This week’s column is about growing tomatoes, the undisputed
king of the vegetable garden. Tomatoes are grown by 94 percent of
the country’s 50 million gardening households. You’ll rarely find a
summer vegetable garden without at least one tomato plant in
it.
This week’s column is about growing tomatoes, the undisputed king of the vegetable garden. Tomatoes are grown by 94 percent of the country’s 50 million gardening households. You’ll rarely find a summer vegetable garden without at least one tomato plant in it.
That brings us to the crux of this week’s column. Last week I talked about how home gardeners have plenty of time to get their spring gardens in. I encouraged you not to rush to get things planted, because summer plants – especially vegetables – really don’t start growing until our night-time temperatures rise, anyway.
Here’s something you probably don’t know about plants: The business of construction, or growth of plants, is mainly done at night. Plants store up energy by converting sunshine, water and air into sugar during the daytime. During the night, they burn that sugar as energy that helps them grow.
Assuming a plant lacks nothing in the way of nutrition and moisture, the speed with which the plant grows is determined by temperature. For every 10-degree increase in temperature, the speed of growth doubles.
Therefore, how can you be 100 percent successful in growing your own tomatoes in your garden this year? Let me count the ways.
No. 1: Wait until temperatures warm. Just because your neighbor already has his or her tomato transplants in doesn’t mean you have to rush to the garden center and buy them, too.
No. 2: Invest in good soil. Instead of spending time planting, spend your time amending your garden soil. I can’t reiterate the need for good, well-draining soil. This usually means incorporating generous amounts of organic material into the top 6 to 12 inches of soil. Organic matter stimulates microorganisms, maintains moisture and moderates soil temperatures.
Organic matter will especially work its magic in our area’s clay soils, encouraging drainage. You can buy large bags of organic compost at any garden center and even get creative by mixing in a little mushroom compost, redwood soil conditioner, peat moss, etc. If you’re planting tomatoes in containers, always use packaged potting mixes instead of plain garden dirt.
No. 3: Plant appropriate varieties. Admittedly, this is where tomato-growing gets tricky. Veteran home gardeners all have their favorite varieties. Plus, new varieties are always coming down the pike. Growing different varieties also guarantees success. Generally, the large-fruited indeterminate types like “big boy” won’t ripen until late summer. Therefore, I like growing cherry tomatoes, such as “sungold,” and early-fruiting types like “early girl.” These carry me through June and July until the large-fruited varieties get going in August and September.
Lastly: Water, fertilize and weed. This goes without saying, but be aware that tomatoes do best if irrigated deeply rather than sprinkled daily. You can also fertilize every few weeks with dry fertilizer or more frequently with a liquid-fertilizer solution. A cheap fertilizer is good old epsom salts. Competing weeds will draw water and fertilizer away from tomato plants, so control weeds.
