Ah, it is summertime and you want to take up planting and gardening as a hobby. Who can blame you! It is a relaxing, fun, and rewarding hobby. If you are trying to plant tomatoes, and you have no clue how it works, read on. I am a total newbie to green thumbing my way through life.
First, you have to “Make sure you buy healthy tomato plants so you will be getting more tomatoes from your plants. If the plant is not sturdy to start with, Miracle grows can give it a boost. Follow the directions on the container, so you give it the correct nutrients. Keep feeding your plants tomato Miracle grow plant food as directed.” Okay, so we have got this down. We need to make sure the plants are healthy. Check!
Next, let the digging begin. Say what! I said start digging, “dig a hole that will cover at least 2 swirls of the plant. Yes, that is right! You will be burying some of the tomato plant branches to get more tomatoes from them. This idea gives the plant a better root system.” Alright, so we dig to keep the plant firmly rooted in the ground. The deeper the hole, the better off we are.
As the plant grows, you need to watch out for the branches. “As the tomato plants grow, take off a few of the branches that do not have buds or flowers on them. Again you are giving your tomato more nutrients to fewer stems and you will get more tomatoes from these plants by snipping one or two every now and again throughout the growing season of your tomato plant.” Remember, we are taking off the branches, not just the leaves. You want to get rid of any excess branches that are not blossoming.
Then, we need to talk about watering the plant. “Water every day by moistening the ground and not wetting the plant. The leaves can be parched by the sun if you let them get wet from watering. A tomato needs frequent watering to produce more tomatoes. “
Here’s an old trick that e-How shares with us, “An added idea is to place an old tire around the plants. Fill the tire rim with water. This creates a warm water mist to your tomato plants as the sun hits the rubber. You will get more tomatoes from your plants if you place the tire after you plant them in your garden.”
Alright, let us summarize the steps: make sure the plants are healthy. If they are not healthy, make them healthy with some Miracle Grow. Then, make sure they are rooted, supported, and watered!
Photograph of tomatoes on a vegetable stall at Borough Market in London, UK (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Native to the Andean region of South American and under cultivation in Peru in the sixteenth century, tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum) have been grown for thousands of years. The Spanish introduced them to the European cultures. Europeans were not open to trying tomatoes until the end of the sixteenth century, as tomatoes, being part of the nightshade family, were considered poisonous. Later, the French tried them and began to call them “pommes d’amour”, apples of love. They felt that tomatoes carried aphrodisiac qualities. It wasn’t until the 1900s when the tomato gained popularity in North America.
Scientific research shows the health benefits of this tasty fruit. In recent years, researchers discovered that tomatoes were natural sources of the element lycopene. This antioxidant has been shown in tests to dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and many cancers, including prostate and colon cancers. Tomatoes are an excellent source of phytochemicals, nutrients, fiber, and contain practically no fat or sodium. They are significant sources of vitamins A, B, and C and a source of iron and potassium. In fact, one medium-sized tomato provides 20 percent of the daily-recommended value of vitamin A and 40 percent of the daily-recommended value of vitamin C.
How To Grow
Tomatoes are very easy to grow from seed. In all, there are more than 100 types of tomatoes to choose from. Though most people believe ripe tomatoes are red, they actually come in many colors, including green, yellow, purple -- even striped. Unless you grow your own, you will not have the opportunity to experience the many varieties. If you don’t have the time, buy tomato plants from garden centers. Look for different varieties as they are becoming more readily available from growers.
Six to eight weeks before transplanting, start tomato seeds by filling a seedling flat with a good quality seedling mixture. Use excellent quality potting soil from the garden center to make sure the soil is sterilized and has a high percentage of sphagnum peat moss and perlite. Don’t use garden soil, as it tends to become hard and inhibits proper rooting of seedlings, and it may contain insects, disease, weed seeds, or chemical residue.
Sow seeds no deeper than the thickness of the seed: sprinkle the seeds onto the soil-filled flat and press them down gently. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of fine, horticultural-grade vermiculite to prevent drying. Water just enough to moisten the soil with a fine mist spray such as the sprayer on the kitchen sink or a mister bottle. Keep the seeds evenly moist to ensure the mixture never dries out as both germinating seeds and seedlings are very intolerant of dry soil and will die if they are dry for even a short time. Cover the flat or pot with plastic wrap or a clear plastic bag. Remove the plastic as soon as seedlings emerge.
Tag each container with the date planted and the tomato variety. To promote rapid germination, place the flat on a heated table, top of the refrigerator, or a heat register. Once they germinate and seedlings begin to appear, move them from the heat source into a location with lots of light. They need very high light levels to grow properly: a south-facing window without blinds or curtains is ideal. Use grow lights to enhance growth. Hang the lights 6 inches (15 cm) from plants and leave lights on for 14 hours a day.
Transplant the seedlings into larger, individual containers once the first ‘true’ leaves appear. After transplanting, fertilize once a week with a plant-starter fertilizer such as 10-52-10 at ¼ strength. As an organic gardener, I do not use commercial fertilizer, only fish fertilizer on my transplants. They are strong, healthy plants and are fed weekly until moved outdoors. Harden-off and plant them very deeply where the stems will develop roots helping the plant become established.
Tomatoes are heavy feeders and need ample quantities of compost or decomposed manure. Mulch and water in dry weather to maintain soil moisture and stave off wilt disease and blossom-end rot. Blossom-end rot is caused by water stress or calcium deficiency. Watering regularly and evenly is the key to preventing blossom-end rot. Never water tomatoes from the top. Water tomatoes from below and water deeply.
In the garden, tomatoes are compatible with chives, onion, parsley, marigold, nasturtium, and carrot. Tomatoes and all members of the Brassica family repel each other and should be kept apart. Plant garlic between tomato plants to protect them from red spider mites. Tomatoes will protect roses against black spot. To make a spray for roses, place tomato leaves in your vegetable juicer, add 4 or 5 pints of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Strain and spray on roses when it is not convenient to plant tomatoes as companions. Label and keep any unused spray in the refrigerator.
In the kitchen, tomatoes can be used for salads, soups, juices, sauces, stews, baked dishes, sandwiches, stuffed, grilled, broiled, pasta dishes, and salsa. They combine well with meat, fish, poultry, pasta, rice, as well as other vegetables. Store tomatoes at room temperature. To ripen green tomatoes, place in a brown paper bag with an apple at room temperature for several days. If fresh tomatoes aren’t available, use canned tomatoes or canned tomato juice, which are fine substitutes.
I bet you have already seen organic vegetables being sold in supermarkets. Nowadays, the area dedicated to organic produce in supermarkets is growing and more. It used to be that people are going organic as a matter of alternative, lifestyle changes, or making a statement. But today, organic food has become more the conventional rather than the alternative.
The benefits of organic gardening can never be observed more in the area of commercial agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes, for example, are becoming bigger, rounder, redder, and fresher through organic gardening than previous cultivation methods. Gardening organic tomato is really not a mystery but rather involves balancing the health of the environment and the plant itself.
When planting tomatoes using organic gardening, it is important to note that healthy tomato plants will be able to repel pests and diseases better. There are a number of ways to make certain that your tomato plants are healthy. For one, you could start by buying plants or seeds from disease-free varieties. Local varieties usually have a developed adaptive mechanism which protects them from common pests and diseases.
Tomatoes can be divided into determinates and indeterminates. The first variety will grow to a certain extent and then stops. Unlike the indeterminates variety where the tomato vines continue to grow which is why you need to provide support for the plants when you cultivate these kinds of variety.
Planting tomatoes in an organic way mean you need a very healthy soil. Note that healthy soils are rich with fungi, bacteria, and other organisms that are good for your tomato plants. You need to understand that ordinary backyard or front yard soils are not often sufficient to provide tomato plants with the sustenance they need. The key to growing great tomatoes are good quality soil.
This is the reason why other people are tempted to use chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides to augment the poor quality of their current soils. Although using chemical fertilizers do offer quick results, it is not the true way of organic gardening.
Just like any other organic gardening, the use of composts in your tomato gardens is very important. By adding composts, the soil will become healthier and will be able to provide a better source of nutrients for your tomato plants.
Now pests are common occurrences and in your tomato garden, one of the most common and most damaging is the Tomato Hornworms. These are large caterpillars and mostly found in the Northern parts of America. They can cause a lot of damage not only in tomatoes but in eggplants, pepper, tobacco, and potatoes when they are left to themselves.
If you notice any Tomato hornworms in your garden, you should start with pest control as soon as possible. The most basic and remains one of the most effective in dealing with pests is to get down and handpick the caterpillars from the plant’s leaves or stem.
Another option would be to release in your garden natural predators and in the case of Tomato hornworms, lady beetles or lacewings are effective friendly insects. These insects will attach the eggs of the hornworms destroying them from the source.
Gardening organic tomato can be very easy, all you need a simple guide, a sample pamphlet maybe or a brochure. Just remember that organic gardening will require special care and attention.
Did you know that one of the most popular vegetables in the United States is actually a fruit? Categorized by botanists as a fruit but eaten by consumers as a vegetable, tomatoes are appreciated for their combination of sweetness and acidity.
Any way you slice it, tomatoes are a delicious way to add nutrients to the diet. They are rich in vitamins A and C and are a good source of potassium. Tomatoes are also naturally low in sodium and contain no cholesterol.
Many people store tomatoes alongside other vegetables in their refrigerator's crisper drawer, but that's not the best place for them. Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature to maintain maximum flavor. Cool temperatures inside your refrigerator will stop the ripening process and begin to decrease the flavor and change the texture. Try storing your tomatoes in a decorative bowl on the counter.
Tomatoes and bananas help each other ripen quicker. Tomatoes and bananas emit a naturally occurring ripening gas called ethylene and when you store the two together they both ripen rapidly. If you need to ripen a tomato quickly, store it in a closed paper bag on the counter. The ethylene gas speeds up the ripening process when confined around the fruit in a closed bag.
Although tomatoes are native to Central and South America, they are now eaten throughout the world and are an ingredient in countless recipes. Many people consider tomatoes an essential part of their vegetable gardens each summer and they are available at your local market year-round.
For more information about tomatoes online, log on to www.sunripeproduce.com. For more recipes and information on how to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into your diet, visit www.5aday.org.
Pico de Gallo
Pico de Gallo is a fresh tomato salsa often served as a dip for tortilla chips but it's also terrific spooned onto grilled fish, chicken or pork.
Ingredients:
8 SUNRIPE Bella Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.
Serves: 8 − 1/2 cup of vegetables per serving
Nutrition Information per Serving: calories: 15, total fat: 0.2g, saturated fat: 0.03g, % of calories from fat: 8, % of calories from saturated fat: 1, protein: 1g, carbohydrate: 3g, cholesterol: 0mg, dietary fiber: 1g, sodium 149mg.
Marinara sauce is a popular Italian red sauce. This meatless sauce can be easily and quickly made from tomatoes, onions and herbs. You might find this sauce a little spicier than other red tomato sauces. This is because it has large amounts of garlic, oregano, basil, and even chilli pepper. Its simplicity and easy-to-make feature allow it to be used in many great Italian dishes.
Besides its traditional use of highlighting the mild taste of pasta such as linguini or ziti, marinara is also a popular dipping sauce for finger foods like fried mozzarella cheese sticks and calzones. This sauce can be used by you to add a little zest to meat dishes such as chicken, veal Parmigiano, pork steaks, and grilled seafood. You can also use it to replace mustard or mayonnaise in a burger or a chicken filet sandwich and perhaps relish the food more.
Despite being easy to make, there are currently hundreds of types of marinara in the market. The popularity of the sauce may be due to recent research, which revealed that cooked tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
Origins of Marinara Sauce
Marinara is derived from the Italian word Marinaro meaning “of the sea” and marinara sauce loosely translates into “the sauce of the sailors”. It originated with sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the introduction of tomato by the Spaniards. In those days of no refrigeration, it was in great demand among the cooks on the ships for two reasons. Firstly, because the absence of meat and high acid content of the tomatoes would not spoil the sauce, and secondly because it was easy to prepare.
Preparation of marinara sauce
Ingredients
6 pounds ripe Italian-type tomatoes
1 cup very finely minced onion
1/2 cup very finely minced celery
1 cup very finely minced carrots
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Seasonings - Added according to taste
Ground white pepper
Ground coriander
Dried marjoram
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Salt
Drop tomatoes into boiling water, a few at a time. Let the water return to a boil, then remove the tomatoes and drain. Peel and chop.
Cook the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil, in a large covered saucepan, over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times. Uncover and stir, over the heat, for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the vegetables are very soft and light gold.
Add the tomatoes, sugar and pepper and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes.
Puree the sauce through the medium disc of a food mill. Add the optional seasoning and cook at a bare simmer until the desired consistency is reached, about 20 minutes, stirring often. Add salt to taste. You can add a little hot sauce to give it a kick as well.
If you prefer a smooth sauce, work the sauce through the fine disc of a food mill.
Cool the marinara and refrigerate it. It will keep, refrigerated, for about a week, or for several months if frozen.
Suffering from the limited gardening space? If you are into the hobby of home gardening and would like to grow tomatoes, then fear not! Because as long as you have sunlight, tomatoes can be grown anywhere. Growing tomatoes in containers is a practice not only constrained to people with limited gardening space. Plenty of home gardeners grow their vegetables in containers, even when there is free space in the backyard. There are many reasons for container gardening, but we grow tomatoes in containers mostly for convenience, control, and flexibility.
Growing tomatoes in containers are not too different from growing tomatoes in the outdoor soil. Like plants in the ground, it's best to raise young tomato plants carefully indoors until they're strong enough for transplant. Transplanting is similar for containers as for ground- bury as much of the plant stem as possible. Doing so will promote root formation along the portion of the stem that is buried, giving the plant excellent base foundations, a good thing regardless of where the tomato is grown.
With vegetables grown in containers, it's possible to control the exact state of your growing medium. Once you've found the secret recipe for all your prior garden success, you can reuse it over and over again for future success. You can choose to go completely soiless, or completely organic, or a mixture of some of both. Growing tomatoes in containers give this important benefit. The most basic recipe for a good container soil mixture to grow vegetables is 40% compost, 40% peat moss, and 20% perlite.
Although tomatoes grown in containers frees you from messing with garden dirt, container vegetables do require more maintenance in terms of watering and fertilizing. Unlike traditional garden tomatoes, tomato plants in containers have limited root coverage, and their growth is limited by the amount of water and nutrients in the container. Container vegetable plants may need to be watered daily in the heat of the summer, and sometimes even twice a day to prevent the plants from wilting up. Of course, this depends on how big your growing container is (bigger is always better), and whether you mulch or not. Tomatoes are especially water thirsty plants, so the better you can satisfy their watering needs, the better results you will be rewarded with the come harvest.
Of course, you can mitigate all the disadvantages of container growing by simply installing automated drip irrigators for your containers. Though it sounds complicated, the setup is not expensive and actually quite easy to install. An automated drip irrigation system set up for a price range anywhere between $50-100, and you will save yourself a lot of hassles later. Depending on how many containers you have, this could be a worthy investment with great payoffs in the long run.
Applying mulching to containers may sound like an unnecessary chore associated with traditional gardening, but it's a great way to reduce water evaporation and keep weeds down (if you're using compost or garden soil). Pine bark mulch will work great, as will black plastic mulching. Mulching has the added benefit of keeping your tomato plants looking neat and organized.
When the first blossoms have set in on your plants, don't be afraid to use more fertilizers. Twice the amount of normal usage will work. Increasing fertilization during first blossom formation will kickstart fruit production and result in bigger yields. But whatever fertilization rate you use, try to keep it constant.
And don't forget to pick your tomato fruits as soon as they're ripe. It's not a good idea to leave tomatoes on the vines for too long, and for every tomato, you pick off, you'll encourage the production of a new fruit.
Growing tomatoes in containers is indeed a very flexible and productive gardening practice. Don't be afraid to get creative with your container gardens, as tomatoes are generally hardy plants.
A tomato plant can be grown anywhere in the world and is thus well known as the plant in every home garden. It has been estimated that almost 90 percent of the vegetable gardeners have this crop in their garden. This is because the tomato plant requires very little attention from the gardener during the time of growth. The important elements needed for perfect growth is enough sunlight, a little patience, and adequate water.
Tomato is considered to be a summer crop. Select the tomato variety from the wide variety which is easily available. Always check with your neighbors, nursery professionals, and other online sources to find the most dependable and disease resistant variety of tomatoes.
The soil is to be prepared well before starting off with the tomato growing process. It should be mixed well with compost and well-rotted manure if you are using sandy soil. Superphosphates are recognized to be the best nourishment for appropriate growth. Another balanced fertilizer would be 6:3:2 which should be mixed well with the soil before the process. It is considered as the perfect alternative in case of any short supply of manure.
It is highly advisable to sow the seeds as early as possible because tomatoes take more than four months to start with the bearing process. In places where winters are cold, make sure to sow the seed in seed boxes which are sheltered during the later winter season. In frost-free place, start out with the sowing process during the late autumn or summer season. Within six weeks, the seedlings attain the height of 15centimeters and can be easily transplanted before the passing of frost. Always be very particular in the transplantation process to choose only the strongest seedlings. They should be planted in the coolest climate in the afternoon. A sprinkler can be used and spraying should be done early in the morning much the sun rises up. It is highly recommended to dust the crops with fungicides so as to prevent the formation of any kind of diseases. Appropriate fertilizers should be used to stimulate the growth of the plants. The day-long sun is what the tomato plant requires for healthy growth and perfect yield. For vertical growth, always ensure to plant the crops in cages or stakes.
The fruits shall be hand-picked when the color changes to red. It can be then ripened by placing on any sunny windowsill so as to prevent them from being eaten by any bird or rotting on the vine. The taste of these fruits are enhanced if they are ripened in the vine, therefore a perfect balance is to be maintained between the taste as well as the ripening process.
A scanned red tomato, along with leaves and flowers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Planting tomato plants is easy. They are among the easiest garden plants to grow and if you live in an area warm enough to grow them, you can plant them the way I do, and they are almost maintenance free. Here are ten tips to start your best tomatoes yet.
1. Choose disease-resistant heirloom varieties and buy from reputable nurseries.
2. Choose plants with dark healthy leaves and thick stems. Long lanky stems are signs that they either grew too fast or they didn't get enough sunlight while growing.
3. Make certain that the area where you plant your garden has at least six hours of direct sunlight every day. Remove rocks and weeds from the garden area where you intend to plant. I never put manure or fertilizer in the soil where I plant tomatoes.
4. Invest in and put up a sturdy fence upon which to grow your tomatoes. I like to use a good quality cattle panel held up with metal fence posts buried every four feet. Good quality tomato cages also work as well.
5. When soil temperatures are above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, dig a trench four inches deep and long enough to bury the entire stem of the tomato plant. Without a fence, you would have to plant tomato plants 4 foot apart but since you are growing your tomatoes up a fence, you can plant each plant a foot from the one beside it.
6. Remove all but the uppermost leaves of your tomato plant, then plant the entire stem, leaving only the leaves above ground.
7. In planting hole, pour one gallon of water and dust the hole with about a tablespoon of dried kelp powder. Make certain to spread it around the hole and not just dump it all in the bottom of the trench. The water guarantees that the plant stays well hydrated and the kelp contains growth hormones that give the plants a healthy boost.
8. Now plant the tomato into the planting hole. Lay the plant so that the leafy part of it is next to the fence. Cover the entire stem.
9. Sprinkle another tablespoon of kelp along the area where you planted the tomato stem and dust with the diatomaceous earth around the base of the tomato to prevent cutworm damage.
10. Water a second time with another gallon of water. If your soil is sufficiently warm enough, mulch around plants to conserve moisture and to prevent diseases in the soil from splashing up from the soil when it rains or when you water.
Now that you planted your tomato plants, water your plants regularly and keep the vines tied to the fence. With proper care, within a few weeks, you will have a terrific tomato crop that the entire neighborhood will envy.
Donna Brown under the pen name Cygnet Brown has written simple organic gardening tips for the beginning gardener like the ones in this article in her book Simply Vegetable Gardening. The book is available through her website at http://www.cygnetbrow.com
