Learn Something New Everyday
Growing Heirloom Tomatoes
By Bess L. Patton
There is nothing better than the taste of a fresh from the vine tomato sandwich.
This year I added two new (for me) tomato plants to my garden. I tried growing heirloom tomatoes. I purchased a Purple Cherokee and a Black Kril, both heirloom varieties.
In the past, I have grown Celebrity tomatoes with varying degrees of success. The less than satisfactory success rate might be due to the drought we experienced here on the East Coast the past two years. I found the tomatoes I grew last summer to be pithy and lacking flavor.
The Purple Cherokee and the Black Kril tomato seedlings grew to become tremendous plants. I planted both plants inside tall tomato cages and inserted additional stakes into the ground to keep the heavy plants standing upright. Both plants produced large fruits, which ripened to a different color of red than the familiar traditional tomatoes. The Black Kril’s fruit was a dark red, almost black on the edges while the Purple Cherokee’s fruit was not as dark. Both tomatoes tasted fresh with strong tomato taste.
To prepare the soil, I used a posthole digger to dig deep enough to bury the plant six inches in the ground. I removed the bottom leaves before inserting into the hole filled with organic compost, a handful each of lime, Epson salts, and 10-10-10 fertilizer. My secret ingredient is to add one book of matches minus the cover. After tamping down the soil around the newly planted tomato plant, I water well with rainwater collected in my rain barrels.
Each plant produced 15-20 large fruits, which made it to the table. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm with strong winds and heavy rain flattened both heavily fruited plants to the ground, breaking the main stems in the process. I up- righted the plants after the storm, but the plants suffered too much and slowly succumbed. The largest fruits ripened which I brought into the house. I removed the dying plants to make room for late season additions to the garden.
I did not find any advantages or disadvantages in growing heirloom tomatoes over the newer varieties of tomatoes. Tomato plant variety selection should be based on the ultimate purpose for growing. I grow tomatoes to eat; therefore, I want flavorful, fresh tomatoes. Both of the heirloom tomatoes I grew this summer, the Purple Cherokee and the Black Kril, met my requirements for candidates in next year’s garden.
Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved
Secrets to Growing Tomatoes
By Bess L. Patton
It’s August and the tomato garden is producing huge quantities of red, ripe tomatoes. I have been lucky to have plenty to eat at lunch and dinner and to share grocery bags full with friends. This is the first year Mom and I have had enough tomatoes for canning too. To date we have canned two cases of stewed tomatoes to use for spaghetti sauce this winter. The vines are loaded with green tomatoes and I hope to have fresh tomatoes for Thanksgiving Dinner.
I cannot take all the credit for such a bountiful crop of tomatoes. Mother Nature has rewarded us with plenty of rain this year. We have experienced drought the past 3 years and this definitely reduced our past harvest.
I started my tomato plants this spring and planted them after the ground warmed up and threat of frost was past. In my region, we are located in zone 7B-8; the last frost date is April 5. However, we always wait until April 15 to put easily frost-damaged vegetation into the ground.
Soil preparation is important. I add large amounts of composted materials to the planting hole along with a handful of lime, Epson salts, and a book of matches with the cover removed. These additions help prevent blossom end rot on tomatoes. Nothing is more discouraging than to discover large tomatoes with the bottoms rotted out.
If you do find tomatoes with blossom end rot, immediately remove them from the vine discard them to the compost pile. Apply Epson salts around the base of the plant and water well to dissolve the salts. Epson salts contain magnesium, which prevents blossom end rot on tomatoes.
Consistent and regular watering is important for developing plants and tomato formation. To prevent the tomatoes from cracking, water on a regular schedule. Keep a watch on the weather and the forecasts for rain and water according to need; too much water is worse than not enough.
Keeping tomatoes off the ground is essential to prevent attacks from both slugs and rabbits. I use staked tomato cages to keep the tomato plants standing tall. Plants loaded with large tomatoes require sturdy stakes; I use old broom handles and old tobacco sticks along with twine to keep the tomatoes upright and away from predators.
In addition to stakes and cages, I am also using a commercial trellis made from nylon netting with good preliminary results. I set up the net and then planted my young tomatoes at the base. I planted most of the plants directly in the ground, but I also have plants in 3-gallon black pots located along the netting where spring bulbs are located in the ground. As the plants grow, I weave the growth through the netting. So far, the netting is holding up well with the weight of the tomatoes.
Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved
