Growing Great Tomatoes

Growing great tomatoes it’s easy during the summer. Without a doubt, everyone wants to grow organic tomatoes. Especially with the price they go for in the supermarket. Tomatoes are a popular organic crop due to their high pesticide residue levels. A very important reason to grow them is they are on the list of the Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/ . This group compiles a list of fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticide residue.  Cherry tomatoes are on the top dirty dozen list. They are part of the nightshade family, as are peppers and eggplants.

Growing great tomatoes requirements

• Tomatoes are a warm-season crop that requires at least 8 hours of sun.
• They thrive best in a pH of 6.5 but will still grow in slightly acidic soils with a pH of 5.5.
• They require well-drained soil, ideally with lots of organic matter.
• Various types of tomatoes, such as beefsteak, plum, cherry, and grape, offer different flavors and uses

Type of Tomatoes

Before you plant, it’s important to decide what type of tomato you like.

• They come in various sizes, shapes and colors.
• Large tomatoes, called beefsteak, which tend to be more watery, less meaty and grow round or oblong and are larger?
• More pulp, are pear-shaped, have very little seeds and are often used to make sauce. These are called plum tomatoes.
• Small cherry tomatoes, with no fuss, and for which you can avoid all those pesticides?
• Grape tomatoes, which are more flavorful than cherry tomatoes.

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Three basic kinds for growing great tomatoes

• Tomatoes can be determinate, intermediate, or indeterminate, affecting their height and pruning needs.
• Determinate are those that stop growing at a particular point. They usually are no taller than three feet. These varieties are specially made for sauces. Once they stop growing, they will begin to flower and all the fruit comes in at once.
• Intermediate and indeterminate will grow from four to eight or more feet; they need pruning and can be staked or left to grow on the ground.

Staking versus non staking

• Staking and pruning can lead to larger fruits but may slightly reduce the yield.
• If staked and pruned, the fruit will be less susceptible to diseases.
• The staking or use of cages and pruning may delay the fruiting stage by a week or so. They are more susceptible to blossom end rot and sunscald.
• If you allow them to spread on the ground, then you run into disease problems, as the fruit will develop against the soil and is thus more likely to get disease.
• It is almost impossible to prune them on the ground and your overall yields will be less, as more energy will go into the actual plant and leaf production versus fruit production.

Bloom Length

Another decision that has to be made is the length of time to harvest, which is dependent on bloom time. There are early bloomers, – from 40 to 60 days, mid-summer bloomers,- from 60 to 80 days and late summer bloomers,- from 80 days on.

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Spacing

Spacing will be determined by the plant variety you choose.  The smaller ones can be planted closer together. Those that get pretty big need room to grow. General guidelines are about eighteen inches to two feet apart in the rows and about three to five feet apart between rows.

Seedlings, Hardening-off

Seedlings are really essential in almost all parts of the US, as the growing season is not long enough for the plants to fully develop. When using seedlings it’s important to harden them off by gradually placing them outside and reducing their watering and fertilization and not allowing them to get exposed to cold temperatures in the evening. To learn  how to start your own seedling see my blog https://gardeningtheorganicway.com/vegetables/how-to-start-your-own-seedlings/

Transplanting and Liming Tomatoes

Tomato plants are one of the only plants where you should plant deeper than the soil line in which the seedlings are grown. Before you plant, add about a ¼ cup of lime to the soil where the tomatoes plant will go. Incorporating this additional lime will help prevent blossom end rot.  Use powdered lime, as lime takes time to dissolve and incorporate into the soil. The powered version will dissolve quicker than the pelletized version.

Watering

• Regular and consistent watering is essential for tomatoes, with the ideal amount depending on the soil type
• A good inch or two of water per week is acceptable, depending on the type of soil. If it’s sandy, then two inches of water is good, during the hot summer days and if it’s a more clay type, then one inch will suffice.

Disease and Insects

• Tomatoes are susceptible to diseases like blossom end rot and pests like slugs.
• Blossom end rot- Damage to tomatoes in the blossom end of the fruit. The fruit forms a tan or flat black spot, and then secondary bacteria or fungi enter and cause further damage.  Usually, this occurs in hot dry spells. The cause is a lack of calcium as the fruit develops. This doesn’t mean there is no calcium in the soil but rather it is not available to the plant. Some causes of this are uneven watering.
• Resistant varieties and proper mulching can help prevent these issues.

I feel that, if you grow resistant varieties, it’s the best in growing great tomatoes.  But if you do grow some heirlooms, there are some varieties that are more susceptible than others, and this is the chance you take.