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Tag: Tomato

Easy-to-Grow Garden Tomatoes

‘Mountain Magic’ is an effortless Campari-style tomato with better flavor than the store-bought Camparis.

Fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) are a seasonal delicacy every gardener should try to grow at home. Thirty-five years of tomato growing have taught me the effortless tomato varieties versus the more finicky, less productive types. Newer gardeners seeking to grow bountiful harvests of tomatoes should start with the standbys for ease of growth, flavor, and productivity. Of the nearly 60 tomato varieties I have grown, here are some of the most gratifying, flavorful, and easy. Some are modern cultivated varieties, and others are heirlooms.

Easy Beefsteak or Slicing Tomatoes

‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’ tomatoes are golden orange, flavorful, and bountiful.

Those who like traditional red tomatoes the best need to grow ‘Celebrity Plus’ (70-78 days) an updated version of the classic 1984 AAS Winner, ‘Celebrity’ (both are good but plus is more vigorous and disease resistant). The 8-oz fruits are produced on productive determinant (bushy) vines.

‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’ (85 days) is a golden-orange heirloom tomato with dense, meaty flesh and a distinctive tangy sweet taste. The large tomatoes can reach up to a pound each. Give the indeterminate (vining) plants good support. A strong cage is recommended.

‘Celebrity’ is a nearly foolproof red slicing tomato.

‘Mortgage Lifter’ (85 days) never disappoints. The long vines produce huge, red beefsteak tomatoes nonstop during the warm days of summer. Fruits commonly reach over 1 lb. each and regularly win taste tests.

Those seeking an exciting yellow and red bicolor with super sweet flavor need to try the effortless, ‘Virginia Sweets.’  The vining plants produce large slicing tomatoes with the best possible tangy-sweet flavor. The tomatoes are yellow with distinctive red streaks. Each tomato can weigh as much as 1 lb. each!

Easy Cherry Tomatoes

The tiny tomatoes of ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry’ are numerous and provide a burst us sweet tomato flavor.

The tiny currant tomato,  ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry’ (60 days), has bright red, sweet, flavorful fruit and produces nonstop with limited care once the vine gets going. The indeterminate (vining) tomato requires a sturdy cage and will branch vigorously, so pruning is sometimes required. (Click here to watch a video about how to prune tomatoes.)

My favorite cherry tomato of all time continues to be ‘Sungold’ (65 days) without fail. The cheerful orange fruits are super sweet and fruity and produced on vines that don’t stop until the first frost of fall. The weighty, long vines are vigorous and will continue to produce into fall. Provide a super strong cage and midseason pruning. After a long rain, ripe fruits may crack on the vine, but otherwise ‘Sungold’ is quite disease-resistant and trouble-free.

The golden fruits of ‘Sungold’ are my favorite.

A tried-and-true classic cherry tomato variety is ‘Super Sweet 100’ (70 days). The award-winning variety produces long trusses laden with bright red, sweet, slightly tart cherry tomatoes with minimal effort. Stake or cage vines.

(Click here to watch a video highlighting my 10 favorite cherry tomatoes for flavor.)

Easy Salad Tomatoes

The tomatoes of ‘Mountain Magic’ are bright red, tasty, and nearly without flaw.

The crack-free, bright red, salad tomato ‘Mountain Magic’ (66 days) rivals popular Campari tomatoes and is wonderfully easy to grow.  The large vine needs a strong cage and will continue to stay productive until frost.

Italian ‘Principe Borghese’ is a classic red salad or sun-drying tomato from Italy. The plants produce long trusses (7-10 per truss) of small, deep red fruits with a balanced tomato flavor. Like most tomatoes on the list, it is a vining type that needs strong support.

How to Grow Tomatoes

The following video provides simple steps to growing champion tomatoes.

 

Can Tomato and Watermelon Vines Be Pruned?

“I have a small plot and planted two tomato plants and several watermelon plants. As they grow I’m realizing my plot is quickly running out of space. Can tomato plants be trimmed back? Will watermelon plants take over my yard? How do I trim them back or space them out wide enough?” Question from George of Hagerstown, Maryland

Answer: Both plants can be pruned (please watch the video below about how to prune cherry tomatoes). Both indeterminate (vining) tomatoes and long-vined watermelons will completely take over a garden space in no time. Here are some solutions for managing these gregarious plants this summer and in the future.

Space-Saving Solutions for Tomatoes

  1. Choose determinate, or bush tomatoes. They stay small. The only downside is that they do not produce fruit for as long as indeterminate (vining) tomatoes. If you want more fruit, you have other options.
  2. Cage indeterminate tomatoes with tall, strong, robust cages. I recommend Titan tomato cages or any of comparable size and quality. This way, the vines will grow upright and be easier to prune.
  3. Prune indeterminate tomatoes. Please watch the video below to learn how.

Space-Saving Solutions for Watermelon

  1. Choose short-vine watermelons, such as ‘Cal Sweet Bush‘, a 2019 AAS award winner that has excellent melons and vines that do not take over.
  2. Train melons on a trellis. Small-fruited types, like ‘Little Baby Flower‘, a personal favorite, are the best for trellising.
  3. Trim back select watermelon vine branches that have outgrown their area. Keep in mind, some will need to reach a long length to properly fruit.

Watch the video below for more watermelon-growing tips.

I hope that these tips help! You may also consider enlarging your vegetable garden. Please click on this link to learn how to start a thriving vegetable garden from the start.

Happy gardening!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Why Are My Tomato Leaves Curling?

Upward curling tomato leave indicates stress more often than disease.

“Lots of my tomato plants have curling upward leaves, and in most cases only edge damage. Why?” Questions from James of Greenville, South Carolina

Answer: There is a Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus, but your plant lacks several of the symptoms, including stunting, yellowing, and eventual leaf browning. Tomato plants more commonly experience physiological leaf curl when subjected to various environmental stresses. In this case, I believe yours is caused by environmental stress.  Here are four possible sources of stress.

Environmental Tomato Leaf Curl Causes

  1. Too little or too much water — Vines fail to grow as well when water is lacking, and they develop root rot when there is too much water. Either can cause leaf curl. Regular, even watering will yield the best results.
  2. High heat — Temperatures over 85 degrees F will cause most tomato plants stress and sometimes leaf curl. Some tomatoes are more heat-tolerant. Two of the best heat-tolerant varieties include the large, red-fruited ‘Heatmaster‘, which can take the high heat of the South, and disease and heat-resistant ‘Heatwave II‘, which bears deep red tomatoes with good flavor.
  3. Wind stress — High winds cause rapid water loss from the leaves and stresses vines. Leaf curl can result.
  4. Herbicide damage – Glyphosate herbicide damage is most common. It can cause this type of leaf appearance if a small amount reached your tomatoes from a downwind application.

Could any possibilities be the cause? Please let me know. In the interim, click here to read more about leaf curl, and watch the video below about growing tomatoes to perfection!

Happy gardening!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do I Boost Tired Tomatoes?

How Do I Boost Tired Tomatoes?

“Last year my tomatoes struggled a lot. I think my soil might be tired. Should I rotate spots or should I fortify the soil? Thank you.” Question from Lucinda of Pittston, Maine

Answer: Tomatoes must be rotated on a three-year cycle for best performance, especially if they have experienced diseases. They are heavy feeders, experience lots of soil-borne diseases that can carry over in the soil from year to year, and root-knot nematodes are common pests that lower production and can live in the soil from year to year. Rotation fixes all of these problems. I recommend rotating tomatoes with soil-fortifying crops, such as peas and beans, which naturally add nitrogen to the soil. Tomatoes take up lots of nitrogen and fertilizer!

From there, I also suggest that you try short-season varieties adapted to northern climates. You can find several listed in the first article below.

WHEN SHOULD I PLANT TOMATOES FOR A SHORT GROWING SEASON?

SPRING TO FALL VEGETABLE ROTATION PLANTING FOR NON-STOP GARDEN PRODUCE

Happy tomato growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do I Keep Squirrels from Stealing My Tomatoes?

“Squirrels have stolen all my tomatoes for the last 3 years.  Is there any option other than putting up fencing?” Question from Barbara of Portage, Michigan

Answer: Squirrels tend to steal fruit when they are thirsty as well as hungry, and there are several proactive things that you can do to keep them away. Fences do not work due to the acrobatic nature of squirrels. Your best option is a motion-sensor repeller. There are several types. Some are in the form of hooting owls, others release ultrasonic sounds, but the best use sharp sprays of water to startle and frighten away squirrels and other pests. The Yard Enforcer is a good brand.

At my home, I also maintain a water source for birds that squirrels can also drink from and place my kitchen produce seeds–from melons, squash, etc.– outside and away from my garden for squirrels to eat. It costs no money, and well-fed and watered squirrels tend to stay away from my garden.

I hope that these tips help.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do I Protect My Tomato Fruits from Insects and Slugs?

How Do I Protect My Tomato Fruits from Insects and Slugs?

“How can I keep bugs and slugs from destroying my tomato fruit? They totally decimated my crop this year leaving me nothing to can for the winter months.” Question from Sylvia of Belle Plaine, Minnesota

Answer: There are several things that you can do to ensure that insects and slugs don’t damage your tomatoes. Here are six methods.

Six Ways to Stop Pests From Eating Tomatoes

  1. Clean your vegetable beds up completely in the fall, and till lightly in the spring. This will remove any overwintering pest eggs.
  2. In the spring, apply a layer of quality compost as a surface mulch to stop weeds and create an open, weed-free layer to keep slugs away (slugs often hide in weeds).
  3. Use tall tomato cages, and prune your tomatoes to keep developing fruits off of the ground and away from slugs and critters.
  4. Apply diatomaceous earth at the base of your tomato plants to deter slugs. You can also use Sluggo, a good slug killer that is approved for organic gardening.
  5. Plant your tomatoes in the full sun (8+ hours) at least 3-4 feet apart, leaving space between plants. This will discourage slugs, which cannot withstand the sun and avoid open ground.
  6. Apply BT spray, which is also approved for organic gardening, if tomato hornworms or other caterpillars attack your plants and fruits.

Finally, be sure to choose good tomato varieties for northern gardeners for better yields. (Click here for more tomato growing tips and varieties for northern gardeners.)

I hope that these tips help!

Happy tomato growing,

 

Where Can I Buy Campari Tomato Seed?

Where Can I Buy Campari Tomato Seed?

“Where can I buy Campari tomato seeds for plants?” Question from Rena of Morehead City, North Carolina

Answer: The seed for commercially available Campari tomatoes is generally difficult to find (click here for a possible source), but there are many comparable well-branched, tasty, cocktail tomatoes that taste even better. ‘Mountain Magic’ is one to try that rivals Campari. Another is one of my personal favorites, the Italian heirloom ‘Principe Borghese‘. Its large stems of delicious fruits look like those of Campari, taste great, are ideal for salads, and even make perfect sun-dried tomatoes.

From there, I encourage you to watch the video below about growing tomatoes from seed to harvest.

Happy tomato growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Why Are My Tomatoes Wilting and Showing Black Spots?

Why Are My Tomatoes Wilting and Showing Black Spots?

“I’m having trouble identifying the disease(s) that is affecting my ‘Black Krim’ tomato plant (and now may have possibly spread to the ‘Rutgers’).  In late June I noticed significant leaf curl of some vines of the ‘Black Krim’.  June was a dry month, so I thought it might be physiological, but watering did not seem to help.  By early July, rains had returned and the leaf curl did not go away.  I then started seeing healthy lower leaves turning grey-black in just days, often starting at the outside edge of the leaves.  Most recently, however, I’ve starting seeing leaves covered in black spots with possibly light-grey centers (these are leaves 18-24” above ground).  Petioles have similar elongated grey/black spots and some fruit stems (that produced no fruit) have turned completely black.  Some leaf lesions are larger and could be the small spots merging. The main stem is not solid green and shows some grey-black coloration.  There seems to be no correlation between the vines that exhibit wilt and the vines that have spots.  I removed the wilted vines.  Some had small dark markings on the interior of the stem while some looked healthy.  So far, the fruit, which is still green, has not shown any spotting or discoloration.

The leaves do not turn yellow and brown, like you see with alternaria and septoria.  Plus, it this just doesn’t look like the normal problems I get on my tomato plants every year.  I’m thinking Stemphyllium or possibly TSWV (or both?), but neither seems to fit those symptoms entirely.  I’ve looked at the lesions under a macroscope and no fruiting bodies of fungi are apparent.  Plus, the lesions don’t have any mold-like fuzziness.  The scattered small lesions and the wilting point towards TSWV, but no spotting/discoloration of the fruit is apparent (even on infected stems) and the leaf lesions don’t seem to show circular rings.

I’ve been using B. subtillus spray since transplanting, and liquid copper sulfate spray more recently.  Neither seems to be having much effect.  This plant was also treated with Trichoderma harzianum strain T-22 to prevent Fusarium wilt (a problem I’ve had in previous years). I realize that plants don’t all exhibit the same symptoms to the same diseases every time.  It’s also possible that both diseases are at work here.  Any thoughts you have here would be greatly appreciated.” Question from S Saving of Kansas City, Missouri.

Answer: Nothing is worse than experiencing debilitating tomato diseases when all a gardener wants is a successful crop. Unless a gardener plants the most disease-resistant tomato hybrids and has the most aerated raised beds and dry weather, diseases are to be anticipated–especially those of the fungal and bacterial flavor. You’re asking about at least two at once, so I will piece away at your question in an orderly fashion, starting with the photos that you shared of leaves and stems showing signs of black spotting and sootiness.

Black Spots on Tomato Leaves

When black spots like these do not cause leaves to turn yellow and die (or senesce) it usually indicates a surface mold rather than a systemic one. Your spots do not appear to be caused by grey leaf spot of tomato (Stemphylium spp.) or tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Bacterial speck was another pathogen that I considered, but the small, black spots caused by this disease should have a yellow halo. The specks also do not tend to form clusters on leaves like yours.

It looks more like a light infection of sooty mold or related surface fungi. Sooty mold tends to take hold in the presence of sucking insects and the honeydew they produce. Have you observed any aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies, mites, or the like, on your tomatoes? Even a small population can encourage sooty mold. Moreover, the fruiting bodies can be difficult to see with so little of the disease on leaves, even under a macroscope. Spraying and dry weather conditions will also discourage the development of fruiting bodies and mold spread.

Sooty mold is easily treated. Mix one teaspoon of gentle detergent to 1 gallon of warm water. Dip a clean cloth or sponge into the mixture and wipe down infected leaves and stems. The black mold should come off. Let me know if this is what you observe.

Tomato Leaf Curl

Without seeing a photo, it is difficult to determine what could have caused the significant leaf curl, wilt, and death on your tomatoes. It is certainly not tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) because this disease causes leaves to turn yellow and contort over a longer period of time. Herbicide damage and dramatic temperature changes can cause leaf curling and fast necrosis. Herbicide damage is the most common cause. It can appear on old or new growth, depending on what tissues came in contact with an herbicide (click here to see an image of glyphosate drift on tomato.) Broad mites (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) are sucking insects that can cause leaf curl and death of tomato foliage when populations are high. The sucking insects also create honeydew, which can encourage sooty mold.

To determine whether mites are present, do the white paper test. Take a clean piece of white paper, hold it beneath the leaves, then tap the leaves onto the paper. If you have mites, lots of tiny specs will fall, and eventually, they will start crawling around. These are spider mites. Spraying the tops and bottoms of leaves with insecticidal soap and wiping them down will remove spider mites quickly. Multiple applications will be required.

Disease Resistant Tomatoes

Just for future reference, here are some tasty tomatoes with excellent disease resistance. They may not have the allure of unique heirlooms like ‘Black Krim’, but they are tough and tasty.

‘Galahad’ (F3, GLS, LB, N, TSWV): The new, 2020 All-America Selections Winner ‘Galahad’ is a big, red, slicing tomato with excellent flavor that resists five diseases!

‘Granadero’ (F2, PM, TMV, V, N, TSWV): Sauce tomato lovers should try this super disease-resistant paste tomato with uniform, red, well-flavored fruits. It is also an AAS award winner.

‘Mountain Merit‘ (F3, LB, N, TSWV, V): Lots of large, red tomatoes with good, sweet flavor are produced on this compact bush tomato.

‘Toronjina’ (F2, LM, TMV): Highly disease-resistant plants produce lots of sweet and tart, orange cherry tomatoes on shorter indeterminate vines.

‘Sakura‘ (F2, LM, TMV, N): Red cherry tomatoes are produced early and in abundance on this long-vined, highly disease-resistant tomato.

Please follow up! I would like to know if any of these potential assessments are correct. For a more definitive analysis, send some of your diseased leaves to your local extension agent. (Click here to learn more.)

I hope that your remaining tomatoes produce well.

Happy Gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do I Stop My Tomatoes from Cracking?

How do I stop my tomatoes from cracking? There are several ways to end this problem.

“Stop my tomatoes from cracking! Last year even though the weather was optimal with sun and rain my cherry tomatoes continued to split as they grew and most were not edible as the bugs got into them as soon as they split. Is there a way to stop them from splitting like that?” Question from Sylvia of Belle Plaine, Minnesota

Answer: There are several things that you can do. Let me start by explaining what causes tomato splitting. Splitting occurs when a tomato is ripe and full of natural sugars and then it rains significantly. Tomato plants take up water fast, and due to a natural process called osmosis, the water is attracted to the plant parts with the most sugar–ripe fruits. So essentially, those sugary tomatoes fill up with too much water too fast and split. Here are the three best solutions to keep this from happening.

Ways to Stop My Tomatoes from Cracking

1. Choose crack-resistant tomato varieties. Some tomatoes either naturally resist cracking or were bred to be crack-resistant. The sweet cherry tomatoes ‘Ladybug‘ and ‘Jasper‘ are just two of many that are reliably crack resistant. You may see a crack here and there, but they are infrequent when compared to average cherries. ‘Baby Cakes’ salad tomato is tasty and both crack- and disease-resistant. And ‘Big Rainbow’ is a beautiful heirloom with great taste and crack resistance. And, if you like delicious orange slicers, ‘Chef’s Choice Orange‘ cannot be beaten for flavor and crack resistance. These are just a few of many options.

2. Give your tomatoes maximum drainage. Amend your vegetable garden soil well, and berm it up in your tomato beds to facilitate the best drainage possible. Excellent soil drainage will keep your tomatoes from taking up as much water as fast. Our best vegetable garden soil amendments include Black Gold Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Garden Soil, and Garden Compost Blend. Till these in and then rake up the bed areas into wide berms where you plant your tomatoes. (Click here to read our top 10 essential tips for vegetable gardening success for more bed prep tips.)

3. Pick tomatoes just before they are fully ripe. If you pick tomatoes just before they are fully ripe and allow them to ripen in a bag or on a windowsill, you can avoid the cracking problem. Slightly underripe tomatoes lack the full-sugar load that causes cracking.

For further tips on growing beautiful tomatoes, I recommend you watch our video about growing tomatoes from seed to harvest below.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist