May 3 Column: How to Grow Tomatoes

Do you love growing tomatoes or are you preparing to grow them for the first time ever? You’ll be happy to see that my column is about how to grow tomatoes. I mean, we all love the taste of a sun-ripened tomato, right? Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: The best-tasting tomatoes are grown at home. (or you can read my column lower in this post)

Waiting for this spring’s weather to be warm enough to plant my tomatoes and other warm-season crops has been excruciating. Are you having the same problem? It just seems like the time will never come! I have started hardening-off my seedlings, though, so that’s a start.

I’ve mentioned this in the past but wanted to share again. I don’t start my tomato plants from seed until April 1st. My garden is in USDA hardiness zone 5b and our average last frost date is May 15. Many years ago, I used to get excited about planting them indoors so would start them in February. The problem was, they would get horribly leggy by the time I could finally plant them outdoors. That’s not a very nice way to start them off, is it? So I experimented: Feb. 15? No, too early. Mar. 1? Still too early. Mar. 15? Nope, I still got leggy plants.

But when I started them on April 1st, I discovered that was the perfect date. Remember that you don’t need to have massive tomato plants by transplanting time. Why? Smaller plants that have been in their pots for less time will be way less stressed and will be healthier. So if you are unhappy with the state of your tomato seedlings this year, remember this for next year! I should add that it doesn’t matter where you live. If your seedlings are leggy and not looking so great this year, run your own experiment. I can tell you that starting tomatoes 6 weeks before you plant them in the garden is THE WAY TO GO! So there.

This week’s “Everyone Can Grow a Garden” video is about planting seed potatoes in grow bags (or containers). I also show how to plant onions sets (those small bulbs you can buy in garden centers). I chose those two topics after getting some questions about each of them.

Garden column about how to grow tomatoes:

by Susan Mulvihill

I think it’s safe to say that the tomato is everyone’s favorite veggie to grow. Try as they might, grocery stores just can’t offer us fully-ripened, flavorful tomatoes. As a result, we gardeners crave them through the fall and winter months. They’re always at the top of our planting list, right?

Grow tomatoes: when to plant

Wait until at least May 15 to plant your tomato seedlings outdoors. They absolutely cannot withstand a frost so keep an eye on the forecasts. Be prepared to cover them at a moment’s notice.

This year, I’m grow four kinds of tomatoes. They are Sungold cherry, Chef’s Choice Orange slicing, and Gilbertie and Federle paste tomatoes for making sauce and salsa. Just thinking about them is making my mouth water.

Grow tomatoes: the importance of hardening-off the plants

Whether you started your own tomatoes or bought seedlings, it’s important to harden them off prior to transplanting them outdoors. This process acclimates them to the intensity of the sunlight and fluctuating temperatures. If you skip this step, the leaves will become sunburned and turn white. This can either set back the plant’s growth severely or kill it.

Start by moving the seedlings outdoors into an area with filtered sunlight for one hour the first day. Then move them back inside. The next day, make it two hours and bring them back in. Each day over the course of a week, add an hour to the routine. Be sure to slowly transition them into more intense sunlight.

Tomato plants love warm soil. I always place a layer of red plastic sheet mulch on the surface of their beds before before planting them. This increases the soil temperature and reflects more light up into the plants, which increases their productivity. We have a drip irrigation system that is already on the bed before the sheet mulch goes on.

Grow tomatoes: Spacing and support

Tomatoes need quite a bit of room to grow. I recommend spacing them at least 2 to 3 feet apart. On transplanting day, I’ll cut an “x” into the plastic for each plant. Next, I’ll remove the lowest pair or two of leaves. That way, I can plant the seedlings more deeply than they were growing in their pots. This encourages additional root growth along the stem, creating a stronger, healthier and more productive plant. Once all of the plants are in the ground, I’ll water them in well and apply an organic fish fertilizer.

Be sure to provide them with a sturdy support such as a heavy-duty metal stake or large tomato cage. The plants can be allowed to sprawl on the ground. But the fruits will ripen better when grown vertically since they will get more sunlight and good air circulation. The fruit won’t rot on the ground and it keeps pathogens in the soil from spreading to the leaves.

Grow tomatoes: plant care

The plants should not require pruning early in the growing season. There is no need to remove suckers, which are those smaller branches that emerge from the main stem. If you snip them off, it greatly reduces your plant’s production potential. If you love fresh tomatoes as much as I do, you’ll want as large a harvest as possible.

Water your tomatoes regularly and, before you know it, you’ll be treated to delicious, sun-ripened fruits.