Vegetable Gardening (21 page)

‘Viva Italia':
This sauce tomato is as good fresh as it is processed. It's a determinate hybrid that produces pear-shaped, 3- to 4-ounce fruits with great disease resistance 80 days after transplanting.

Elongated plum- or pear-shaped tomatoes tend to be more susceptible to blossom-end rot (see "Weather-related problems," later in this chapter, for more on this condition). To prevent blossom-end rot, keep the plants well watered, and mulch with a 4- to 6-inch-deep layer of hay or straw to keep the moisture levels constant. Pick off and throw away any affected fruits, and the new ones that develop should be fine.

Introducing the tomato's relatives

Just like in any family, tomatoes have some odd relatives. Following are descriptions of three of the most commonly known tomato relatives. They're all grown similar to tomatoes, but the flavors are much different. Try one of these varieties:

‘Husk Cherry'
(
Physalis peruviana;
also known as ‘Strawberry Tomato' or ‘Cape Gooseberry'): These sprawling plants produce tons of small, papery husks similar to Chinese lanterns. Inside each husk is a cherry tomato-sized fruit that matures to yellow or gold. The flavor is like a sweet wild berry. Kids love these fruits. And because they self-sow readily, once you plant them in the garden, you'll have them forever. They mature 75 days after transplant.

‘Tomatillo'
(
Physalis ixocarpa
): The standard ingredient in salsa, these tomato relatives produce papery husks like the ‘Husk Cherry,' but the fruits inside are ping-pong-ball size and tart rather than sweet. Varieties come in yellow and purple fruit colors. Fruits mature 65 days after transplant.

‘Tree Tomato'
(
Cyphomandra betacea-amarillo
): Although technically in the tomato family, this tropical plant is as unfamiliar as the uncle you rarely see. It's a small perennial tree native to the Peruvian Andes that produces tons of hen's-egg-sized fruits that range from yellow to red when mature. The flavor isn't like a tomato but more like a tropical fruit.

‘Tree Tomato' plants need 18 months of warm weather to mature a crop, so unless you have a greenhouse, growing this variety is limited to gardeners who live in zone 10 areas. (Flip to the appendix to find out more about zones.)

Growing Tomatoes with Ease

After you decide on and purchase your tomato varieties, it's time to get them growing. In this section, I explain how to start your tomato plants; plant, fertilize, and maintain them; handle insects, diseases, and weather-related issues; and harvest them for your enjoyment.

Jump-starting tomatoes

Tomatoes require such a long season to mature that they're best bought as transplants through the mail or from local garden centers. You also can start them from seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date (I cover starting seeds indoors in Chapter 13; see the appendix for average frost dates in your area). Either way, you simply want to have a stocky, 6- to 10-inch tall, dark-green-leafed, flowerless transplant ready to go into the garden after all danger of frost has passed.

For gardeners in subtropical areas, such as southern Florida, you can plant two crops of tomatoes: one in the spring and another in the fall. Start seedlings indoors in January and February for planting outside in March and harvesting in May and June. For a fall harvest, start your seeds in July, or buy transplants for a late August or September planting. By late fall or winter, you'll be enjoying ripe tomato fruits while colder areas are eating snow.

Tomatoes love to be patted. If you're starting your tomatoes from seed at home, keep the plants short and stocky by brushing your hands over the tops of the seedlings ten strokes daily starting when they're 2 ½ inches tall. Research has shown that this brushing strengthens the stem and causes the seedling to stay short and squat, suffering less transplant shock when planted in your garden.

Tomatoes (and their roots in particular) love heat. To give tomatoes a jump-start, preheat the garden soil by covering it with dark plastic mulch. Lay the plastic sheet over the garden bed, pull it tight, cover the edges with soil, and let the plastic heat the soil for 2 weeks before transplanting. While you're waiting for the soil to heat up,
harden off
your transplants (in other words, gradually make them accustomed to the outdoor growing environment) with the guidelines in Chapter 13.

Planting, trellising, and pruning

Tomatoes are one of the most forgiving vegetables to grow. But to get the best crop, you need to plant properly, keep the fruits off the ground by trellising, and even prune the most vigorous bushes to keep them inbounds. I discuss some simple guidelines in the following sections.

Planting

Here are the basic steps for planting tomato plants:

1. Dig a hole twice the diameter and depth of the tomato root ball.

2. Place a small handful of all-purpose organic fertilizer or compost into the hole.