Tomato Garden Tomato, Cherry Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum

Many gardeners prune off the suckers as the plant grows — these are the vines that sprout from the crotch where a branch meets the main stem. Pruning the suckers is particularly important for indeterminate tomatoes, because it prevents them from growing unreasonably large, and directs more energy to the fruit.

Take care to avoid getting the leaves wet when you water the plant, as this can encourage fungal growth on the leaves.

When the plant flowers, some people find it is helpful to spray it with a dilute solution of epsom salt (1 tablespoon per gallon of water), to provide a boost of magnesium, which helps the plant set fruit. The advisability of using any salt-based fertilizer is debated however.

If the plant’s leaves turn yellow, it may be that additional feeding is needed. You can side dress the plant with compost, or you can spray it with a dilute solution of fish emulsion or seaweed (mixed according to the package directions). If fish or seaweed is used, it should be sprayed on the leaves of the plant. Don’t touch the leaves after spraying, to avoid spreading any fungus to the plant. The plants should be fed no more than twice a month.

It is also helpful to spray the plant with diluted milk at least once during the growing season. Milk has natural anti-fungal and anti-mildew properties. Mix about 1 tablespoon of milk with 1 cup of water (you want about a 1:10 ratio of milk to water). Put the mix in a spray bottle and spray the leaves of the plant, making sure to get the undersides. This may be combined with feeding, and as with feeding, avoid touching the plant when the leaves are wet. This treatment can be repeated up to twice a month if fungus or mildew is a problem. Spoiled milk and powdered milk may be used.

If desired, in late summer you can also prune off branches that do not have flowers or fruit on them (do not do this in early summer, because flowers can emerge at any time). This puts the plant’s energies into the remaining flowers and fruit as the season comes to an end. If your plant still has unripe fruit on it 30-45 days before your first frost date, prune off all remaining flowers, and cut the plant off at about 5 feet from the ground. This will force the plant’s energies into the remaining fruit and give them a better chance of ripening on the vine before the frost.

To ensure germination of saved tomato seed, certain steps must be taken. The saving of tomato seeds is done through a fermentation process as the gel surrounding the seeds in the fruit is a growth inhibitor.
1. Take your seeds and place them in a plastic container. Fill with water and let sit in a warm, shaded area until a fine white mould starts to produce. This takes approx. 3-7 days.
2. Take a spoon, and scoop out all the mould after it appears, as well as any seeds that have floated to the top as these are dead seeds.
3. Strain the water out of the container, and rinse the seeds thoroughly.
4. Place the seeds on a non-stick surface (wax paper, butcher’s paper, or aluminum foil, do not use paper as the seeds will stick to this) and allow them to completely dry. This takes approx. 7 days.
5. After the seeds are thoroughly dried, place them in a seed packet, or bag. If placing in a plastic bag, add some desiccates to ensure that moisture does not become confined in the bag and cause the seeds to mould.

In most parts of the US and Europe, seeds must be started indoors because the growing season is too short for them to be started in the ground. Keep seedlings evenly moist and covered until they sprout.

Move seedlings to a bright light source as soon as they emerge from the starting mix. When the plant develops its first true-leaves, repot it in a larger pot to help it develop strong roots. Many gardeners repot it a second time before it is planted outside to help it grow even stronger roots.

Transplant out when it is at least 15cm (6 inches) high. Snip off the bottom set of leaves, and bury the plant up to the first remaining set of leaves. It will form roots all the way up the buried stem.

If cutworms are a problem in your area, make a cutworm collar out of an empty toilet paper roll.

Many gardeners provide extra fertilizer for the plant when it is planted. Some people use commercial fertilizers (organic or commercial) while others use fish heads, manure or other homemade and free sources.

Crushed egg shells in the hole may also be helpful, by providing the plant with extra calcium for fruit setting. Some people also add bonemeal or powdered milk to the hole (the milk provides calcium as well as some protection against fungal and mildew
diseases).

Tomatoes require a minimum air temperature of at least 13C (55F), and a minimum soil temperature of 12C (53F). Do not plant out before these temperatures are reached.

These plants will grow well with Tomato:

Alliums, celery, geraniums, petunias, nasturtium, borage, basil, oregano, parsley, carrots, marigold

These plants will not grow well with Tomato so avoid planting these within close proximity:

Cabbage, kohlrabi, black walnut, corn, fennel, peas, dill, potatoes, beetroot, kale, rosemary

These pests are known to attack Tomato plants:

A few of the more common tomato pests can include:

• Cutworms
• Flea Beetles
• Tomato Fruit Worm (a.k.a. Corn Earworm)
• Colorado Potato Beetle
• Aphids
• Mites
• Wireworm
• Vegetable Leafminer
• Slugs
• Cabbage Looper
• Hornworm
• Whitefly
• Stink Bug
• Thrips

These problems and diseases are known to effect Tomato plants:

Tomatoes can afflicted by a large host of diseases and fungal infections. The good thing is that there are many tomato varieties that will have certain resistances to problems that might be issues for certain areas. Areas with high rain fall for example will have an increased risk for blights.

Another method to avoiding disease is to practise crop rotation. By not growing the same kind of plants in the same soil year after year this prevents diseases and fungi that cause disease from building up in the soil.

Good sanitation is also important for keeping your plants and garden space healthy year after year. If you suspect a plant of disease keep it from touching other healthy plants. Wash your hands and all tools well before using them on healthy plants if they’ve touched diseased plants.

Practising good weeding techniques is also important and weeds can often harbour disease for plant in the Solanum family but not show any outward signs themselves.

Below is a list of the some of the most common diseases and afflictions that can affect tomatoes. It’s important to get proper identification for your sick plant and what’s afflicting it if you suspect any of these. Bringing a small part of the plant to a local greenhouse will often give you the best result for identifying what’s wrong with your plant and getting the correct course of treatment.

• Bacterial Speck
• Bacterial Spot
• Bacterial Canker
• Verticillium Wilt
• Early Blight
• Late Blight
• Grey Leaf Spot (a.k.a. Stemphylium)
• Tobacco Mosaic Virus
• Fusarium wilt
• Root Nematode
• Tomato Leaf Curl Virus
• Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
• Anthracnose
• Alternaria stem canker
• Cracking/Splitting
• Blossom End Rot
• Botrytis Rot
• Cucumber Mosaic Virus

The tomato was long mistrusted when it was introduced to the Old World. It was often thought to be poisonous. One story is that in 1820, Colonel Robbert Gibbon Johnson announced that at noon on September 26 in Salem, New Jersey he would eat a bushel of the dreaded fruits. Two thousand people thought him mad and turned out to witness the event. To their astonishment, he survived. This story is most likely not true, but it illustrates the fears people had about tomatoes.

In the town of Buñol, Spain, a week-long festival featuring parades and fireworks called La Tomatina is held every year. During La Tomatina, tens of thousands of people participate in the world’s largest tomato fight. The tomato fight tradition began in either 1944 or 1945 but the reason it started has been lost to history. Possible reasons include a local food fight among friends, a juvenile class war, a volley of tomatoes from bystanders at a carnival parade, a practical joke on a bad musician, and an accidental spillage from a truck.