Express News Weekly Article
Saturday, April 2, 2005
By Calvin Finch, Conservation Director, SAWS, and Horticulturist
Tomatoes
For years,horticulturists in San Antonio have said the most popular gardening topics inour area are the 3 “t’s,” turf, trees, and tomatoes. At this time of the year, tomatoes are the “t” that is most onevery gardener’s mind.
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There are 100’s of selections oftomatoes and every year new hybrids are introduced on the commercialmarket. Unfortunately, there is notmuch research on home gardening tomatoes.It may seem like home gardeners in San Antonio buy enough tomatoes tomerit research to develop the perfect plant for our gardens, but that is notthe case. Our choices for homegardeners are limited to an ever-changing set of commercial hybrids or theinappropriate varieties used from the North.For 2005: Heat-wave, Sun Pride,Sun Master, 444, Amelia, Celebrity, Bingo, Carnival, Merced and Whirlaway areavailable in varying quantities. All are determinate or semi-determinate, whichmeans they grow to a limited size and set fruit quickly. Such a growth pattern is appropriate for ourtwo-season approach to tomato growing.
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In San Antonio, you plant tomatoesin April to harvest fruit in June. Weplant again in late July to harvest fruit in October and November. The Northern selections like Big Boy or BigGirl are indeterminate. In our climate,they often grow to huge size without producing much fruit. Cherry tomatoes are also indeterminate, butthey seem to have more capability to set fruit in the heat.
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We wait to plant tomatoes until alldanger of frost has passed and the soil is relatively warm. A tomato transplant placed in the garden inearly March may not freeze, but it will probably not grow either. Tomato plants that stop growing because ofcold soil and cool temperatures are very hard to restart. They will recover, but they produceless. Many gardeners buy theirtransplants in early March, but place them in one-gallon containers until Aprilbecause it is easier to protect them from cold in a container. A tomato in a pot placed in full sun, butout of the wind, is in its the best place during the month of March. April plants stepped up to a one-galloncontainer are large and may even be blooming, ready to take advantage of theApril and early May fruit setting weather.
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If you do not have your tomatoes inpots, select large sturdy transplants from the nursery. Plant them in raised beds or garden soilenriched with compost. Tomatoes areheavy feeders, so also add one cup of slow release lawn fertilizer like 19-5-9to every ten sq. ft. of planting area.Allow three feet between plants.To keep the fruit off of the ground, place a tomato cage around eachplant. Your favorite nursery sellstomato cages. The larger the cage, thebetter for the plant. Cages made with aseven (7) feet piece of concrete reinforcing wire are especially effective butare hard to find.
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Mulch over the root system with liveoak leaves, pecan shells or some other organic material. Mulch of one to two inches deep workswell. If possible water with a dripirrigation system. Drip irrigation isefficient and does a good job of applying the right amount of water. A tomato loaded with fruit may have to bewatered every day or every other day.
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Blossom end rot is a common tomatodisorder. The plant is not able to pullup enough calcium for fruit growth. Thefruit develops a black scar tissue symptom.Calcium moves into the plant in the water stream, so plants with limitedroot systems such as those in containers are especially susceptible to blossomend rot. Some years, almost all plantsdisplay some blossom end rot fruit.This is especially true when the weather changes from overcast and coolto hot and sunny. Mulch and dripirrigation help reduce the extent of blossom end rot. Calcium treatments are not effective in most situations becausethe key is moisture uptake. There isplenty of calcium in our soil.
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Early blight and variouscaterpillars are also common tomato pests.To prevent early blight from killing foliage from the bottom up, apply alabeled fungicide such as Daconil every week.Bt products such as Thurielde, Depel, and Bioworm Control will controlcaterpillars. Apply Bt whenever you seeany damage. The worms must consume Btfor it to work. Plant your tomatoes nowfor home grown fruit this summer.
