Extension Communications
Extension 4-H Youth Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3630
(515) 294-9915
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Extension Communications |
6/7/04
Contacts:
Linda Naeve, Reiman Gardens, (515) 294-8946, lnaeve@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033,
jmcguire@iastate.edu
Garden Column for the week of June 11, 2004
Five Tips for Growing Great Tomatoes
By Linda Naeve
Extension Coordinator
Reiman Gardens
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in home gardens. The earliest tomato harvested and the quality and quantity of tomatoes produced are fun and entertaining criteria used to determine a person's gardening expertise and skills. Below are a few tips that will help you produce the best and most tomatoes in your neighborhood.
Plant recommended varieties. There are hundreds of different tomato varieties available at garden centers in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some even have a unique history behind them and are marketed as "heirlooms." Unless you are experimenting with something new or plan to grow a specific variety just for fun, plant varieties that are proven to grow well in Iowa. 'Better Boy,' 'Jetstar,' 'Celebrity' and 'Mountain Delight' are a few large-fruiting tomato varieties that are recommended for Iowa gardens.
Allow ample space to grow. Although tomato plants are small at planting time and the empty, unused space in the garden appears to be wasted, don't be tempted to plant tomatoes closer than three feet apart. Within a few weeks, those short plants will be the size of small shrubs and, unless given enough room to spread out, will be a jungle of stems and leaves that make harvest difficult. Crowding the plants also prevents good air movement through them and creates a favorable environment for the rapid build up of foliage diseases.
Provide sufficient support. Many tomato varieties grow quite tall and seem to take over the garden if allowed. Research has shown that staking or caging tomato plants results in higher yields of better quality fruit that are easy to pick. Wire cages made of concrete reinforcement wire or other sturdy wire with at least three-inch openings works well. Cages should be three to four feet tall and two feet across and secured in the soil with a stake. Commercially available tomato cages or towers will provide some support, but are often not large enough to support the plant and fruit load throughout the season. Be sure to place the cages over the plants soon after planting, before the plants become too large.
Nearly any tomato variety can be caged, however, only "interdeterminant-type" tomato plants should be staked. "Indeterminant" plants grow tall and produce flowers and fruit clusters throughout the season as compared to "determinant-types" which do not grow as tall and have a shorter and more concentrated harvest period. Staking involves pruning off the small shoots, known as suckers, which develop in the axils of the stem and the leaves. This is necessary so that only one or two stems need to be tied or secured to the stake. Removing the suckers on a determinant-type tomato plant will significantly reduce the amount of tomatoes that are produced.
Provide adequate water. A garden, whether it is a vegetable or flower garden, requires at least 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week to be productive and beautiful. Tomatoes are more particular about their water needs than most vegetables. They require a constant moisture supply that can be provided with a deep, thorough watering once or twice a week and a layer of mulch. Inconsistent moisture levels in the soil results in a fruit blemish called "blossom-end rot" in which the bottom or blossom-end of the fruit develops a sunken, brownish-black area.
Apply fertilizer mid-season. Tomato plants will benefit from a mid-season fertilizer application to keep them healthy and productive. When the first fruits are about the size of golf balls, sprinkle about half cup of a complete analysis fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10, around the base of each plant, four to six inches away from the stem. Rake it in lightly and water. Avoid getting any fertilizer on the foliage.
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Editors: There is no photo with this week's column.
ml: isugarden