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Secrets to Growing Killer
Tomatoes
Tomatoes have always been my favorite
garden vegetable to grow and to eat. I
have had success with the other standard
garden vegetables, such as cucumbers,
bell peppers, cauliflower etc. but
tomatoes became my specialty over the
years.
I start my seeds indoors approximately
5-6 weeks before the last expected frost
date. I use a commercially available
starting flat that will hold 72
seedlings. I prefer plant the Tomato
Park's Whopper™ Cr Improved, VFFNT
Hybrid which can be ordered from Park
Seed Co. This is a large, luscious,
disease resistant tomato that I have seen
grow to excess of 3lbs.+. It makes for an
awesome BLT since a slice of one of these
beauties will hang off the toast at least
one inch or more all the way around!!!!!
For the potting mixture, I use equal
parts of a good quality potting soil and
vermiculite that makes the soil light
enough so that the seeds will not have
difficulty sprouting and growing. I know
your probably saying to yourself right
now, WOW, 72 tomato plants, I don’t
need that many, well look at it like
this…out of the 72 that you start,
some will not develop for whatever
reason, and once they are planted, some
will die, the birds will get some, the
animals will get some and yes, the bugs
will get some regardless of how hard your
try to keep them out. So out of that 72
plants, you could wind up with just the
right number in the end for your garden.
Of course it is possible to wind up with
72 very healthy, untouched by animals,
disease or bugs, tomato plants, as
happened to me one season, then you will
have more tomatoes than you can possibly
eat, can, sell or give away!!!! But that
is a whole 'nother story!!!
I have grown tomatoes in all types of
soil, from rocky, hard packed clay to
rich dark loam so loose you could push
your arm elbow deep into the soil with no
effort. It has been my experience that
almost any soil will work with most only
requiring minor amendments.
If you need to add amendments to your
soil to loosen it, I recommend a mixture
of aged sawdust and sand in equal parts.
The sand can be obtained in bulk from
your local concrete company for a small
fee or you can buy it in bags from your
local hardware store. One note about the
sawdust, DO NOT use fresh sawdust, as
this is much to hot due to the nitrogen
being released during the breakdown
process. Plants placed in this sawdust;
even with the mix of sand and soil are
much to tender to withstand the high
concentration of nitrogen.
If fresh sawdust is all that you can
obtain, pile it in one corner of your
garden and let it age for new season.
Your local sawmill, if you have one close
by, should have a good supply of old
sawdust on hand that they will let you
load up and haul away for free. If you do
not have a sawmill or any type of
manufacturing facility close by, such as
the Ames Co., that makes wooden handles
etc. you can check with your local county
extension agent and he or she can tell
you where you may acquire the sawdust.
Speaking of the county extension agent,
when you go to consult with the agent,
take along some soil samples from
different places in your garden and ask
that they be tested for the proper
nutrients. This is a free service
provided by some counties while others
may charge a nominal fee, regardless, you
can have the results back in just a few
days.
Once you have the sawdust and sand,
spread equal parts over your garden until
it reaches a depth of about one inch or
more depending on the type of soil. Too
much and the soil will be too loose and
the water will drain away to quickly, not
enough and the sun will bake it to a
hardpan during the dog days of summer.
Work this mixture into your soil as deep
as possible using your rotary tiller or
the old fashioned way, by using a spading
fork or shovel Once this mixture is
worked in properly then it is time to
consider what type of fertilizer is
needed.
Armed with your soil test results, you
will have a good indication of what kind
of fertilizer is best for your particular
garden. In most cases, a good all purpose
fertilizer known as Triple 10 or 10-10-10
will do the job very well. Your soil test
results will give specifics of any
additional nutrients that you may need
and should also include coverage rates.
Once you have completed the fertilizing,
give your garden a moderate soaking with
your sprinkler or hose nozzle to dissolve
and distribute the fertilizer through out
the soil.
When I begin to set out the tomatoes I
have somewhat of a unique approach, I dig
the planting hole, approximately 10-12
inches deep with a post hole digger,
which also helps to determine the spacing
for each plant ( 2-2 ½ feet apart or
about ½ the length of the handle of your
post hole digger) I use the post hole
digger for several reasons:
1. Its much easier on your back, you
don’t have to bend or kneel to dig
the hole.
2. The larger and deeper hole means that
more of the tomato plant itself can be
placed deeper into the ground and the
more plant you can actually place in the
ground the stronger the plant will be,
because every bit of the seedling that is
placed underground will develop into the
root system, thereby you will have deeper
and stronger roots from the very
beginning.
3. The loose backfill in the hole allows
for the developing root system to get a
firm foothold.
After you have gotten all your holes
spaced out and dug, go back and sprinkle
just a bit of Miracle-Gro into the bottom
of each hole then add just a small amount
of water to the hole. Gently remove your
seedlings from the flat and place it as
deep as possible in the hole. I recommend
leaving no more than 1 - 2 inches of
tomato above ground. Yes, it will take
longer for your tomatoes to produce by
doing this as compared to setting them
out at that same depth they were in the
seeding flat, but you will have stronger
plants and plants that virtually never
need watering because at that depth
moisture is pretty much constant unless
it is an extremely dry summer. Believe
me, if you set your tomatoes out at the
flat depth, you will be watering them at
least every other day.!!!
The next thing we need to address is the
method used to control the sprawling
plant. Some people like to place straw
down around their tomato plants and let
them sprawl across the ground. I believe
this opens the door for more pest
problems, such as the tomato hornworm.
The method I recommend is using concrete
reinforcing wire to make your own tomato
cages. The wire can be purchased at most
any hardware or do it yourself store. The
wire has large 6” openings that you
can easily pass your hand through when
picking time comes. The wire is about 6
ft high which makes a very sturdy cage
for even the biggest tomato plant. To
make the cages, count off seven of the
squares and then, using a cutting torch
or a study pair of wire cutters, cutoff
the bottom of the seventh square which
will give you six 6” spikes that
will make the cage as steady as a rock
when they are pushed into the ground. I
place my cages around the plants as soon
as the plants are in the ground. Once you
make the cages they will last of years
and years to come.
Our last area of concern is pests and
diseases, specifically the tomato
hornworm and blossom end rot. The tomato
hornworm is nasty little creature that
will surround and chew through your plant
at just below ground level. To prevent
this from happening push a very large
nail into the ground right next to each
tomato plant. This will prevent the
hornworm from surrounding your plant and
eating through the base.
If you see the end of your tomatoes
beginning to rot as they grow, then it is
surely a case of blossom end rot, which
can be easily stopped from overtaking
your entire tomato crop. Go to your local
pharmacy and get some potassium chloride,
then place two heaping tablespoons into a
garden sprayer and fill with water, shake
to mix then spray your plants well. Do
this weekly until no new end rot appears.
If you follow this guide and use a little
TLC you will have some of the largest and
best tasting tomatoes one could ever ask
for.
You will definitely be the envy of the
entire neighborhood!!!
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