Today’s Garden Ideas

Tomatoes come in a wide range of sizes shapes and colors. Each different variety offers its own unique taste. There are 4 basic types of tomatoes based on size: cherry tomatoes, medium tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and beefsteak tomatoes.

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Cherry tomatoes are small and round. Cherry tomatoes are

perfect for tossing into salads. Plum tomatoes are oblong and great for sauces. Medium and Beefsteak tomatoes are meaty and large and taste best sliced up in a Caprese salad or on a burger.

Purchasing & Planting

When purchasing tomato plants be sure to choose younger plants. The leaves should be green with no flower bunches. The tomato plants should be about 8 inches tall and the roots should be white. Do not buy tomato plants with thin yellow stems that have been stuck in their pots for a long time.

To plant your tomatoes wait until the last frost has passed. Dig a hole twice the size of the pot and place your tomato plant in that hole. Mulch and be sure to water your plants regularly. Tomatoes require about 2 gallons of water a week when first planted. Tie your tomatoes to stakes or a wire cage for support. Check for sideshoots on a regular basis and pinch these off when they are about ¾ inch long. Pinch out the top of the tomato plant once it has grown four flower bunches. This will cause the tomato plant to ripen its fruit instead of growing taller. Harvest the fruit until the climate grows cooler. Feel free to pick green tomatoes as they will ripen off the vine if they are mature. If you want to pick green tomatoes be sure the tomato skin is glossy.

Growing Tips

Tomatoes love sunshine. Be sure to plant them in a warm and sheltered position. You do not want them exposed to blazing heat or gusting winds. Tomatoes also love hummus rich soil. Add compost or manure to your soil before planting. Fertilize your plants regularly. Because tomatoes are such gluttons for water bury a coffee can with the bottom cut out next to the tomato plant. Fill the can with water. This will allow the water to go straight down to the roots.

To ripen green tomatoes place them indoors next to ripe apples or bananas. These fruits will help to ripen the tomatoes.

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One of the problems you may see in your tomatoes is split skins. This is due to irregular watering. Give your tomato plants plenty of water on a regular basis. Do not water tomatoes heavily and let them go dry. If you notice skin irregularities on your tomato do not worry. They will not affect the taste of your tomato. These imperfections are a sign of temperature changes and are quite normal. To help prevent these tomato skin blemishes protect your tomato plants from excessive heat or strong wind.

Grow tomatoes with Nasturtiums, Poppies and Marigolds. These flowers attract insects that eat aphids. Blight can destroy your plants during a damp summer. Blight will turn the tomato plant leaves brown and the stems black. Clean away the damaged tomato plant material. Avoid planting tomatoes in the same position the following year.
If you see holes in your tomatoes you may have tomato hornworms. These caterpillars feed on the leaves and the fruit. Pick them off of your tomato plants as soon as you see them. Another disease that can affect your tomato plans is blossom end rot. Blossom end rot turns the tomato fruit brown and leathery. Low calcium levels and moisture fluctuation cause blossom end rot. Be sure to water regularly and apply calcium to your tomato plants.

Varieties of Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are very small and grow well in pots and hanging baskets. Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes have large clusters and are very sweet. They do need to be staked and will mature in 70 days. Gardener’s Delight Cherry tomatoes are a bite sized sweet fruit that matures in 65 days. The Small Fry cherry tomato plant has a very strong taste and is quite disease resistant. This cherry tomato grows well in containers and matures in 65 days.

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Medium sized tomatoes come in many varieties. The Early Girl Improved tomato is smooth and meaty and quite disease resistant. The Early Girl Improved tomato ripens in 52 days. Better Boy tomatoes are perfect for slicing and mature in 72 days. The Sunray tomato plant is yellow and quite firm. These tomatoes have a mild flavor and mature in 80 days. Golden Boy tomatoes are also yellow with a mild flavor and a low acid content. The Golden Boy tomato matures in 7o days.

Good for sauces, the plum tomato also comes in many different varieties. Roma plum tomatoes are very thick and great for sauces. They mature in 76 days. Chico III plum tomatoes are very tasty and excellent for slicing and mature in 75 days.

The big daddy’s of the tomato world are the Beefsteak tomatoes. Burpee’s Supersteak tomatoes are ideal for slicing and can get up to 2 lbs. They mature in 80 days. Beefmaster tomatoes have thick walls are disease resistant and also mature in 80 days. Bush Beefsteak tomatoes will grow even under adverse conditions. They mature in 62 days.

Quick Facts

Tomatoes can be grown in all zones. They spread up to 3 feet wide and 4 feet high. They prefer full sun and must be sheltered from the wind. Each plant will yield about 4 lb of fruit from early summer to early fall.