Tomatoes!

I guess it's only natural that the first post I would make on my blog would have to be about tomatoes.  This was the plant that got me interested on a different level about gardening.  Specifically.....heirloom tomatoes.  This was way back before heirloom was a common word associated with gardening and the only place one could get the seeds was from some remote, progressive, sometimes quirky individual on the Internet.  I had had no idea there were so many different kinds of tomatoes, let alone all the stories behind these wonderful, old varieties that had been handed down from generation to generation.  The general public had lost most of this heritage with the mass produced food we commonly see, but thanks to a few hardy individuals that kept persevering and keeping these old seeds viable, a whole new generation has finally caught up. 

Tomatoes are native to the Andes Mountains of South America, which gives us a clue in to their preferred growing conditions.  Night time temperatures below 50 degrees or above 85-90 degrees has a detrimental effect on production of fruit.  Early in the season you might notice blossoms dropping off....that is generally caused by the temps at night dropping below their preferred temp.  It won't hurt the plant, (as long as it's not too cold) as soon as temps warm up, they'll get back to business producing blossoms.

First, when buying tomato plants, look on the tag for determinate or indeterminate.  Select the right type of plant for the way you will be using it.  Determinate, to put it simply, bear crops generally all at once and are usually shorter.  These are good for when you need most of the tomatoes ripening all at once as for canning.  Indeterminate are "vinier" and grow much taller and bear fruit over the whole season.  The heirlooms are generally found in this category.  Try not to purchase plants with too many blooms...this puts too much stress on the plant after planting ....it needs to put most of it's energy into developing it's root system at first, not the stress of bearing fruit.  Look for signs of disease or insect eggs on the leaves.  You don't want to bring them home with you.  Try to pick the healthiest plants.  If they're too leggy, that's not much of a problem.  There's a way to get around that when planting.

When planting, rather in a pot or the ground, try to pick a day when it's overcast to lessen the sun stress on the young plants.  Or you can wait until evening.  Tomatoes are heavy feeders, so add compost (preferrably) or fertilizer to soil when planting.  I usually twist off all but the top several set of leaves and bury the stem either straight up and down if the soil is deep enough or lay sideways in a trench and cover with dirt.  Tomato stems are hairy and will produce roots when in contact with the soil.  Wait a few weeks to mulch to make sure the soil has warmed up enough, then lay the mulch.  Mulch will help the soil from splattering onto the leaves and help prevent diseases.

If planting in the garden, wrap the stem where it meets the ground with a narrow strip of newspaper.  Cutworms are a problem with young seedlings and this will help prevent them from chopping the plant off at the ground and leaving you with no plant.  This simple step saves a lot of heartache and the newspaper will degrade in a short time.  You can also drive a few nails around the stem (not too, too close) to keep the cutworm from wrapping around the stem.  It works too.  Don't forget to water......watering is important while the young roots are establishing....don't let soil dry out especially at this time. 

So there you have it!  Easy, huh?  We'll get into pests and diseases as the season progresses...and there's enough of them....but for now, it's the time to sit back, enjoy a job well done and dream of picking warm tomatoes on a summer day!