Are you growing tomatoes this year? Even though I am cutting back on some planting this summer to conserve water, tomatoes will continue to have a starring role in my garden. Here are a few pointers to help ensure your tomato success.
First, don't rush to get those tomatoes in the ground. Wait until the danger of frost is past and the soil is sufficiently warm (at least 60°F). Prior to planting, be sure to “harden off” the plants by keeping them outside for about a week. Place them in a sheltered location initially, then gradually expose them to your garden's conditions. If frost threatens, bring the plants indoors.
If you are purchasing tomato plants, choose stocky seedlings with healthy green leaves. The plants should not be root bound. Evaluate possible locations before deciding where to plant. To prevent soil-borne diseases from getting established, practice crop rotation. Do not plant tomatoes or other members of the nightshade family (potatoes, eggplants and peppers) in the same location more than two years in a row. If you plant tomatoes in pots, use new potting mix. Choose a location with full sun.
Your plants will be more productive if given plenty of room to grow. If you are planting caged or staked tomato plants, space therows 30 to 42 inches apart, leaving 24 to 30 inches between plants. If the plants are not staked or caged, plant them farther apart. If you use pots, choose large ones.
Water the seedlings and the planting area a few hours before planting. Pinch off all but the top two sets of leaves, then bury the seedling deeply, so that only the leaves and a little stem are above ground. Avoid handling the stem as new roots will form along the buried portion. If the plants are in biodegradable pots, break up the pots slightly so the roots can easily find the soil. Bury the pots completely to avoid water wicking away from the roots. If the seedlings are in plastic pots, gently remove the plants and loosen the roots. Press the soil firmly around the plant and water thoroughly.
Most tomato plants benefit from some type of support. Cages or stakes keep the tomatoes off the ground, conserve garden space and make harvest easier. I prefer cages and use the collapsible type that I can store easily over the winter. Place cages around tomatoes soon after planting to avoid damaging the plants later. With most cages, it's a good idea to place two strong stakes on both sides to provide support when the plant becomes heavy with fruit. Check the ultimate height of the tomato variety to determine the height of the cage required. The openings in the cage should be large enough for you to reach in and harvest fruit.
Alternatively, you can stake tomato plants. Select stakes six feet long and one and one-half inches to two inches wide. Drive them one foot into the soil,four to six inches from the plant. As the plants grow, pull the stems toward the stakes and loosely tie them to the stakes at intervals of 10 to 12 inches. Use a flexible material such as gardener's tape or fabric strips. Prune to a few main stems to keep the plants from becoming too heavy.
Tomatoes need regular irrigation. Extreme variation in soil moisture can promote fruit cracking and blossom-end rot. Keep the area weeded to prevent competition for nutrients and water and to eliminate habitat for pests. Place a three- to four-inch layer of mulch over the soil to reduce weeds and conserve moisture.
Feed with nitrogen when the plants flower, then every four to six weeks, following label instructions. Water thoroughly after fertilizing.
Harvest when tomatoesdevelop their full color. If you're like me, you can hardly wait for that first delicious bite.
Tomato Plant Sale: Napa County Master Gardeners will hold their second annual “Tomato Plant Sale and Education Day” on Saturday, April 19, in the South Oxbow parking lot on First Street in Napa. The sale will be held from 9:00 a.m. until sold out. All the seedlings have been started from seed and grown by Napa County Master Gardeners. At least 50 varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomato plants will be available. Master Gardeners will staff information tables on tomato support structures, common tomato pests and diseases, composting, good bug/bad bug displays and a mobile help desk. For a list of available tomato varieties, visit http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa or call the Help Desk (hours below).
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners ( http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
Napa County Master Gardeners welcome the public to visit their demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch on Thursdays, from 10:00 a.m. until noon, except the last Thursday of the month. Connolly Ranch is at 3141 Browns Valley Road at Thompson Avenue in Napa. Enter on Thompson.
Tomatoes are relatively easy to grow. They sprint to maturity because they only have a few weeks of hot weather to produce their bounty. Examine the many varieties offered at farmers’ markets: heirlooms, hybrids, paste tomatoes, huge slicers and tomatoes in many different colors and shapes. Some weigh a pound or more, and some, like ‘Sungold,’ are small and prolific. Knowing the tomato plant’s requirements and monitoring closely will almost always produce good results and enough tomatoes for the neighbors.
Before planting, follow all directions on plant labels and read about tomatoes in Sunset’s Western Garden Book. The best guarantee of a healthy crop is soil well-amended soil with compost and a three-inch top dressing of well-aged manure.
Tomatoes need six to eight hours of sunlight a day and a consistent watering schedule. Watering deeply encourages deep roots. If the soil is amended, fertilizer isn’t necessary, but one or two feedings of a water-soluble fertilizer won’t hurt and may help. Too much nitrogen will produce lush foliage and few tomatoes.
Plants displaying holes or chewed leaves indicate that creatures are eating their daily meal. Snails chew tender leaves when plants are small, while the tomato worm likes to settle into the fruit. The large hornworm can consume large amounts of leaves and stems.
Common sense tells us to use pet-safe deterrents for snails. Hand-pick hornworms and put in the yard-waste bin. If you see whiteflies or aphids, blast them with strong jets of water.
Occasionally, one side of a plant will show leaf yellowing and sudden wilt. These are symptoms of fungal disease. Watering won’t help. Uproot the entire plant and place it in the yard-waste bin, not the compost pile. Fungal spores remain in the soil over the winter, so plant tomatoes in a different area the following season. Look for seedlings with a label that says “VFN resistant,” which indicates that the plant is resistant to verticilium wilt, fusarium (both fungal diseases) and nematodes.
Perhaps the most confusing and prevalent tomato problem is blossom-end rot. You’ve done everything right and your tomato plants look healthy. But when you pick the fruit, you notice a circle of sunken, hard brown skin on the blossom end. This damage, typically about the size of a fifty-cent piece, is a common problem. The cause is probably a lack of calcium due to inconsistent watering.
Water moves nutrients to feeder roots. You may have plenty of calcium in your soil, but if the soil is dry, the plant can’t get it. Plants need moist but not soggy soil. Too much water and the fruits may crack.
If we meet the tomato plant’s requirements, it will reward us with larger and more abundant fruit.
When the weather cools, you may still have unripe tomatoes. Dust thick slices of green tomatoes with seasoned flour and sauté them in a bit of bacon grease for two minutes per side.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will conduct a composting workshop in partnership with the City and County of Napa and Napa Recycling and Waste Services. The workshop is Saturday, September 7, at 9 a.m. at the Yountville Community Center. Learn how to turn your waste and kitchen scraps into wonderfully rich, free compost for your garden. Discover the basics of backyard composting, worm composting, and grasscycling. Register here: http://compost.naparecycles.org
Garden Tour: Napa County Master Gardeners will host a self-guided garden tour, “Down the Garden Path,” on Sunday, September 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit seven unique gardens in and around downtown Napa, all maintained by Master Gardeners. Tickets: $25 advance/$30 day of event. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa or call 707-253-4147. Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners ( http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions?
Most importantly, wait to plant until the danger of frost is past and the soil is sufficiently warm. I usually wait until May 1 to plant mine. Prior to planting, be sure to “harden off” the plants by placing them outside for about a week. Put them in a sheltered spot initially, and then gradually expose them to garden conditions. If frost threatens, bring the plants indoors.
Tomatoes need full sun. Choose stocky transplants six to eight inches tall with healthy, green leaves. The seedlings should not be root bound. Water the plants a few hours before planting, and water the planting area prior to planting.Set the plants in the soil so that all but the top two sets of leaves are below ground. Pinch off the lower leaves and avoid handling the stem. New roots will emerge from the buried stem.
If the plants are in biodegradable pots, break up the pots slightly so the roots can easily grow into the soil. Bury peat or paper pots completely to avoid water wicking away from the roots. If your seedlings are in plastic pots, gently remove the plants and loosen the roots. Press the soil firmly around the plant, then water thoroughly.
Tomato plants need plenty of room to grow. If planting in a pot, choose a large one. If you are planting in the ground or in raised beds, space plants 24 to 30 inches apart, assuming the tomatoes will be staked or caged. If the plants are not staked, the tomatoes will need to be farther apart.
Most tomatoes benefit from some type of support. Cages or stakes keep the tomatoes off the ground, allow maximum utilization of garden space, and make harvest easier. I prefer cages and use the collapsible type that I can store neatly over the winter. Place the cages around the tomatoes soon after planting to avoid damaging the plants. Insert two strong stakes to support the cage when the plant becomes heavy with fruit. Check the ultimate height of the tomato variety you are planting to determine the height of the cage required. The openings in the cage should be large enough for hand harvesting.
Some gardeners stake their tomato plants. For this method, select stakes six feet long and one and one-half to two inches wide. Drive them one foot into the soil approximately four to six inches from the plant. As the plants grow, pull the stems toward the stakes and loosely tie them to the stakes at intervals of 10 to 12 inches. Use strips of cloth or some other flexible material. Prune the tomato plants to a few main stems to keep the plants from becoming too heavy.
Tomatoes can also be planted along a fence or large trellis and trained upward as they grow.
Tomatoes need regular watering. They dislike extreme fluctuation in soil moisture, which promotes fruit cracking and blossom end rot. Keep the area weeded. Weeds harbor pests and compete with your tomatoes for nutrients and water. A three-to four-inch layer of mulch will discourage weeds and help retain soil moisture.
Healthy tomato transplants should not need fertilizing until the plants are flowering and fruit are forming. At that point, feed them with nitrogen every four to six weeks, following package instructions. Place the fertilizer around the growing plants in shallow grooves or on the soil surface. Scratch it in and water thoroughly.
For more advice on growing tomatoes, visit the Master Gardener Tomato Plant Sale and Education Day on April 20. You’ll find demonstrations on planting tomatoes, displays on supporting and pruning tomatoes, and information on preserving your harvest.
Tomato Plant Sale: Napa County Master Gardeners are hosting a tomato plant sale on Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Choose from 44 varieties that grow well in Napa County. Come early for best selection. Tomato experts will be on hand to answer questions. Location: Oxbow Public Market, south parking lot, 644 First Street, Napa. Plan your purchases with this Quick Guide to Tomato Varieties.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners (http://cenapa.ucdavis.edu) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions?
