Garden Chat

By Carmon Frick           Sprouts Greenhouse           

What is the most sought after summer treat in the vegetable garden? The home- grown tomato! After many winter months of the tasteless imitations available in the grocery stores, is it any wonder we are all so anxious to grow some sweet tangy taste sensations of our own that actually taste like real tomatoes. However, as every gardener knows, in our climate, a bountiful harvest can sometimes be challenging.

Here are a few tips to making the most of our summer to enjoy the bounty of this versatile fruit of our labor.

First of all, warm the soil by placing black plastic mulch over the area for several days prior to planting them outside.  This provides a few extra degrees of warmth that will promote faster growth.

Buy well-established plants or grow your seedlings into big bushy vines before planting them outside permanently to help you get the most of a limited growing season.  Better to transplant them into bigger pots and wait, than plant them out too soon. A cold wet spell can set them back more than waiting to plant them out will.

When you do transplant them, bury the stem halfway up. New Roots will grow from the buried stem and branches, giving it a strong anchor and more root area to draw in nutrients. Also be sure to allow a minimum of 2 feet between them. Planting any closer will cause them to produce fewer fruit.

Avoid blossom end rot by keeping them well watered. Blossom end rot is caused by a lack of calcium, but the plant needs water in order to be able to draw the calcium up. I like to throw a handful of crushed eggshell into the hole when planting, just to be sure there is ample calcium available. Epsom salts placed on top of the soil can also assist in the plants ability to utilize calcium.

Regular watering will also cut down on cracking and splitting which happens when the plant is allowed to get too dry and then takes up too much water too quickly, causing the fruit to burst its skin.

What about pruning? This usually refers to indeterminate varieties that can grow into huge bushes that require staking, and the choice comes down to more or bigger? Removing branches will give you bigger, but fewer fruit. Leaving them on will give you more fruit at different stages of growth, so you are less likely to lose everything in the event we are hit with a cold wet spell.

There are so many more things I could say about my favorite summer garden treat, but alas I have run out of room.

Next week we shall explore some out of the ordinary things to grow.