Always remember who your friends are.
Check Patti's schedule here, for plants, or just to connect with her.
Mother's Day Sale!
 |
It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato. ~Lewis Grizzard
TOMATO
GROWING TIPSThe average growing season in the Spokane area is 150 days.
Days to mature fruit is counted from the time you plant the plants in the garden, not from when the seeds are planted.
There are 2 types of tomato plants; determinate and indeterminate. The first means it will only grow to a certain height, around 3 or 4 feet. And all the fruit grows and ripens in a short time; about 2 weeks. These plants are good for smaller areas and when you want fruit all at once for making sauce, etc.
Indeterminate plants continue to grow all season and grow and ripen fruit accordingly till frost kills the plant.
For best results, plant tomato seeds 6 weeks earlier inside.
Before planting outside, work aged, completed compost into the soil. This gives nutrients and beneficial micro organisms to the soil plus gives the soil more texture while helping with retaining moisture and drainage. This is especially important in less than ideal soil like sandy or clay types.
The soil will also benefit from an addition of blood meal, bone meal, and greensand. These comprise the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium all plants require.
Place a layer of red or black plastic over the planting area to really warm that soil up. Tomatoes will not thrive in cold soil.
Make a planting hole or trench and add a spoonful of tomato food (5-10-10). Then cover with soil so the fertilizer won’t touch the plant roots. Then add some crushed eggshells for calcium. This helps prevent blossom rot.
Plant deeply; up to a few top leaves. You can also plant sideways. The plant will grow up straight and reach for the sun. This makes the plant very strong and sturdy as roots will develop all along the buried stem, plus helps them take up more nutrients. This latter method is best for us as this way we do not dig and plant in the cooler deeper soil. Remove most of the leaves that will be underground; this will help prevent decay and disease.
Give plants a good 6 hours of sunlight. They need this to grow the plant and the fruit; however sunlight is not needed for ripening the fruit. Sun will actually scald the fruit so the leaves are vital for shade.
Water a good 1 inch a week and never let soil around plant dry out completely. This causes uneven growth, and blossom rot. But too much water can cause an excess of leaf growth and blossom drop. When the fruit is developed you can lessen the amount of water used but not so much as to cause the plant to wilt or the fruit to drop.
Mulch can be very important to keep moisture consistent, and to help prevent disease by minimizing the splashing of water on the leaves and stem. However, do not mulch too early in the season as this will keep the soil too cool. For best results, mulch around the first of July.
Fertilize with a food made specifically for tomatoes. Young plants need phosphate and very little nitrogen. Follow label directions. Compost tea is also very good sprayed directly on the leaves and the surrounding soil. Using weekly helps prevent fungal diseases.
Pruning is up to the individual. You can remove the very bottom leaves when the plants are about 3 feet tall. These leaves are the first to develop fungal problems and to turn yellow from lack of sun. You can also prune the leaves that grow at the crotch of two branches. These won’t grow any fruit and will take energy from the plant. In early summer you can pinch off the tops of indeterminate plants so the plant will put its energy into fruit ripening faster.
Your best defense against tomato problems are to rotate crops from year to year and don’t plant too closely together to help air circulation. Try to water the soil around the plants instead of overhead, and don’t water late in the day. Avoid working around or touching plants when they are wet.
|
Tomato Varieties |
||
| EARLY TOMATOES 45-70 DAYS early girl legend stupice oregon spring black krim ultimate opener jetsetter golden girl pilgrim bush early girl champion 11 manitoba alaskan fancy early goliath glacier sunsugar taxi sub-artic plenty tumbler bush champion jet sonic incas totem hybrid super sweet 100 hybrid chocolate cherry Tomatillo siberian sungold sweet million yellow cherry CHERRY TOMATOES yellow pear red pear snowberry sunsugar sugary tumbler red alert super sweet 100 hybrid chocolate cherry sungold sweet million yellow cherry red jelly bean hybrid yellow jelly bean hybrid PASTE TOMATOES amish paste san marzano sausage viva italia hybrid prinicipe borghese incas |
SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZE tomatilla stupice oregon spring cherokee purple golden girl alaskan fancy red alert Glacier totem hybrid taxi legend green zebra Moonglow siberian sub-artic plenty prinicipe borghese health kick hybrid LARGE TO GIANT early girl box car willie better boy big beef beefmaster beefsteak red brandywine yellow brandywine mr. stripey mortgage lifter delicious black krim climbing tripl crop ultimate opener jetsetter pilgrim bush early girl champion 11 pineapple manitoba early goliath giant tree kellogg’s breakfast HEIRLOOM mortgage lifter mr. stripey pineapple brandywine black krim cherokee purple delicious amish paste box car willie chocolate cherry red alert red pear |
OTHER THAN RED COLORS cherokee purple golden girl pineapple snowberry yellow pear sunsugar kellogg’s breakfast taxi giant tree green zebra moonglow mr. stripey box car willie chocolate cherry yellow jelly bean hybrid tomatillo sungold DETERMINATE PLANTS golden girl bush early girl bush champion pilgrim manitoba taxi glacier (semi) green zebra alaskan fancy siberian oregon spring sub-artic plenty sugary(semi) viva italia hybrid prinicipe borghese tumbler totem hybrid tomatillo Patti’s Garden Expressions TO ORDER & PICK-UP: sales@pattisgarden.com 509 251-9661
|
