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Tag: Tomato

When Should I Plant Tomatoes for a Short Growing Season?

“We have a short growing season here. I would like to get as big a head start as possible on my seedlings. I plan to start my seeds indoors but also have a pop-up greenhouse, and would like to know how early I can start seeds indoors (under lights) and then transfer to my garden before transplanting to the garden. I am interested most in times for tomatoes.” Question from Melissa of McDonough, New York

Answer: When planting tomatoes in areas with cooler, shorter summers, you need to consider the variety as well as starting/planting time. In general, it takes about six to eight weeks to yield ready-to-plant starts from seed. Using heat mats, keeping indoor conditions warm, and providing lots of light will hasten growth. Most tomatoes produce fruit between 60 to 85 days after planting, depending on the variety. Choose tomatoes that produce early and are shown to yield good-tasting fruits in cooler climates. Your average tomato colors up and gains its best flavor when days and nights are warm. You can’t count on these conditions further North, which is why the variety is important. (Click here on a full guide to growing tomatoes from seed to harvest.)

Good Tomato Varieties for Northern Gardens

‘Juliet’ (60 days, paste tomato): The award-winning’Juliet’ is a red paste or sauce tomato that also tastes great fresh. It grows quickly and will perform well for you.

‘Golden Sweet’ (60 days, grape tomato): The elongated, grape tomatoes of golden sweet are orange-yellow, mild, and sweet. Vines yield fast.

‘Polbig’ (67 days, slicing tomato): Here’s a tasty, red slicing tomato bred for growing in cooler climates. It also has very good disease resistance.

These are just three of many early, cool-tolerant tomatoes you might consider.

Plant your finished tomato starts outdoors after the threat of frost has passed. Some eager tomato gardeners plant theirs earlier outdoors and protect plants with hoop covers and frost cloth. This is an option, but I find it safer to simply grow mine to a larger size indoors and then harden them off before planting. Your pop-up greenhouse sounds just perfect for the job.

Have a very fruitful tomato growing season!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Help! I Have Egg-Covered Tomato Hornworms on My Tomatoes.

“I noticed two strange-looking caterpillars with eggs on their backs in my tomato garden this year and learned these were hornworms and they are terrible for tomato plants.  I intend on moving my tomatoes elsewhere next year.” Question from Jennifer of Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania

Answer: You are in luck! You don’t need to worry about the tomato hornworms on your tomatoes because the eggs on their backs are those of parasitic wasps. They will kill a hornworm in no time, so nature has taken care of your problem!

Moving your tomatoes will not change whether you get hornworms or not. They are the caterpillars of a beautiful the five-spotted hawkmoth, which can detect tomatoes from afar and will lay eggs on your plants in the night.

The eggs may be placed on leaf tops or bottoms and are greenish, so they are very difficult to see. This means they are hard to remove before hatching.  Just look for leaf chewing damage, then look for hornworms. When you find them, physically remove the caterpillars as you see them. It’s the easiest way to get rid of them fast if they are not already parasitized.

I hope that this information helps!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Why Aren’t My Heirloom Tomatoes Producing Fruit?

“My heirloom tomato plant is growing beautifully. However, it has not one tomato on it, while another bush, under same growing conditions, is more prolific though it still does not have ample tomatoes. Is there something I am doing/not doing correctly? During the long summer days the beds do get over 6 hours of sun a day, as the days are getting shorter they are down to about 51/2 right now. I use no chemical pesticides.  I only have two tomato plants and check them daily.” Question of Ann Marie of Holbrook, New York

Answer: Several things can keep otherwise healthy looking tomato plants from producing ample good fruit. These are 1)  imbalanced nutrition and 2) too little sunlight. Tomatoes are heavy feeders that need high nutrition, regular watering, and at least eight hours of direct sunlight for good fruit production. All of these are necessities.

Fertilizer is easy. Choose a fertilizer formulated for tomatoes and feed your plants regularly, as recommended on the package. Adding additional bone meal is also helpful in reducing the chance of blossom end rot, a common nutrient deficiency of tomatoes.

Sunlight may not be as easy to provide, depending on your yard, but eight or more hours are needed for fruit-producing vegetables, like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash. More is even better. I plant my veggies where they can get all-day sun for maximum output.

If you plant only a couple of tomatoes, try growing them in large containers and moving them to a sunnier part of the yard. This will enable to provide them with more sun and better control their soil, nutrients, and water. Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix is a great potting mix choice. Please watch the video below to learn more about how to grow great tomatoes in containers.

I hope that these growing tips help!

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What Are the Best Tomato Varieties for Central Florida?

“What are the best tomato varieties for USDA Hardiness Zone 9a?” Question from Janet of Summerfield, Florida.

Answer: The best tomato varieties you grow will depend on the time of year in your Central-Florida location. You are lucky to have the luxury of being able to grow tomatoes almost year-round. For summer, grow very heat-tolerant varieties, and in your milder springs and falls pick fast-to-produce varieties tolerant of cooler conditions. Overall, choose tomatoes that are high yielding and disease resistant.

Tomato Varieties for Florida

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.

Two tasty early varieties for cooler growing conditions include ‘Aurora‘, which bears loads of medium-sized, red tomatoes fast, and ‘Alaska‘, which quickly produces red salad tomatoes on short vines.

From there, I encourage you to read all about our favorite sauce tomatoes, monster beefsteak tomatoes, eating tomatoes, and the 10 best-tasting cherry tomatoes.

Growing Tomatoes

Wherever you live, tomatoes need constant soil replenishment. Getting your soil and feeding regime right is so important. In general, tomatoes like fertile, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter and has a relatively neutral soil pH of around 6.0 to 6.8. If you are growing plants in the ground, amend your soil thoroughly with a quality amendment that’s high in organic matter, like OMRI Listed Black Gold Garden Compost Blend.  Be sure to raise low soils, so they are well-drained. It is also essential to feed regularly with a fertilizer formulated for tomatoes and to keep plants evenly irrigated.

Click here to read a great University of Florida Extension article with more information about growing tomatoes in your region. It also details some heirloom tomatoes tolerant of heat.

Happy tomato growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

My Heirloom Tomatoes Rot on the Vine Before Ripening!

“I have planted heirloom tomatoes and they rot on the vine before they turn red. Why?” Question from Susan of Lexington, Kentucky

Answer: There are several reasons why this can happen, but the most common is a physiological disorder called blossom end rot. This is most likely your problem, especially if your plants look fine. You can see an example of this disorder in the photo. As tomatoes develop, the base of the fruits turn from brown at the green stage. As they turn red, the bases turn black. Look familiar?

Managing Blossom End Rot

Fortunately, this is a very easy disorder to manage. It is simply caused by a calcium deficiency, and big, old-fashioned heirloom tomatoes can be especially susceptible, especially if your soil is nutrient poor and low in calcium.

To get your soil where it needs to be, amend your soil with a quality amendment, like Black Gold Garden Soil with added fertilizer. This will enrich your soil with needed organic matter and nutrients. It also has a pH between 6.0 to 6.8, which is perfect for tomatoes. Next, feed your tomatoes with a fertilizer formulated just for tomatoes and then add extra calcium-rich bonemeal as an added precautionary measure.

Keep your tomatoes well fed and watered, and they should give you good fruit with no end rot. One caveat: Some older tomato varieties are really end-rot sensitive, and even with fertilization the first couple tomatoes of the season may show end rot, but the remaining fruits will not.

 

What is the Best Soil for Growing Tomatoes?

“What’s the best soil when planting tomatoes?” Question from Jonathon of Centreville, Alabama.

Answer: Getting your soil and feeding regime right is so important for growing great tomatoes. In general, tomatoes like fertile, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter and has a relatively neutral soil pH of around 6.0 to 6.8.

If you are growing plants in the ground, amend your soil well with a quality amendment that’s high in organic matter, like OMRI Listed Black Gold Garden Compost Blend. Our compost blend is approved for organic gardening and has the right pH. Be sure to raise low soils, so they are well-drained. It is also essential to feed regularly with a fertilizer formulated for tomatoes and to keep plants evenly irrigated. [Click here to learn more about growing super tomatoes, or to read all about our favorite sauce tomatoes and monster beefsteak tomatoes.]

If you are interested in growing tomatoes in containers, please watch the video below.

Happy tomato growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

My Tomato Containers are Not Producing

“I have tomatoes in pots on my deck but they haven’t bloomed. The plants are beautiful. I water frequently. I used Miracle Grow potting soil. The tomatoes in the garden are fruiting. I live in Texas, it’s very hot this year.Where did I go wrong? Question from Donna of Cross Plains, Texas


Answer:  Tomato containers are always more demanding. These veggies are heavy feeders and drinkers, so they need large containers with plenty of space, everyday water and diligent feeding, which it sounds like you are providing. So, high heat is most certainly the problem. Most tomatoes are sensitive to temperatures above 95 degrees and many varieties stop producing when days ans nights remain too hot. This is especially the case with container-grown tomatoes because their roots are more exposed to ambient heat.

Water and feed your tomatoes well, place them under shade during the hottest time of day and they should perk up once temperatures cool down. You also might consider planting them in the ground and see if they come around. Tell me how they do!

We also recommend a soil with high water-holding capacity, like Black Gold All Purpose Potting Mix, which feeds plants for up to 6 months! We also encourage you watch our video about how to grow great tomatoes in containers (below)!

Happy Gardening, Jessie

 

Recipe: Authentic Pico de Gallo

fresh-tomato-salsa-300x225Feeling a little hot after harvesting your summer tomatoes and peppers?  Why not make this spicy, authentic pico de gallo recipe?  It’s fast, simple, and tastes great served with crunchy tortilla chips.

Ingredients

3-4 medium fresh tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 serrano pepper, finely chopped
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 large pinch salt

(Wear gloves when preparing the pepper and don’t touch your eyes!)

After dicing and chopping, combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Season to taste. If the serrano makes your salsa too hot, add more tomatoes.  Set aside for one hour to allow the flavors to blend, and enjoy!