TOMATOES! TOMATOES! TOMATOES!
Love that Red!
Summer is here and so are tomatoes!
Get those plants in the ground. When planting tomatoes - this goes against everything you’ve ever heard about “don’t plant too deeply or you’ll kill the plant.”
Tomatoes break that rule.
They sprout roots along the buried stem. The extra roots strengthen a plant so that it can support more fruit and is better able to survive hot weather. (This applies whether you’re growing in the ground, in a raised bed, or in a container.)
Three concise steps to keep them growing all season:
First off tomato plants are hearty eaters. What they love is smelly ole fish fertilizer and Epsom salt. Every two weeks water your plants with it. Follow the instructions. Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts to a gallon-sized watering can and water. Watch your tomatoes grow, because they will! Use stakes and tomato cages for support. Some tomato plants can exceed 6 feet high.
Pruning will keep vigorous vines channeling energy into fruit. So the second step is weekly pruning. The plant will have several main stems and from those form a side shoot called an axillary bud. When you see a third leaf or stem form between the stem and axillary bud, pinch it off. Yep, that’s right. Pinch it off. This allows more sun to penetrate the leaves and the plant to produce nutrients all season long. Note: A “determinate” or “bush” variety tomato plant does not need pruning. Pruning takes off what would eventually bear fruit.
Thirdly: the little pest of a worm with a horn called hornworm. Not only will it de-foliate your plants, it is difficult to see. Check often. If you see your tomatoes are being eaten or the tops of your tomato plants have no leaves, look until you find the culprit. Simply kill it.
Nature can be a wonderful thing. Splurge on it and enjoy your tomatoes - branch out with different types.
Ole! Kathy Dixon
Tip: To avoid burning your leaves, water in early morn or eve.
Tip: Try a spray-bottle attachment for your hose that combines the fertilizer with the water as it sprays out.
Tip: Some worms can have the white eggs of the braconid wasp on them. These are parasitic to the hornworm. If you want to encourage this garden-friendly wasp, don’t kill the worm. Put it on another plant away from your tomatoes and allow the eggs to hatch. It is good to have friends in the beastie world at times.
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