Lesson 7: Vegetable Gardening
Tomatoes: Star Of The Vegetable Garden
Did you know that tomatoes were once considered poisonous? Known as the love apple, many early settlers believed they were the “fruit” that Eve gave to Adam. Fortunately for all of us, the Queen of the vegetable garden became our most popular garden staple. Thanks to expert hybridization, tomatoes are now bred to resist fusarium and other diseases.
Heirloom tomatoes are enjoying a revival. There are some interesting old varieties out there that provide unusual colors and textures to a salad or simply sliced and placed with their modern cousins. Amish Paste, a whopping paste tomato, is outstanding for pasta sauces. Black Krim is an almost black tomato, while Lillian's Yellow offers big yellow globes of delicious flavor. Take some time to research these interesting remnants from long ago gardens.
Tomatoes grow under a wide variety of conditions and require only a relatively small space for a large production. Of tropical American origin, the tomato does not thrive in very cool weather. It will, however, grow in winter in home gardens in the extreme South. Over most of the upper South and the North, it is suited to spring, summer, and autumn culture. In the more northern areas, the growing season is likely to be too short for heavy yields. It is often desirable to increase early fruiting and the total length of the growing season by starting the plants indoors. By adopting a few precautions, the home gardener can grow tomatoes practically everywhere, given fertile soil with sufficient moisture.
A liberal application of compost and organic fertilizer in preparing the soil should be sufficient for tomatoes under most conditions. Plant the tomatoes right up to the first set of leaves. If you look closely at the stems, you will see fine hairy rootlings. Once these are buried, they become strong vigorous roots that help support the plants. Tomatoes will stop setting fruit when temperatures reach 90°F. Simply keep them well watered and once the temperature drops, fruiting will resume. Side dressing in mid-season helps prolong production and revive flagging plants. It’s very important to keep all rotting fruits picked up.
Tomato hornworms love these fruits. Long, green and ugly, they should be picked off and smashed. If birds or rodents are a problem, use bird netting or a repellant to keep them away from the vines.
For a continuous supply of fresh tomatoes, start off with a variety like Early Girl, which matures in June. Add a good mid-season variety like Ace, Better Boy or Pearson, and add a few beefsteak varieties for the last fruits of summer. Burpees Supersteak has a wonderful sweet flavor and huge dark red fruits. Mortgage Lifter is an old favorite with champion tomato growers.
Plant a few cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets for quick snacks or to toss in salads, Sweet 100 and Jolly both produce huge amounts of this delicious little fruit.
Topic of Discussion: Does your community have a contest for the largest tomato grown in a season? If so, which varieties are grown, and how large do they get?
Here is a link to a really neat page on facts, hints and tips about this lucious fruit!
http://www.kellogggarden.com/garden/toma...
