Garden: Some tomato tips and tricks for gardeners

For most vegetable gardeners, tomatoes are the rock stars of the summer harvest, and late May and early June is the ideal time for planting these warm-season favorites.

Whether you grow sun gold cherry tomatoes, big beefsteaks or an heirloom variety of tomatoes, understanding the needs of these red, yellow or purple-colored beauties will help ensure that you produce a bumper crop of your favorite tomatoes this summer.

Here are some tips for growing your best tomatoes ever this summer.

Proper planting

If you haven’t planted your tomato transplants yet, be sure to choose an area of the garden which gets a minimum of six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day. Be sure to plant tomatoes in a section of the garden where you did not grow any plants in the same family as tomatoes last season.

This practice of crop rotation will help break the cycle of disease organisms in the soil. Other vegetable plants in the same family (solanaceae, or nightshade) as tomato include eggplant, pepper, potato, tomatillo and ground cherry.

Tomatoes are unique in that any portion of the stem that touches the ground can root. If planted deeply, their root structure will increase, so consider removing the lower leaves and planting transplants 5-6 inches deep. Plant tomatoes a minimum of 24 inches apart in the row.

Consistent soil moisture is critical

The water content of a ripe tomato is about 95%, which means that tomato plants will require a minimum of 1 and 1/2 inches of water each week, either from rain or from supplemental irrigation.

Tomatoes have deep root systems, and frequent shallow watering, which moistens the top inch or two of soil, will do little to supply the amount of water that tomatoes require.

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A weekly deep watering which moistens the soil at a depth of 12 to 14 inches will produce more and larger fruit than frequent shallow watering.

A lack of constant and consistent soil moisture can also lead to physiological disorders, such as blossom end rot and cracking of the fruit. Blossom end rot is where the bottom of the tomato turns into a blackened sunken canker. It is a symptom of a lack of calcium in the developing fruit, which occurs when the soil is not kept consistently moist, preventing the roots of the plant from absorbing calcium presentin the soil.

Dramatic fluctuations in soil moisture can also cause cracking in the stem end of the fruit. Be sure to water the soil, not the foliage in order to keep the foliage dry, which will reduce the potential for spread of fungal spores, which cause leaf blight diseases.

A 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch will also help to retain soil moisture and even put wide swings in soil moisture.

Pruning for productivity

Removing suckers, which are side shoots appearing in the leaf axil between the stem and a leaf, will result in a more open plant, which produces fewer, but larger tomatoes as suckers directly compete with the main stem for water, nutrients and sunlight.

In addition to removing suckers, removing the leaves on the lowest 8-10 inches of tomato plants will conserve energy for flowering and fruit set and reduce the possibility of fungal spores splashing onto the foliage of the plants.

Leaves can be removed with scissors or pruners, but be sure to disinfect tools withbleach if you see signs of fungal disease, such as the yellowing and browning of the lower leaves of the plant.

Heavy feeders

Tomatoes are heavy feeders of soil nutrients and will require fertilization for acceptable yields. Soon after transplanting tomatoes, use a fertilizer high in phosphorous, which is responsible for development of extensive root systems and plenty of flowers and fruit.

An additional side-dressing application of a nitrogen fertilizer after the first cluster of flowers have set fruit will be beneficial to development of the fruit. Side dressing is the application of a nitrogen fertilizer 2-4 inches beside the row of tomato plants. This fertilizer should be applied to the surface of the soil and should be watered in, as opposed to being incorporated into the soil with a rake or cultivator.

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Be careful not to apply too much nitrogen during the growing season, as excess nitrogen will produce leafy, bushy tomato plants with beautiful foliage, but few flowers or fruit.

Provide support

Tomato plants are large and require support. Caging, staking and trellising are all methods employed to provide solid support. Determinate tomatoes require 2- or 3-foot tall supports, while indeterminate varieties should have supports around 5 feet tall.

You can purchase premade cages or make your own from concrete reinforcement wire. Openings should be 6 inches square to allow for easy harvesting. Place the cages at planting time. Caged tomato fruits are smaller than those staked, and harvest is later.

If you chose to use stakes, insert them 3-4 inches from the stem at planting. Stakes should be strong, at least 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter, 6 feet tall and pounded 12 inches into the ground. Staked tomatoes can be planted a bit closer than caged ones, 18-24 inches apart.

Attach ties securely to the stake and gently to the plant at 8- to 12-inch intervals as the tomato grows. Staked plants must be pruned as they grow.

Scout for pests

In order to maintain plant health and maximize production, be sure to closely inspect tomato plants for the presence of insects and evidence of fungal diseases. Early in the season, be on the lookout for stinkbugs, aphids, flea beetles, Colorado potato beetles, and spider mites.

In August, start looking for large tomato hornworms, which can quickly devour the foliage on tomato plants. Evidence of fungal diseases, such as yellowing, browning, and withering leaves on the lower portion of the plant, will require the removal and disposal of the affected foliage.

Do not add infected leaves to the compost pile.

More information about growing tomatoes in the home garden can be found at:go.osu.edu/growingtomatoes.

Mike Hogan is Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources and associate professor with Ohio State University Extension.

hogan.1@osu.edu

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Tomatoes need attention this summer. Here's what you should know