No garden is complete without a tasty assortment of tomatoes. This
mouthwatering treat is the highlight of the summer garden, producing
armloads that can be savored fresh from the garden or processed
for later use. All varieties are easy to grow, requiring only a
sunny spot, some fertilizer and regular watering.
Determinate vs. Indeterminate:
Tomatoes are generally broken down into two main classifications:
Determinate and indeterminate. Here is a quick rundown on their
characteristics so you can choose tomato varieties that meet your
needs.
Determinate Tomatoes:
These varieties generally do not require staking because after a
certain point, they stop growing and produce one huge crop of fruit.
Primarily paste varieties, determinate tomatoes are ideal for making
sauces and if you can, freeze or dry them.
Indeterminate Tomatoes:
These varieties produce crop after crop of tomatoes, right up until
frost. Unlike determinates, this group of tomatoes keeps on growing
and will require sturdy cages or stakes to keep the plants from
toppling. Cherry and large salad varieties are most often found
in this group.
Tomato Heirlooms:
Heirloom tomatoes are gaining in popularity because many gardeners
feel that these old-time varieties have more flavor than modern
hybrids. They are also available in a wide choice of flavors, textures,
shapes and colors.
Tomato Hybrids:
If tomato diseases are common in your area, you might want to consider
growing hybrid varieties with bred-in disease resistance. These
hybrid varieties often have a V,F,N or T following their name. This
means the particular variety is resistant to fusarium wilt (F),
verticilliom wilt (V), nematodes (N) or tobacco mosaic (T).
Staking vs. Caging:
When you cage a tomato, you simply surround the tomato seedling
with a wire cage that is well anchored in the soil. As the plant
grows, it will remain inside the cage. Be sure to use a cage that
is at least five feet tall. Staking requires a bit more work - you
must continue to tie up vines and remove suckers from the plant.
Suckers sprout where leaf stems join the main plant. Be sure to
sturdy tomato stakes.
Growing Time:
Plant tomato seedlings in a spot that receives full sun a minimum
of six hours a day. Never mulch tomatoes with bark, wood chips or
hulls from a black walnut tree. Tomatoes require consistent moisture
in order to produce excellent, flavorful, uncracked fruit. To help
maintain moisture, mulch around tomato plants and avoid overhead
watering. Add mulch around your plants after they are well established,
at about four weeks. Do not plant the tomatoes too closely together.
Do not over fertilize your tomatoes; too much nitrogen will make
great green foliage, but will produce little fruit.
For best results, try vegetable food or plant food designed specifically
for tomatoes, such as Fertilome Tomato & Vegetable Food. Watch
for insect pests such as the tomato hornworm. This is a three to
four-inch caterpillar that munches the leaves of the plants. You
can simply remove the caterpillar by hand.
