How to grow Tomato?

Tomato
  • Latin Family: Solanaceae
  • Latin Genus: Lycopersicon
  • Ease of Growing: Easy
  • Growing Type: Annual

The tomato is a tender perennial, but must be grown as an annual in temperate climates. It is the most popular garden vegetable crop in America, and probably more square footage of garden magazine space has been devoted to it than any other vegetable. It is popular because it is easy to grow, very productive (it is one of highest yielding vegetable crops) and because home grown fruit is generally much superior to commercial fruit. This is an excellent plant for children to grow because of the ease in growing.

With the exception of the ripe fruits, all parts of the tomato are somewhat poisonous (not to mention unpleasant tasting).

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Tomato History

The tomato is native to South and Central America and was introduced into Europe in the sixteenth century. It took a long time for the Tomato to be accepted there as a safe and wholesome food. It first became popular in Italy, and is still closely associated with Italian food.

Soil Preference

  • PH (min/max): 5.5 - 7.5
  • PH Ideal (min/max): 6.0 - 6.8

Tomatoes are not particularly fussy about soil, but generally the better the soil, the more productive it will be. The perfect soil for Tomatoes is a deep, well-drained (they are prone to root rot in wet soils) [loam] with lots of moisture retentive [organic matter]. They prefer a fairly [neutral] soil, but are not very sensitive to pH.

Early crops do better in light sandy soil because it warms up faster.

How to care for Tomato?

For highest productivity Tomatoes need a steady supply of available water and nutrients. If you give them all they need, they will respond by flowering earlier and fruiting more profusely.

Water

These deep-rooted plants are quite drought tolerant and don't really need a lot of water once they are established. In fact, keeping them dry encourages strong root growth. However you will get more and larger fruit if you keep the soil evenly moist once they start flowering and bearing fruit.

Drip irrigation works well with tomatoes, as it keeps the soil evenly moist but the plants stay dry.

Uneven watering may cause [Blossom End Rot] or cracking.

Fertilizer

High nitrogen. Moderate phosphorus. High potassium. Tomatoes are quite heavy feeders. They have deep roots that may go down 5', but most of their feeder roots are in the top 2'.

Seeds

Seed Viability: 3 - 7 years

Germination Percentage: 75.0

Tomatoes are one of the easiest crops to save seed from. You can save seed from any tomato so long as it is open-pollinated and not a hybrid.

To get the seed, simply squeeze it from the ripe fruit (eat the rest), add a little water and let it ferment in a warm place for a few days. Then scrape the scum from the top and rinse the seeds several times to remove bits of flesh. Strain the cleaned seed and dry it, first on paper towels and then in a warm dry place.

Generally tomatoes are self pollinated and you don't need to worry about cross pollination or isolation, you just save seed from the ripe fruit when you eat them. A few varieties may cross pollinate to some extent (to get technical you can usually tell these because they have long stigmas on the flower that extend out beyond the petals).

Light

Sun: min. 6 hours daily

Full sun. Tomatoes need a warm sheltered site and a minimum of 6 hours of sun daily. Any less and they won’t produce very well.

Conditions:Cool, Warm, Hot

Season:Short Season, Long Season

Storage

Mature green tomatoes can be stored at 55-60ºF for 1 to 6 weeks. Make sure the area is moist (80-85% relative humidity). Cover with a paper bag and make sure the fruit don’t touch each other. Remove any that start to rot (check them regularly).

To ripen, move mature green tomatoes to 68-72º F as needed (it takes about 2 weeks.)

Storage Req: Moist, Warm
Storage Temp: 55-65°F
Storage Length: 7-28 days

Storing tomatoes in the fridge, or below 55˚ F impairs their flavor. They should keep for a week or two at 55 to 65˚ F (depending upon how ripe they are).

Storage Req: Cool, Dry
Storage Temp: 55-65°F
Storage Length: 7-14 days

Sun-dried tomatoes are made at 140-150 degrees Fahrenheit. Once dried, store in a cool, dry place. They can last 9 - 12 months in the freezer, or in the fridge for only a few weeks (they will be moldy in a month).

Storage Req: Drying, Freezer, Refrigerator
Storage Temp: 32-50°F
Storage Length: 7-360 days

Tomatoes can be peeled and frozen for storage (peel by dipping in boiling water), or you can freeze the puree.

Storage Req: Freezer
Storage Temp: 0-32°F
Storage Length: 1-90 days

Canning provides a long storage option as long as temperatures stay consistent, 55 to 70˚ F is the optimum.

Storage Req: Canning
Storage Temp: 55-70°F
Storage Length: 1-360 days

Problems

Cutworms

If you have a [Cutworm] problem, wrap collars of aluminum foil or paper around the stem near ground level. A ring of wood ashes is also said to help.

Pests and Diseases

When we said Tomatoes are one of the easiest crops to grow, we could have added if you don’t encounter a serious pest or disease problem. They have so many potential enemies that it seems like it must be impossible to grow them.

You can help to keep some of these problems under control by [rotation].

Be careful when watering as many diseases can be spread on wet leaves (use drip irrigation).

Many modern Tomato varieties are resistant to Verticillium Wilt (V), Fusarium Wilt (F) and Nematodes (N). It's a good idea to use these varieties if they are a problem for you.

Tomato Types

  • Cherry, Yellow/Orange
  • Cherry-sized tomatoes that are yellow, gold, or orange. These varieties look beautiful on a plate next to Black/Purple cherry tomatoes!

  • Cherry, Pink
  • Cherry tomatoes with pink skin and flesh.

  • Paste, Sauce & Plum, Unique
  • Unique Paste, Sauce & Plum tomatoes bear elongated fruits that have an amazing kaleidoscope of colors.

  • Paste, Sauce & Plum, Pink
  • Pink paste, sauce and plum tomatoes ranging from light pink to darker pink, that almost looks red. Sweetness levels vary depending on the variety.

  • Cherry, Mix
  • A mixture of cherry tomatoes with variety of colors. Each individual tomato is a solid color.

  • Slicing, Pink
  • Pink slicing tomatoes that range in color from light pink to darker pink (that almost looks red.) Sweetness levels vary depending on the variety.

  • Slicing, Unique
  • Unique slicing tomatoes are medium to large round tomatoes in an amazing kaleidoscope of colors.

  • Slicing, Yellow/Orange
  • Slicing tomatoes that come in a range of yellow, gold, or orange hues.

  • Beefsteak
  • Beefsteak tomatoes are the largest variety of cultivated tomatoes. They are a favorite because of their high productivity, meaty texture and deep flavor. It holds together well when cut, and so is particularly well suited for slicing and eating raw. Traditional red color.

  • Beefsteak, Pink
  • These Beefsteaks have pink skin and flesh.

  • Paste, Sauce & Plum, Black/Purple
  • "Black" paste, sauce and plum tomatoes are not actually black, but ranging in colors from deep purple, dark mahogany, and even brownish-blue. The dark range of colors appears to be encouraged by a higher acid and mineral content in the soil or higher temperatures. Black tomatoes are well known for their complex and earthy flavors.

  • Beefsteak, Unique
  • These unique Beefsteaks have a variety of colors on a single tomato. They are sure to stand out amongst others!

  • Beefsteak, Black/Purple
  • Black Beefsteaks are not actually black. Their deep colors range from dusky brown, deep purple, smokey mahogany and bluish-brown. Higher acid and mineral content will bring out deeper shades in Black Beefsteaks.

  • Slicing, Mix
  • A mixture of slicing tomatoes with more than one variety in each seed packet.

  • Paste, Sauce & Plum, Yellow/Orange
  • Yellow/Orange paste, sauce and plum tomatoes come in a range of hues, from bright--almost neon--colors to deep golden shades.

  • Slicing, Black/Purple
  • "Black" slicing tomatoes are not actually black, but ranging in colors from deep purple, dark mahogany, and even brownish-blue. The dark range of colors appears to be encouraged by a higher acid and mineral content in the soil or higher temperatures. Black tomatoes are well known for their complex and earthy flavors.

  • Beefsteak, Yellow/Orange
  • These Beefsteaks have yellow, gold, or orange colored skin and flesh.

  • Cherry, Unique
  • These uniquely colored cherry tomatoes have more than one color on each tomato.

  • Cherry, Black/Purple
  • Small, deep purple to mahogany brown cherry tomatoes. Their deep colors stand out, and they provide more antioxidants than red, orange, or yellow varieties. Higher acid and mineral content in your soil will bring out deeper shades.

  • Cherry
  • Cherry Tomatoes bear small fruits not much bigger than a cherry and are renowned for their fine flavor. They are usually eaten raw and in salads. Traditional red color.

  • Slicing
  • Slicing tomatoes are medium to large round tomatoes which hold more juice and seeds. They come in a variety of sizes, colors and flavors.

  • Paste, Sauce & Plum
  • Paste, Sauce & Plum bear elongated fruits which are lower in water content, and renowned for canning, making sauce or paste. One unique characteristic is the firmness of the fruit due to the thick meaty wall. This is what contributes to the deep rich flavor when rendered down into sauce. Traditional red color.

Pests

  • Aphids
  • Blister Beetle
  • Deer
  • Corn Earworm
  • Colorado Potato Beetle
  • Cucumber Beetle
  • Groundhog
  • Leafhoppers
  • Mexican Bean Beetle
  • Wireworm
  • Crickets and Grasshoppers
  • Armyworms
  • Japanese Beetle
  • June Beetle
  • Pickleworm
  • Whiteflies
  • Mealybug
  • Cutworms
  • Flea Beetle
  • Slugs and snails
  • Stink Bug
  • Tomato Hornworm
  • Sap Beetles
  • Symphylans

Diseases

  • Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV)
  • Gray Mold Botrytis Fruit Rot
  • Anthracnose
  • Septoria Leaf Spot
  • Southern Blight
  • Bacterial Spot
  • Southern Bacterial Wilt
  • Bacterial Canker
  • Tobacco Mosaic Virus
  • Fusarium Wilt
  • Blossom End Rot
  • Damping Off
  • Early Blight
  • Late Blight
  • Verticillium Wilt
  • Sunscald

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