Category Archives: tomatoes growing tips

Tomato seeds planted inside-March 21

Bleaching pots before use

drying on an OLD towel

Last evening I planted my tomato seeds-both heirloom and hybrid seeds. I brought out and set up the light boxes and heating mats last week. Before planting my seeds, I always clean the little pots with some bleach water that I use for starting tomato seedlings. It’s important to disinfect the pots because you don’t want your plants to pick up any soil borne diseases. I use about a 10%  bleach to water ratio.  I use the kitchen sink and try to not get dirt everywhere from the used pots. The trick is to convince your partner that it is ok! Just tell them you are disinfecting the sinks out (which is true)! I picked up the seed starting soil-Metro mix 300 from Agua Fria Nursery last week. It comes in a big bag but you will be planting up into larger containers in a few days after the second set of true leaves appear and besides if you have any left over, you can use it for next year. I’ve bought many seed starting soil mixes (usually at the big box stores) and hate the way the water rolls off of the soil when you first go to use it. With this soil mix (Metro Mix 300) I just plant the tomato seeds about 1/4 inch deep and water it all at once. It saves time and anything that saves time I like!

Metro Mix 300

After I water the seeds, I put them under my lights and on top of a heating mat which is great for warming the soil for the seeds to germinate. I’m starting the tomatoes later this year because last year I started the first week of March and they got too big-about 3-4 feet tall because I couldn’t put them out with the cold spring we had.  This year I’m hoping to get them transplanted into the garden around mid April (with protection) weather permitting. Why do I think I might be able to get them in early this year? We are in a La Nina which generally means warmer weather in spring but less rain. By planting them later if I have to, they shouldn’t be as big as last year.

seeds on heat mat

How to build a light box to start your vegetable seedlings inside

Finished opened light box-front is off

You can buy light boxes to start your seedlings in or you can make it. This is nothing fancy but works like a charm. Here is my simple light box I built myself with some scrap lumber I had around the house.  It will fit between 2-4 big trays under the lights. See pictures for details of construction. I had already built them (I have two) or I would have done a step by step but I think you’ll be able to follow.

Close up of corner of base-plywood screwed into 2" x 4"/Vertical piece attached to outside

1. BASE: I use plywood – 2′ x4′ by 1/2 inch thick piece for the base of the box that I attach with screws to 2″ x 4″x 2′ on the short sides (depth). The base is now done.

Close up of top corner connection

2. TALL VERTICAL SIDES: I  attached 1″ x 2″ x 45″ pieces to each corner with screws. I connect with screws on the short sides (depth) another piece of 1″ x 2″ x 2′ to hold them together.

Close up of cross beams

3. CROSSPIECES LENGTHWISE: To connect the top pieces for stability and to also hang the lights, I attach (2) 2″ x 2″ x 4′ across the width.

Close up of the top corner from the outside-inside crosspiece is attached 6" from corners

I screwed them in from the outside. They are set 6″ in from the front and back so the lights can hang and not touch each other.

I buy around 40" of light weight chain to hang lights from

4. CHAIN TO HANG SHOP LIGHTS: I buy around 40″ on light chain and get some hooks to go into the light slots to hang the lights. Each light will have 2 chains. The chains can be raised as the plants get taller.

I attach the insulation with clear packing tape to corners

4. FOIL INSULATION: I buy a roll of foil insulation (looks like foil bubble wrap) from Home Depot or Lowes to wrap the outside of the light box on three sides.  I attach it with wrapping tape to the corners. I left the front piece separate so I can take it on and off. Notice the screws in the front of the wood so I can hang the front piece of insulation off them.  I made some holes in the foil (I reinforced the area where the holes will be with more packing tape so the holes won’t stretch too much).

Here it is with the front section of foil insulation on

Here it is with the front piece on. I leave this on all the time as it makes it warmer except if I need to get to the plants for watering. I also like the reflection of light from the insulation when the lights are on providing more light to the plants.

Here the lid is resting on top of the lights at night (the lights should be OFF not on like in this picture)

I also have an extra piece to put on top of the lights at night. I keep my house pretty cool at night (64°F) and find having a top keeps some of the heat in. I don’t put the top piece of insulation on top of the lights until I turn off the lights at night and I take it off in the morning when the lights go back on.

Ready!

Here it is ready to start seeds inside.

Next: What kind of inside lights to use for starting seedlings

Master Gardener Tomato Disease Sheet

Hey Master Gardener Interns! I want to let you know you all were awesome with some great questions and suggestions. I really enjoyed the classes. I thought I’d put it in my post below so others can read it as well as the pdf here TOMATO DISEASES in case some of you didn’t get one.  (It’s easier to print off the pdf than the post). This is not a complete list of tomato diseases in New Mexico but some of the most common. Also the HERB SHEET is two posts back for you to get.

TOMATO DISEASES/PROBLEMS

EARLY BLIGHT (Alternaria solon) SOILBORNE FUNGAL DISEASE
Most tomatoes are susceptible to Early Blight which usually develops in early summer, after heavy rains or when it is humid and warm.
SYMPTOMS: Leaves at the base of the plant near the ground develop dry looking, irregularly shaped brown patches surrounded by concentric
rings. The best prevention is prune off the affected leaves as soon as you see them. I prune off all branches and leaves within 18 inches of the ground to try to prevent this as it is a soilborne disease. Early Blight overwinters in the soil. Remove affected plants and clean up fall garden debris as it overwinters in plant residue. Wet weather increase likelihood of getting this disease.
CONTROL: Protectant fungicides-Copper or sulpher can prevent further development of it, Green Cure (potassium bicarbonate), and Serenade (QST 713 strain of Bacillus subtilis), a biofungicide helps more to prevent
disease and is not a cure. Also spacing plants farther apart for good air circulation may help. Good sanitation and disposal of plants at end of season are important.

SEPTORIA LEAF SPOT

SEPTORIA LEAF SPOT (Septoria lycopersici) NOT SOILBOURNE-FUNGAL DISEASE
Septoria leaf spot can occur and any stage of a tomato plant development especially after heavy rains or when it is wet and warm. Spores are spread by windburn rain, insects, splashing rain
SYMPTOMS: It’s usually observed first on the lower leaves. Leaves that are heavily infected have small circular brown spots, turn yellow, dry up and drop off. The fungus is not soil inhabitant but can persist from one season to the next if the debris from the diseased plant is not removed and ends up in the soil.
CONTROL: Copper fungicides, Green Cure (potassium bicarbonate), Serenade (QST 713 strain of Bacillus subtilis), a biofungicide, helps more to prevent disease.

Bacterial Wilt

BACTERIAL WILT-SOILBORNE DISEASE
Soil borne and waterborne pathogens that causes leaves to wilt in day only to recover at night and then complete sudden wilting of plant.
TEST: Cut a four inch long section from low down on the stem and suspend this cutting in a jar of water. If a cloudy, milky ooze comes out, this in an indication of bacterial wilt. Dried leaves may remain green.
CONTROL: Dispose of plants. Plant in different location. 3-4 year rotation
of crops

BEET CURLY TOP VIRUS DISEASE
Transmitted by the beet leafhopper which build up high numbers on tumbleweeds and survive the winters on mustard plants.
SYMPTOMS: upward curling leaves that become thick, stiff and twisted. May stay green or become yellow with purple veins, plants become stunted. Plant next to them may be virus free.
CONTROL: Provide partial shade is beneficial as leafhoppers prefer to eat in the sun. Possibly use row cover/shade cloth to cover plants.

Tomato Spotted Wilt in tomato

Tomato Spotted Wilt

TOMATO SPOTTED WILT

This virus is caused by thrips that transmit the virus from infected tomato plants to other healthy tomato plants.

SYMPTOMS: Two symptoms are dominant- young leaves turn bronze and develop small brown spots. Second, the leaves wilt and tips die-back. Infected plants produce poor quality fruit and less yield. Pull plants and dispose of them.
CONTROL: Elimination difficult. Using reflective mulches may help reduce
infection, physical barriers like covering plant with row cover when it is young.

BLOSSOM-END ROT DEFICIENCY
Hard brown or black leathery patches on the blossom ends of ripening tomatoes indicate blossom-end rot. It is more common in large fruited varieties. This is generally caused by a calcium deficiency at fruit set or uneven watering and is prevented by planting tomatoes in compost enriched soil and mulched with straw to keep moisture levels more constant. I put a tablespoon or two of dry milk in the bottom of each hole when first planting tomatoes. In the fall dig in some gypsum which is a good source of calcium without raising the ph of the soil here in Santa Fe.

Growing Heirloom Tomatoes From Seeds

The Heirloom Tomato by Amy Goldman

I just read an article online by Mother Earth News,  ‘56 Heirloom Tomatoes Rated Excellent for Flavor‘ that lists tomatoes from Amy Goldman‘s book, ‘The Heirloom Tomato: from Garden to Table’ which I got last year.  The article lists and describes 56 excellent heirloom tomatoes from her book. After reading this excellent article, if you want to know more, her book- ‘The Heirloom Tomato: from Garden to Table‘ is a must have for those of us who want to grow heirloom tomatoes from seeds and get some idea of what we are growing. It’s a beautiful book with wonderful photos of many heirloom tomatoes that Amy has rated for flavor, texture, color, type, history, where you can get the seeds, etc. I use it to help me decide which heirloom tomatoes to try each year now.

Interior of 'Gold Medal' Tomato

Last year, my favorite tomato from her book that I tried was Gold Medal, a bi-colored (red and yellow interior) tomato that took most of the season to ripen but was worth the wait. Check out the picture on the right to see the beautiful interior of these tomatoes. The plants were loaded and these beefstake type of tomatoes (about 1 lb) are firm, beautiful, and sweet with low acid.  I started these inside under a light box around the first week of March (10 weeks before our first frost free day-May 15) but I try to sneak my tomatoes out early (third week of April inside Wall of Waters) which is why I grow them 10 weeks instead of the customary 8 weeks for tomatoes. I will explain more on growing tomatoes from seeds in future posts as we get closer to planting time. You can buy the seeds at Baker Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com).

Keeping a Vegetable Gardening Journal for Each Year

Pumpkin Journal (left), and Vegetable Journal (right)

You might consider keeping a fruit and vegetable journal for 2011. I actually have 2-one for giant veggies and one for the regular veggies. In this you could put the date you start your seeds outdoors, in your greenhouse, and inside with information like temperature of soil, air, temperature inside what day you started, how long it took to germinate, what the weather was like during this time period, what varieties you started, how much water you supplied, if you presoaked any seeds, etc and then continue this journal throughout the season as to how the varieties do,  when they blossom or when you get your first fruit, what pests or diseases appeared and when, what you did to rectify the issues, what varieties were your favorites and why, etc. I bought a nice notebook (something you will want to keep-not just loose sheets of paper that get lost) that I have kept for the last 3 years and add to it for each new year. Every few days I put down what is happening in the garden in the evening when I have some time. I have found it invaluable in future years to look back (in winter) to help me determine what I would do the same and what I would change for the new season. You’ll be amazed at what you will read the next year.

Closeup of Vegetable Journal

I’ve been trying to tweak out my timetable for starting my seeds inside and have referred back to the journals. For instance, 2 years ago I started seeds inside in February and found for me that was too soon-just too cold and I had to replant a lot of seeds in March. Especially tomatoes-they don’t like cold nights (or days) and get stunted and the leaves turn purple. This is because of a phosphorus deficiency where it is not available to plants when the soil and air temp is too cold. Read my post, ‘Learn from my mistakes when starting tomatoes!’ on how to remedy this. Also for you greenhouse people read this forum from Organic Gardening. Luckily that year, I was able to sneak a lot of the ones I had restarted out in mid April with protection because of the mild winter we had even though the plants were smaller- but they were not leggy.

In contrast, last year I planted seeds inside under lights in early March (thinking I had waited long enough to start). But we had such a harsh cold spring that the plants (which looked great) had to stay inside too long and got too tall because I couldn’t put them out till much later (many plants in June) because of really cold nights (27° F till June 6th). How would I have remembered this and what I did differently without a journal. Every year is brings new challenges to us growers in Santa Fe, NM so having a journal that I can refer back to is helpful. Besides it’s fun..

Tomatoes all picked and everywhere in house!

Monday  finished picking all the tomatoes and then the garden froze that night. Now I have a houseful of green and ripening tomatoes everywhere! Tomorrow I go to our Farmer’s Market and sell them. In fact I have 9 boxes which ain’t bad for end of October.  Usually I sell out and there are hardly any tomato people there now. I’ll wait and see how the rest of the tomatoes develop-just take it week to week as to whether I go back or are finished. Meanwhile the garden is a mess since it froze. I started to clean it up but the plants are too heavy still with water so I’ll wait till they are lighter. I think I’ll hire some help with it.

Pick those green tomatoes before a freeze!

green tomatoes need to be on single layer

Now is the time to finish picking those green tomatoes before it freezes tonight! I have been collecting boxes and paper bags to store them in for some time now. They will be everywhere in the house this year. Last year I put them in the studio and it wasn’t heated and I didn’t get any tasty ones. Tomatoes that are picked need temperatures at 51 degrees or higher to finish ripening-so that leaves OUT most garages unless they are heated. Put them on a single layer of possible, not stacked as in the first photo.

Tomatoes starting to ripen

Also be sure to cover them so they are not in direct sunlight and be sure to rotate them as they all ripen differently. MOST of your tomatoes that have start turning light green will ripen just fine and SOME of those dark green ones MAY ripen as well. Don’t bother with picking all the immature small ones (depending on size of mature tomatoes), they won’t ripen well.

cherry tomtoes in clusters starting to ripen

Also I cut off the whole cluster of decent size cherry tomatoes to ripen. You can sort through them later to get rid of the small ones…

Tips on How to Ripen Tomatoes Inside

 

How to ripen green tomatoes

 

So now that you’ve been waiting all season for your tomatoes to ripen, what do you do when you know that a hard frost is going to hit and you still have lots on the vine? Here are some tips on ripening tomatoes inside.

• Watch the news to see when we will get a potential freeze forecast. I have been caught running out at night picking as many as I could because I didn’t watch the weather forecast. I try to look a few days ahead now so I’m not out in the garden at night with my flashlight!
•  If we are going to get a freeze, run out before it freezes and pick all the decent size ones off. I don’t bother with the small ones, they are probably not mature enough to ripen properly anyways.
•  Sort the tomatoes from rock hard green to almost ripe and put them in heavy grocery paper bags and fold over the top. That way you don’t have to go through each bag every day and pull out the ones that are ripening sooner.
• When they start to change color, I pull them out and put them in bags where they are all similar in the ripening stage.
• In the bags with the green ones, I will put an apple in the bag to help ripen them if I am in a hurry. An apple releases ethylene gas (the tomatoes produce this as well) which helps the ripening process. That is why you fold over the bag to help trap the gas that both the tomatoes and apple are releasing. Don’t forget to check your bags every few days.
• Some people say to pull the whole plant and hang it upside down and watch the tomatoes as they ripen. Keep the plant out of direct sunlight. This can be done if you have a few plants but if you have a lot of plants, you may not have the room inside (visions of a tomato jungle inside my small house) and this is why I bag mine. I can keep them in another room out of the way.
• You can also choose to wrap green tomatoes individually in newspaper and lay them in shallow cardboard box in a single level. Store out of direct sunlight. Check them regularly. I don’t use this as I would have to unwrap all of them to see where they are at but this would work if you don’t have a lot of tomatoes.
• Leave them stem side up-they won’t rot as quickly.
• When your tomatoes are almost ripe, to increase flavor, set them in front of a warm window a couple of days before you want to use them.
• Also to increase flavor, be sure to store them in a room that is at least 55 degrees. Last year I didn’t and they didn’t have much flavor. If they won’t ripen or aren’t flavorful they are probably stored in too cool of a place or perhaps they were too small to begin with.
• Lastly you can always pickle green tomatoes or cook with them!

Another Big Tomato-Striped German

 

Closeup of Striped German Tomato inside-my all time favorite

 

 

2.14 lb Striped German

 

My other big tomato is a Striped German, a beautiful bi-color tomato. I’ve been waiting for these to ripen all season. I grow them for eating. They can grow very big as they are a beefstake and are a super sweet tomato with just the right amount of acid to balance it. They get lots of cracks because they are thin skinned, very typical of an heirloom  tomato but nobody cares because of that incredible flavor. Very luscious and juicy. The flavor is unbelievable. If you ever get a chance to try one, jump on it. It is the first one I always sell out of at the Farmers Market.

It is one of those tomatoes that runs down your chin when you eat it in a BLT. I think out of all the tomatoes I have grown over the seasons, it is my all time favorite.

 

16.5 inch Striped German

 

Soon our tomato season will be gone as the nights get colder. We must watch the weather now for that first freeze. I still have many on the vine and will  most of the bigger ones off when I hear we will be getting a freeze on the news. Then I will bring them inside to ripen. I usually have tomatoes to eat well into November. Maybe we have another week-if we are lucky..

2 lbs 11.4 oz Giant tomato-My NEW personal best

2 lbs. 11.4 oz

GIANT TOMATOES I have several tomatoes that ended up pretty good size. One type I grew for giant competition and the other for good eating. This post will be about the competition giant tomato.

My biggest competition tomato comes from the 7.18 N.Harp plant and is 20.5 inches in circumference. It weighs 2 lbs-11.4 oz. 

This is now my personal best!

I was going to take it to the weigh-off in Colorado Springs but since it was still green and I wanted the seeds from it, I kept it home so it could get fully mature and red and let the seeds develop. I believe this tomato (grown by Nick Harp) originally came from a Big Zac variety several generations back. I also have a 17 incher that weighs 2 lbs 6 oz.

20.5 inches in circumference

I grow the Big Zac variety for competition but do sell them as well at our Farmers Market. They taste wonderful and have a good old fashion tomato flavor unlike some super sized competition tomatoes. Not bad-supersized and tasty!

Bacterial wilt on tomato

tomato bacterial wilt

Here is a picture of one of my tomato plants that was fine one day and the next day it was wilted and dead. I think it was baterial wilt which comes from a leafhopper. Leafhoppers carry bacterial wilt virus and when the taste the tomato they infect it. Notice the other tomato plants around it are ok. I hope I don’t get more..

Can you find the tomato hornworm?

tomato hornworm hiding

Found another tomato hornworm this evening and I got 2 really great shots of it before it’s funeral. Can you find it in the picture above?

Here is a close up of it. They really are hidden aren’t they? That’s why they are so hard to find!

tomato hornworm revealed

tomato hornworm attack!

tomato hornworm courtesey of W.S. Crenshaw/Colorado State University

I’ve found some tomato hornworms in the garden this morning. I picked them off and gave them to the chickens. Here is some information about them. This pale green caterpillar has white and black markings, is 3 1/2 to 4 inch long and is the larval stage of the Sphinx moth.

sphinx moth courtesey of W.S. Crenshaw/Colorado State University

It is also called the hawk moth or hummingbird moth.  It is called the hummingbird moth because of it’s long “beak” which is not really a beak at all, but a slender, tubular feeding and sucking organ. It is not a hummingbird but an insect. It is a grayish-colored moth with a wing spread of 4 to 5 inches. I see it visiting my flowers at dusk and at night. It is attracted particularly to purple flowering plants. The moth is not harmful to your plants only as the larva caterpillar-the tomato hornworm. A friend of mine called me to say her plants were being visited by the Monarch Butterfly and wanted to know if they would hurt her tomatoes. The answer is no, the Monarch Butterfly lays it eggs on milkweed and when it is a caterpillar feeds on milkweed and feeds on nectar from other plants when it is an adult.

I noticed a couple of things about the hornworm today. First I got out early and caught it sleeping. At least I think it was sleeping as it didn’t move for a long time and it was still really chilly outside (I thought maybe it needed warmth to get up and going or perhaps it had a hangover from eating so many tomato leaves!). The first thing I do after looking to see if the plants look good (as in no disease showing up) is to see if any of the leaves are eaten. The hornworm usually start feeding from the highest part of the plant first. If I see that, then I also look for their poop (called frass) which are quite large pellets about 1/8 inch in size. You can see it sometimes on the branch or on the ground. The hornworms are hard to see as they blend in so well with the foliage but keep looking around the damaged areas and you will find them. Anyways the 3 times I’ve seen them so far this year, they all hang upside down on the tomato branch-so look for them that way. I don’t like to handle them with my bare hands. I usually have gardening gloves on so I’m not so squeamish about picking them off. They are so large they give me the creeps but they are quite beautiful. I will have to do more inspections to catch them.

I luckily haven’t had huge amounts of them so I prefer handpicking them but if I found I had tons of them, I would spray with Bt for caterpillars. Bt is short for Bacillus thuringiensis. It is a live bacteria that kills caterpillars only. It doesn’t harm bees, or birds or humans-only caterpillars. It is perfectly safe for organic growers. When the caterpillar takes a bite of your leaf, it dies. It interferes with their digestive system. You can buy it at a nursery. Usually the big box stores don’t carry it. The only bad thing about Bt, is that is washes off with the rain and must be reapplied.

hornworm with wasp cocoons

The other thing that is helpful comes from nature itself.  If you see little white cocoon things on the hornworm, leave them alone as a helpful parasitic wasp has layed their eggs on them and the caterpillar will soon die. An added bonus is all the little wasps will attack other hornworm caterpillars. The wasp is not like the wasp we think of that stings us. It is a little thing, almost fly like, doesn’t sting us and is one of those beneficial bugs you would like to have in your garden.

Giant tomato

Here is a picture of one of my giant tomatoes on it’s way to stardom. (I hope!)

baby giant tomato

Notice this tomato looks deformed and gnarly. It has 4 little tomatoes that have fused together-kinda like Siamese twins only this one is quadruplets! Most giant tomatoes are a result of a megablossom where 2 or more blossoms fuse together. Many megablossoms do not pollinate fully and so they have a higher self abort rate. So far this one is doing well. I have a few other megablossoms right now but not many. Some varieties produce more megablossoms and hence more giant tomatoes. Two varieties that have the potential of producing giant tomatoes are Delicious and Big Zac. There are other varieties that can produce giant tomatoes too. This one in the picture comes from a Nick Harp tomato seed. His plant grew a 7 lb+ tomato last year and he gave me a few seeds. I call his plants the ‘Harpies”! I have 5 growing right now. Hope this one becomes a monster! Since I’m an organic grower I’ve been feeding it fish and seaweed fertilizer from the Neptune brand.

tomato suckers

tomato sucker

Don’t forget to pinch out the suckers on your tomatoes. Some people say pinch them and some say not to. I am in the camp of pinch them. I might try to leave one with suckers on to see how they differ throughout the season next year but they are all pinched or will be pinched soon this year! Where a branch comes off the main vine and in the crotch or ‘v’  where the two branches meet is a little branch that starts-this is a sucker and if left to grow will help contribute to unruly growth. The sucker in the picture is starting to get big and needs to be pinched out. You’ve probably had some tomatoes that were out of control growth wise. If you don’t pinch it out, your plant can become monstrous. I need to take them off weekly. Notice I said need..I’m having my friend, Lava, come over next week who loves to pinch off the suckers-that should be a big help! Pinching is not a one time job but if you start early you can keep up on it. Keep looking at the new growth so you can pinch them when they are small. Otherwise take some scissors to cut them out if they get too big on you. Just remember to disinfect your scissors or hands with a little alcohol in between plants so as not to pass any diseases from one to another.