August 12 Column: How to Get Big Tomato Harvests

We all love to grow and eat homegrown tomatoes, don’t we? If you live in a short-season climate like I do, it can be a challenge getting the majority of them to ripen before the fall frosts arrive. In this week’s column, I explain my strategies for getting maximum tomato harvests. Here’s a link to it in The Spokesman-Review: Well-timed pruning helps boost tomato harvest. (or you can read my column lower in this post)

In it, I actually go back to when I first start my plants and the rationale behind that. Gone are the days when I start my tomatoes way too early! I also discuss their early care.

The really important part of my column is where I discuss my 3-step pruning regimen. The point of it is to eliminate flowers and tiny tomatoes so the plants will devote their energy on ripening the existing tomatoes.

And, of course, if you still end up with some green tomatoes, I explain what to do about them, too. I hope the information in my column will help you get wonderful tomato harvests.

This week’s “Everyone Can Grow a Garden” video is about the first pruning I do to start getting my tomatoes to ripen. There will be videos on the second and third prunings I do so stay tuned for them.

Tomato harvests garden column:

By Susan Mulvihill

Every summer, I always look forward to biting into that first ripe tomato. Grocery store tomatoes cannot begin to compete with a sun-ripened, full-flavored tomato.

In my garden, I have learned a lot over the years about what I can do to ensure the best possible harvest. It all starts from day one.

When to plant tomato seedlings for good tomato harvests

I used to start my plants from seed in February until I realized that was way too early. The plants would be leggy and weak by the time it was safe to plant them outside. After much experimentation over the past few years, I’ve made a determination. For my zone 5 garden, the first of April is the ideal time to get them going. That might sound really late, right? But by planting time, the plants are a good size. More importantly, they haven’t been set back by being stuck in a pot for longer than is ideal.

Tomato bed preparation

Prior to planting them out in the garden, I cover the tomato bed with a sheet of red plastic mulch. Also referred to as “tomato mulch,” it increases the temperature of the soil which is something warm-season crops prefer.

On planting day, I remove the lower leaves and plant the seedlings deeply to encourage additional root growth along the main stem. I also provide the plants with a wire support to keep the foliage and fruit off the ground for good air circulation. A drip irrigation system — underneath the plastic mulch — provides water at the soil surface, right where the shallow roots can get to it; overhead watering of tomato plants is not ideal as it can spread disease on the leaves.

Plant care for great tomato harvests

As the plants grow, the only pruning I do is to remove any low branches that are resting on the ground. I do not remove suckers because that dramatically reduces the tomato-producing potential for each plant.

Each year in early August, I begin my tomato-pruning routine to get as many ripe tomatoes as possible before the fall frosts arrive.

I liken this first pruning to getting a haircut. The goal is to trim back some of the long, unruly branches. Knowing that new flowers will never mature into ripe tomatoes in time, I want to focus the plants’ energy on ripening the existing tomatoes.

The second pruning takes place near the end of August and it is more severe than the previous one. If there are any new stalks that came up as a result of the first pruning, trim those off first. Next, trim each branch right above any tomatoes that are close to a mature size to encourage them to ripen by the end of the season.

The final part of my tomato-ripening routine takes place in early September. What I do might sound mean but the goal is to stress the plants so they finish ripening the majority of the remaining tomatoes.

First, I turn off the water to the bed. Then I use a shovel and cut straight down through about a third of the roots, 10 inches out from the plant’s main stalk. You’ll be amazed at how quickly those last tomatoes start ripening.

If there are still green tomatoes by frost time, I pick them, take them indoors and place them in a dark area between sheets of newspaper. They will quickly ripen, extending the harvest of my favorite crop.