Tomato

Tomatoes are warm-season plants that grow best at temperatures of 70 to 80 F during the day and 60 to 70 F during the night.

Tomato plants may be started indoors from seed, or transplants may be purchased from a reputable garden center. If starting your own plants, use a light soil mix and give the plants plenty of light. Tall, spindly transplants are usually caused by low light levels in the home. Unless you have a sunny, south-facing window, supplemental light will probably be necessary. The seeds are sown six to eight weeks before the last frost date in your area. A week before transplanting time, harden-off indoor-grown plants by exposing them to an increasing number of hours outdoors each day.

When you are ready to put homegrown or purchased plants into the ground, select stocky transplants about 6 to 10 inches tall. Set tomato transplants in the ground, covering the stems so that only two or three sets of true leaves are exposed. If transplants become "leggy," horizontal planting of tomato plants is an effective way to make plants stronger. Roots will form along the buried portion of the stem, giving better growth and less chance of plant injury from an excessively weak stem. Do not remove the containers if they are peat or paper pots, but open or tear off one side to allow roots to become free. If non-biodegradable containers are used, knock the plants out of the pots and loosen the roots somewhat. Press the soil firmly around the transplants so that a slight depression is formed for holding water. Pour about 1 pint of starter solution (2 tablespoons of 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 fertilizer per gallon of water) around each plant.

If plants are to be staked or trellised, space them 24 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart. Although it requires more initial work, staking makes caring for tomatoes easier than letting them sprawl. Since they are off the ground, fruit rots are reduced, spraying is easier and may be required less, and harvesting is much less work. Use wooden stakes 6 feet tall and 1 ½ or 2 inches wide. Drive them 1 foot into the soil about 4 to 6 inches from the plant soon after transplanting. Attach heavy twine or strips of cloth to the stakes every 10 inches.

Prune staked tomatoes to one or two main stems. At the junction of each leaf and the first main stem a new shoot will develop. If plants are trained to two stems, remove all other shoots, called suckers, weekly to maintain these two main stems. Pinch shoots off with your fingers.

Growing tomatoes in wire cages is a popular method among gardeners because of its simplicity. Cage-growing allows the tomato plant to grow in its natural manner but keeps the fruit and leaves off the ground. Using wire cages requires initial expenditure, but they will last many years. Be sure to get fencing with at least 6-inch spacing between the wires so that you can get your hand inside to harvest the tomatoes.

The varieties of tomato plants available may seem overwhelming, but they can be summed up by several major types:

Blossom-end rot can be a serious problem with tomatoes. The main symptom is a dark-colored dry rot of the blossom ends of the fruit. It occurs when there are extremes in soil moisture, which cause calcium deficiency in the fruit. When rain or irrigation follows a dry spell, the roots cannot take up calcium fast enough to keep up with the rapid fruit growth. Blossom-end rot also occurs if the delicate feeder roots are damaged during transplanting or by deep cultivation near the plants.

The following measures will help prevent blossom-end rot:

It takes 55 to 105 days to maturity depending on the tomato variety. Pick fruit when it is fully vine-ripened but still firm; most varieties are dark red. Picked tomatoes should be placed in the shade. Light isn’t necessary for ripening immature tomatoes. Some green tomatoes may be picked before the first killing frost and stored in a cool (55 F), moist (90-percent relative humidity) place. Do not store green tomatoes in the refrigerator since red color will not develop at less than 50 F. When necessary, ripen fruits at 70 F. Green tomatoes can be stored at 50 to 70 F for one to three weeks. Ripe tomatoes should be stored at 45 to 50 F for four to seven days.

Besides blossom-end rot, the following problems are common:

• Leaf roll: This is a physiological condition caused by excess water.

• Growth cracks: Tomatoes crack when environmental conditions (drought followed by heavy rain or watering) encourage rapid growth during ripening of the fruit.

• Sunscald: This occurs when tomatoes are exposed to the direct rays of the sun during hot weather.

• Poor fruit set: This occurs for several reasons, such as extreme temperatures, dry soil, too much shade and excessive nitrogen.

• Tomato blossoms are very sensitive to temperature. At temperatures of 55 to 60 F, pollination can be severely impaired and very few fruits will form. Temperatures of 90 to 95 F are also very unfavorable for pollination.

• Catfacing: This is a disorder caused by cold, wet temperatures during fruit set. The fruit is extremely malformed and scarred.