That’s right, I said it, fruit! Many of us don’t realize that tomatoes are actually a fruit, not a vegetable. Think about it: plump, juicy, sweet…definitely a fruit. Tomatoes come in thousands of different varieties, all fairly easy to grow from seed. You will need to do your research though. You’ll need to find out which varieties grow best in your area, how big they’ll grow (how much room they’ll need), and all the other idiosyncrasies that make a tomato a healthy growing tomato.
Where to Start:
Start with heirloom seeds. You may have read, in our previous blog, the benefits of heirloom foods. Heirloom fruits and veggies will give you more nutritional benefits. It’s best to begin indoors, giving the seeds time to germinate and grow a few leaves. For more information on germination and beginning tomatoes plants indoors, here’s a great site: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2005015135020413.html.
Tomatoes are full of goodness, so give them the best head-start you can. Pick a large area in your garden that will get plenty of sunlight. Be sure to plant in nutrient rich, good quality soil. Mix in an all purpose organic fertilizer, such as manure. Test your soil (or have it tested) to see what the N-P-K and trace mineral levels are, and adjust if need be. Mix in a little bit of sand to the soil to ensure good drainage.
Position rods, stakes, trellises, or anything the tomatoes vines can wrap around throughout the gardening space. Tomatoes can grow very tall (5-6 feet), and it’s better for them to grow up, rather than out. Growing along the ground can breed more disease. In addition, good air circulation is beneficial, so growing up, rather than out, will allow this.
How to Care for Your Organic Tomatoes:
Plant your tomatoes pretty deep to allow a good base for the roots to grow. Give them a good 2-3 feet in between each plant. Water them on a regular basis, sometimes once every other day or so, depending on your climate. Basically, you want the tomatoes to receive enough water that do not begin to wilt at all between watering, but you don’t want the soil to be wet all the time. Consistently damp or wet soil will breed plant disease and fungus. It may take some time figure out your watering shcedule, but you’ll get it! A good idea is to add a thin layer of mulch around the tomato plants. This will keep moisture in the soil on a more even basis so your plant isn’t having to deal with two extremes–wet or dry.
Good fruits and vegetables are born from good feeding when they are growing. Fertilize your young tomato plants once every 3-4 weeks with a foliar spray consisting of compost tea or with a good quality fish or seaweed fertilizer. I recommend Merrill’s Compost Tea or Neptune’s Harvest Organic Fish/Seaweed Blend Fertilizer. Once your tomato plants begin the produce fruit, increase the fertilizing to at least twice a month, if not once every week. In an effort to reduce fungus, many gardeners will sprinkle milk powder on their tomato plants once a week.
In addition, review our previous blog titled “How Do I Get Rid Of Those Pesky Pests? PART III: Tomato Hornworms” to learn more about pests that can harm tomatoes.
Harvesting and Enjoying Your Organic Tomatoes:
Because tomatoes can be heavy and can put serious strain on their stems, be sure to encourage their vines to wrap around the structures you’ve placed through the garden. Pluck the flowers growing on your young tomato plant until it gets to about 1 foot tall. The plants roots grow directly from the stem (this is why it was important to plant deep), and you want to make sure the roots have grown deep and wide before the plant begins to get too top-heavy.
Pluck your tomatoes just before they are fully ripened. If you allow them to ripen all the way outdoors, by the time you eat them, they will have already begun to lose much of their nutrients. Bring them inside, allow them to sit in a cool, dry place (away from the sun!) for a day or two, and then enjoy!
Until next time, take care and happy gardening!
I agree with the give steps for care to the tomatoes plant.Water them on a regular basis, sometimes once every other day or so, depending on your climate. Basically, you want the tomatoes to receive enough water that do not begin to wilt at all between watering, but you don’t want the soil to be wet all the time. Consistently damp or wet soil will breed plant disease and fungus.There are many ways to secure and give full protection to these plants.
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