleaner, as they will not be sitting on the soil.

 

        Harvesting and Storing Tomatoes:

 

        Tomatoes store well in a cool, dry location. Do not put them in the refrigerator. While they last longer in the refrigerator, they will lose their flavor and texture. Keep them out of direct sunlight.

 

        Just before frost, pick tomatoes while the are still green or orange. Wash them thoroughly. Rinse in a light solution of 1 gallon of water and a tablespoon of bleach. This kills off bacteria that rots the fruit. Allow them to dry, then put them in a cool, dry, dark place.

 

        To ripen tomatoes indoors, bring a couple at a time to a warm, sunny window.

 

        Germinating Tomato Seeds:

 

        Tomato plants can be started in almost any type of container which has holes in the bottom of it for drainage. Fill the container with a mixture of two parts sterilized garden soil with one part pasteurized compost and one part vermiculite or perlite. Tomato seeds germinate best when soil temperatures are 24 - 32C (75 - 90F).

 

        Space the seed evenly in holes 2 - 3 inches apart with three to four seeds to each hole, planted 1/2 inch deep. Keep warm and dark until the seedlings appear. The top of the refridgerator is a handy place to start your plants, as light isn't crucial until the seedlings have popped out of the soil. Expect to see sprouts in 6 - 14 days.

 

        As soon as the tomato sprouts appear, move the plants to a bright, but cooler location, and grow your tomato seedlings at about 15C (60F) during the day, and no lower than 4C (40F) at night. This prevents the tomatoes from growing tall and straggley, and promotes strong root development. Watering your new plants from the bottom by placing the seed flat in a pan containing shallow water and allowing the flat to absorb the moisture it requires while at the same time keeping the surface of the soil on the dry side helps to prevent damping-off.

 

        As your tomatoes continue to grow, transplant them to larger pots containing a richer soil when they have 1 or 2 true leaves - each time burying them a bit lower into the ground. Allow the surface of the soil to dry between waterings, but don't let the plants wilt. Every 10 days or so, add some organic balanced formula fertilizer, manure tea or fish emulsion to the water.

 

        Begin hardening the plants off (getting them used to living outdoors) about two weeks before you plan to transplant them into the garden. By this time your tomato plants should have formed 2 or more sets of true leaves. Set the pots outside in the shade by day, and bring them back inside at night, gradually acclimatizing them to outdoor conditions. You need to harden all tomato plants before setting them outside in your garden - even those purchased from a nursery.

 

        Growing Tomato Plants:

 

        Tomato plants can be put into your garden as soon as the nighttime temperature is above 7C (45F) all the time. Remember, it only takes one frost to kill your plants.

        Soil:

• Because they are warm weather plants, tomatoes require an open, sunny, well-drained location in the garden. Avoid poorly drained spots where rainwater tends to form a pool. Many tomato diseases are associated with poor drainage.

 

• The soil should be fairly light and porous, and contain a generous amount of humus. If the soil is heavy and contains a large percentage of clay, you can improve the soil's texture by adding peat moss or sand. For plant nutrients, turn under a green manure crop or fertilize well with compost.

 

• Tomatoes should be mulched, if possible, once the soil has warmed. Mulches keep the soil most and help keep fruit off the ground, preventing rotting.

 

        Transplanting Tomatoes:
 

• Once your tomato plants have been hardened, or acclimated to outdoor conditions, and all chances of cold night-time temperatures have passed, it is time to set your plants out into your garden or patio containers. If paper or peat containers have been used, simply set the plants in place without removing the containers. Bury the stems up to the first true leaf. Also, make sure that all parts of the peat pot is completely submerged, since if any part of the pot is exposed, it will draw water away from the roots.

 

• Space bush varieties 45 - 60 cm (18 - 24") apart, and vine varieties 50 - 75 cm (20 - 30") apart, working 1/4 - 1/2 cup of complete organic fertilizer into the soil where the transplant is to go. If the soil is acidic or there is a history of blossom end rot, work in a handful of bonemeal and dolomite lime for each plant.

 

• Your tomato plants will overcome the shock of transplanting more quickly if supplied with a starter solution. Mix two parts water with one part sifted compost. Allow the mixture to settle. Apply this solution to the hole in which the plant is to be set and again after the plant has been firmed and settled in place. "Seaspray" or a high phosphate fertilizer may also be used.

 

• Since eager gardeners sometimes set their plants out too soon in order to hurry their growth, it may be necessary to protect them against late frost damage. Cover them with some of the commercial products designed specifically for this purpose, or use inverted baskets, paper bags, or milk cartons.