Heirloom tomatoes!

Hey ladies,  

 

A few of us attended the Cedros Gardens Heirloom Tomato class.  It was fabulous.  Naomi had a great insight(which I probably won’t say as well as she did but you will get the jest.)   -- "this whole gardening thing really is a science - so I guess we have to learn the science in order to do it right."  

 

Here's what I learned:

 

.Heirloom tomatoes have good amount of sugar - that's why the taste is so great

.Tomatoes we get at the grocery store have already been harvested for 6-8 weeks by the time you buy them.  Those tomatoes are picked green, hard and then “gassed” to make them red before they are put out at the store. 

.Commercial fertilizer leaves salt in the soil and are only effective temporarily (anywhere from 3-4 days to a month).  .Organic fertilizers can stay and fertilize up to 6 months.

.Two groups of tomatoes - "Determinate" - shorter stalks, more bushy - better of the two groups for planting in a container.  They also usually produce all at once.  "Indeterminate" - longer stalks (up to 20 feet) and are better grown in ground.  Usually produces gradually.  

.Planting in pots:  Use Azalea/Camelia plant mix by E.B.Stone (1.5 cubic feet costs $8.99) with a little organic compost and "soil Optimizer" made by John & Bobs.  

If you are growing in beds you can layer the following components to get a great return on your garden and you don't have to dig in these layers, but can immediately plant in:  

1^st layer:  Soil

2nd layer:  "Biosolmix" (fertilizer by John & Bobs  - 6 lb. bag covers 1,000 sq. feet and costs $19.99)

3^rd layer:  "Soil Optimizer" (soil conditioner by John & Bobs – 3 lb. bag covers 1,000 sq. feet and costs $18.99)

4th layer:  Worm Castings (normally you have to dig these in and let sit before planting by Agrwinn  - 10 lb bag covers 400 sq. feet and costs $9.99). 

5th layer:  Mulch ½ - 1” deep

 (All these products can of course be purchased at Cedros Gardens.)

 

Biosolmix takes care of a whole bunch of potential diseases/pests including nematodes

 

If you are buying a tomato plant you don't want to buy it with any flowers on.  If there are flowers on your plant, pull off most of the leaves and flowers leaving just a few at the very top and bury the plant including most of that stem up until the leaves you left on.  This forces that plant to go back to the growing stage.  It will force the plant to grow more roots instead of fruit.  (When the flowers are on - that is the fruiting stage - you want your plant to have the whole growing stage first.)  

 

Plant only one plant per container (at least a 5 gal container for "determinate" and at least a 15 gal container for "indeterminate" plant)

 

In the ground:

1.  Plant your tomato plants at least 3-4 feet apart. (Don't break apart the roots - hopefully you won't have a pot-bound plant anyway).  

 

2.  If using organic fertilizer - you may fertilize it the same day you plant.  

 

3.  Watering!  (THIS IS THE BEST INFO I GOT AT THE CLASS):  water thoroughly and slowly for 30 minutes.  Repeat this process 7 days later for a total of 4 times.  If you are using a container - water until it leaches out 3Xs after you plant.  

 

Now about watering - We water because we feel guilty.  We need to water only because the tomato plants tell you to water.  So this how you listen to the plant:  After that first month in the ground go out IN THE MORNING and see if the plant is wilting.  If it is - water it slowly for 30 min.  (Not in the middle of the hot afternoon).  Look every morning AND IF THE PLANT IS WILTING - water it slowly for 30 min.  (You might go 7-14 days between watering at this point).  Just listen to the plant talking in the morning!  

 

If your leaves drop or are yellow - you are watering too much!  

 

Stake your tomatoes before you put the cage around them.  And keep wiring the plant to that stake as it grows to support each flowering branch.  (If the plant gets taller than the steak - wind it back down the stake as it grows.)  

 

A little word about diseases and pest control.  There's a great book called "Tomato Diseases".  This guide provides descriptions and pictures of the more common tomato diseases and disorders.  For each disease and disorder the reader will find the common name, the cause, where it occurs, symptoms, conditions necessary for development and control measures. 

 

A few treatments were recommended as follows:

 

.White flys - "Organic Leaf Wash" by San Diego Organic Supply (SOS) – 1qt costs $24.99 (this also works for fungus problems - it is a soap)

.Tomato Hornworm (Man these are nasty looking creatures) -  “BT Worm Killer” by Greenlight (You need to spray 2 nights after the full Moon.  This will actually kill the newly hatching eggs)  

 

.General bug and aphid killer – “Envirepel" (4 oz. per gal plus 1 tsp vinegar to help the treatment stay on the leaf longer - vinegar actually is good for every kind of application in keeping it on the leaf longer)  This product will kill bees if you spray the bee so use it early in the morning or late in daylight hours to avoid the bees buzzing around.  Gloria Hamson also gave us a recipe for a similar garlic based aphid killer – you may find that on this blog. 

 

The last treatment for soil in general might be helpful for you.  It is a product called "Penetrate" by John and Bobs 8 oz. covers 1,000 feet and costs $17.99.  This breaks up clay soil (sometimes as fast as 48 hours).  It contains the very important beneficial bacterias.  A fabulous product in preparing your soil for planting.  

 

 Have fun gardening with tomatoes! 

If anyone wants to join Naomi and myself at the next free gardening class at Cedros Gardens it is on Herb Container gardening.  You have to register on their website.  It starts this Saturday, March 28 at 10 a.m.