Tomatoes are America's most popular homegrown veggie. They are actually a fruit because they are formed from flowers and contain seeds. Tomatoes are legally classed as vegetables for tax purposes only (sad, but true). Regardless of what they are called, tomatoes are delicious, nutritious, and easy to grow with a few simple guidelines.
Water consistently. Try to keep a steady amount of soil moisture around your tomato plants. Uneven watering, even from rainstorms, can cause cracking and splitting. Try not to let the soil go from bone dry to super wet, especially while the fruit is forming. The roots seem to soak up more water than the fruits can handle, resulting in cracking. Thin-skinned varieties suffer the most from this.
Optimum water for tomatoes is about an inch a week, but that depends on your climate and rainfall. Hotter, drier areas may need to water more. Established tomatoes are drought tolerant and require regular watering to thrive but not survive. Many gardeners say that a drought stressed tomato plant produces more flavorful fruit at the expense of quantity. Whether you try dry or moist methods, the key is to be consistent.
Stake early and often. Don't wait until your tomatoes are lumbering monsters to try to support them. Before they grow out of control stake and/or cage them. Indeterminate varieties will keep growing as long as the weather is good. Well-grown tomatoes can reach 8' tall and 8' wide. You have lots of options for supports, including bamboo stakes, wire cages, and trellises. Until a few years ago my grandfather used 2"x4"s and old panty hose. Recently, I have been using modular systems with lots of success. Whichever you choose, from time to time add new supports for the taller branches to keep the plant upright and accessible.
Fertilize regularly. Tomatoes are hungry plants. They require a lot of nutrients to produce a lot of fruit. When using fertilizers, follow directions carefully. Do not overfertilize. Overfertilization damages the plant, the soil, and the environment. In addition to fertilizer, you can add organic topdressings and compost to feed the roots and build the soil.
Thin out excess leaves and branches. Tomatoes can have lots of rank growth. Many gardeners pinch out some the small shoots sprouting from the top of the branches. Termed 'suckers' these shoots will develop into branches themselves. To focus the plants energy on developing and ripening fruit the excess 'suckers' are removed. Not all gardeners pinch their suckers, but for those growing in a small space it may be necessary. Everyone should remove old yellowing or shriveled leaves. It is easier to see and harvest tomatoes when the old leaves are cleared. This is also a good practice to limit disease.
Greenland Gardeners grow great veggies the easy way.
{"http:\/\/www.greenlandgardener.com\/blog\/post.php?id=168":{"comments":{"data":[{"id":"10150961856663545_22771569","from":null,"message":"I was having trouble keeping my tomato plants upright. Organic fertilizer and frequent watering made them heavy. Staking a tying was time consuming and traditional cages were too weak. I found that by using sturdy cages, turn them upside down, cut off the single prongs, and place wide side down. The cut off prongs can then be bent in half, like a \"U\", pushed into the soil around the cage and used to hold the cages in place. This makes the cages strong enough to support the plants. Have worked wonderfully for three years, Additionally, the cages remain sturdy enough to use year after year.","can_remove":false,"created_time":"2012-06-01T12:08:34+0000","like_count":2,"user_likes":false},{"id":"10150961856663545_22772966","from":{"name":"Charity Breckenridge","id":"100000095536268"},"message":"Thanks for the info on pruning off sucker branches, a friend of mine does that and has a wonderfully producing plant when it comes time to harvest. Think I will give it a try this year also. It makes sense for the plant not to have to waste energy growing leaves etc. that don't produce any fruit. I gave up on traditional cages, way too weak, I plant my tomatoes in composted horse manure, so they grow to monster sized plants, with much fruit, so this year I found 3 foot x 3\/4 inch dowels at the local dollar store, six for a buck, and are placing two around each tomato plant and tying to those, we'll see how it works, and it cost me less than 10 bucks to stake 24 plants.","can_remove":false,"created_time":"2012-06-01T14:49:14+0000","like_count":2,"user_likes":false,"comments":{"data":[{"id":"10150962689948545","from":{"name":"Jo Ramsey","id":"1208184160"},"message":"great info! thanks Charity.","created_time":"2012-06-01T15:00:58+0000"},{"id":"10150963947318545","from":{"name":"Raylene Breckenridge Jack Spriggs","id":"560352157"},"message":"Our Mom always trimmed the unproductive branches off her tomatoe plants. She did it as soon as the blossoms set. I always did it when my garden was in my own back yard. works great.","created_time":"2012-06-02T01:32:12+0000"}],"count":2}},{"id":"10150961856663545_22933012","from":{"name":"Lourdes Lovejoy","id":"100000379366519"},"message":"The thinning out of excess leaves and branches really do help. I do this at least twice a week and have a lot of healthy tomatoes coming in.","can_remove":false,"created_time":"2012-06-15T02:51:39+0000","like_count":0,"user_likes":false},{"id":"10150961856663545_23003869","from":{"name":"Brenda Engle Lee","id":"1846205536"},"message":"Absolutely thank you for the pruning info. This was my first foray into multiple tomatoe plants and I planted them too close together. I do have tasty fruit but small and way toooooo many leaves. I have 6 Roma plants and 6 Beefsteak. Is it too late to prune some of the branches off?","can_remove":false,"created_time":"2012-06-21T14:14:28+0000","like_count":0,"user_likes":false},{"id":"10150961856663545_23132485","from":{"name":"Robert Decker","id":"701077667"},"message":"Does anybody have problems with birds pecking holes in your tomatoes? I have plenty of water nearby, but they keep pecking holes in the nearly ripe ones. I surmise that the maters must be extra tasty, but may never find out as every single one is pecked! Any suggestions to help get me to the top of the pecking order?","can_remove":false,"created_time":"2012-07-02T20:48:27+0000","like_count":0,"user_likes":false,"comments":{"data":[{"id":"10151033058043545","from":{"name":"Jerry Clark","id":"1102034597"},"message":"I had to put netting over my tomatoes when I lived in Texas for the same reason. They probably have it at Lowe's. It worked, but was a pain because you had to move it every time you had tomatoes to pick.","created_time":"2012-07-02T20:55:24+0000"},{"id":"10151033064903545","from":{"name":"Kim ORourke","id":"549919361"},"message":"ditto on the netting. you can use cheapo tulle from hobby lobby. I've heard shiny things like bits of tin foil on string also work.","created_time":"2012-07-02T20:59:29+0000"},{"id":"10151033069413545","from":{"name":"Robert Decker","id":"701077667"},"message":"Hey Jerry, I should have just asked you to begin with! I used netting last year on my strawberries, and it worked well (this year the neighbors cat caught the chipmunks and removed my problem...ahh! The circle of life! Off to the store I go! ","created_time":"2012-07-02T21:02:27+0000"},{"id":"10151033112443545","from":{"name":"Robert Decker","id":"701077667"},"message":"Hi Kim , thanks!","created_time":"2012-07-02T21:22:53+0000"}],"count":4}}],"paging":{"next":"https:\/\/graph.facebook.com\/10150961856663545\/comments?limit=25&offset=25&__after_id=10150961856663545_23132485"}}}}
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