A cheap home remedy for growing great tomatoes is applying Epsom salts, or magnesium sulfate.
According to Charlie Nardozzi, magnesium is critical for seed germination and the production of chlorophyll, fruit, and nuts.
It also helps to strengthen cell walls and improve a plant's uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
Sulfur, a key element in plant growth, is critical to production of vitamins, amino acids (therefore protein), and enzymes.
Treat your tomatoes to a soothing Epsom salts experience by working 1 cup into the soil at planting, or spraying on a foliar feed - 1 tbs Epsom salts disolved in one gallon of water - at bloom time and again 10 days later.
http://www.xylemandphloem.com/2008/03/蕃茄開果期須鈣
可撲蛋殼在蕃茄四周或apply gymson
Below is a compilation of Mr. Wilten's tips, delivered recently at a North Haven Gardens event, plus methods used by organic gardeners and recommendations from Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
CHOOSE ADAPTED VARIETIES:
Area gardeners have a fairly short window to plant tomatoes.
Soil temperatures need to be above 60 degrees consistently, but many varieties stop setting fruit once it's hotter than 85 degrees.
Mr. Wilten plants 'Celebrity' and 'Carnival'.
Large-fruited tomatoes such as 'Big Boy' and 'Beefsteak' can't handle the heat, Mr. Wilten says.
Smaller varieties, such as 'Celebrity' and 'Carnival', along with roma and cherry tomatoes, do better.
Recommended varieties also generally resist diseases, such as Fusarium wilt, Alternaria and nematodes;
plant tags should specify their resistance.
PLANT TRANSPLANTS, NOT SEEDS:
It's too late to sow seeds.
Get transplants into the ground by mid-April for the best chance of success.
When buying transplants, avoid weak-looking, spindly plants. Transplants should have dark green leaves without holes.
FULL SUN, PLEASE:
omato plants, and most fruits and vegetables, require at least 8 hours of sun a day. Some late-afternoon shade, once the full blast of summer arrives, is helpful.
PREPARE THE SOIL:
omato plants aren't perennial,
so spending lots of time improving the soil,
as you would for a perennial garden, may be time wasted.
Mr. Wilten uses a cultivating fork to dig three or four inches deep to break up and aerate the soil.
Then, he works in lots of dried manure.
Organic gardening expert Howard Garrett recommends preparing beds by adding compost, volcanic rock powder or sand, sugar or molasses and organic fertilizer.
Generally, gardeners recommend one to two pounds of fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed.
SPACING AND PLANTING DEPTH:
Plants need good air circulation, so space tomatoes at least 3 feet apart, with rows 5 feet apart.
Some gardeners like to place transplants a bit deeper in the hole than the top of the root ball, believing this encourages root growth.
Trim off the lowest leaves, then plant deep enough so only two sets of leaves are above soil level.
But before you plant, put a tablespoon of
high-phosphorus fertilizer into the hole to give the plant a jump start.
MUST MULCH:
Take some of the heat stress off your plant and keep moisture in by laying 3 to 5 inches of organic mulch around the plant.
Mulching can reduce early blight and blossom-end rot.
WATER SLOWLY AND DEEPLY:
Water when the plant needs it, not on a schedule.
Insert a finger 2 or 3 inches deep to see if the soil is moist. If so, don't water.
Use drip irrigation or a trickling hose to water roots slowly and deeply. Mr. Wilten believes tomatoes would thrive if watered exclusively with rainwater, rather than city water that has a high pH. "I'll bet those things would explode," he says.
FERTILIZE WITH NITROGEN:
Ring the root ball with a lawn fertilizer after fruit grows to about an inch in diameter.
If you use an organic fertilizer, feed after blooming starts rather than waiting for the fruit to grow. (The slow-release nitrogen in organic fertilizers needs time to work.)
Mr. Wilten fertilizes only once, though other gardeners recommend fertilizing every two or three weeks.
Mr. Garrett suggests fertilizing at least two times during the growing season.
STAKE 'EM UP:
Tie tomato plants to tall stakes with a soft material, such as pantyhose or knee-high nylons, or enclose them in a wire cage.
The cage should have holes big enough to reach in to pick the fruit.
CONTAINERS:
You can grow tomato plants in containers, but Mr. Wilten says it will have to be a big container.
A 15-gallon planter is the best size, he says.
A benefit of container gardening is that you can move it into shade during hot afternoons.
PESTS AND DISEASES:
Tomatoes have a long list of enemies: insects, disease and animal predators.
Cleanliness is important: Keep leaves from contacting the ground; remove rotted fruit promptly; examine plants each day for problems; avoid watering foliage; fertilize.
Mr. Wilten sprays with
a combination of fish emulsion and seaweed every five to seven days or after a rain. The spray helps keep plants healthy and also knocks off tiny spider mites, a common plague.
Your county Texas AgriLife Extension Service office has complete information about problems you're likely to face in growing tomatoes.
PICK THEM VINE-RIPE? NO:
Every tomato lover likes vine-ripe fruit, including birds.
Pick your tomatoes when they are pink and
let them ripen indoors so you get to eat them before the animals do.
SPEAKING OF BIRDS:
Another way to protect the fruit from birds and squirrels is to cut nylon pantyhose into pieces 10 to 12 inches long.
Tie a knot in one end and slip the piece over a cluster of tomatoes.
Secure the open end with a twist-tie.
Other tricks: Noisemakers, netting, scarecrows, aluminum strips and whirligigs. Mr. Wilten traps squirrels that attack his tomatoes and releases them elsewhere.
Recommended varieties for
North Texas
LARGE to MEDIUM
'Amelia'
'Bingo'
'BHN 444'
'Carnival'
'Celebrity'
'Champion'
'Florida 47'
'Florida 91'
'Heat Wave II'
'President'
'Quick Pick'
'Solar Set'
'SunMaster'
'SunPride'
'SunChief'
'SunLeaper'
'Super Fantastic'
'Solar Fire'
'Top Gun'
ROMA
'Healthy Kick'
'Roma'
'San Marzano'
'Viva Italia'
CHERRY
'Porter'
'Small Fry'
'Sweet Millions'
'Sweet 100'
'Yellow Pear'
SOURCE: First Men's Garden Club of Dallas, Texas AgriLife Extension Service
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/home/gardening/stories/DN-NHG_chores_0328liv.ART.State.Edition1.26ce132.html.....................................................
LOCATION:
If you are growing your tomatoes in containers, make certain they are put in a spot where the plants will
get maximum sunlight.
The south or west side of the garden is best. In fact, if the pots can be placed against the side of the house, a fence or out-building the heat from the reflected sunlight will be of great benefit in early ripening of the fruit. (If your tomato plants are in the ground, don't try to move them now.)
WATERING:
Run the hose
at the base of the plants. Do not water tomatoes with an over-head sprinkler.
Water thoroughly when you water, then hold off for several days, before rewatering.
At the same time don't let the plants lack for water, as that is likely to stunt the plants, and the uneven water supply can can result in blossom end-rot. (This appears as a water soaked area on the blossom end of the fruit.)
I find the biggest mistake that home gardeners make is to over water and over feed tomatoes, which results in lush foliage growth, cool and moist soil, and just a few, slow ripening tomatoes.
Over-head watering can also be a factor in creating blight on your tomatoes.
If possible avoid watering your tomato plants in late afternoon or early evening.
The best time to water is
early morning, so the soil has a chance to warm-up before the cooler evening hours set-in.
FEEDING TOMATOES:
As mentioned, I think over-feeding is one of the biggest mistakes we make in growing tomatoes here in the northwest.
Prepare the soil properly when planting, then go light on feeding the rest of the growing season.
In my garden I seldom feed tomatoes after planting, unless the plants show signs of yellowing leaves or stunted growth.
Then if feeding is needed, use
a low-nitrogen vegetable garden type food and apply it at approximately one-half the recommended amount.
If it is a dry granular type of fertilizer, be certain to water-it-in thoroughly.
POLLINATION:
The wind or a light breeze does a pretty good job of spreading tomato pollen.
However, if the plants are flowering or not fruiting it is a good practice to lightly shake or tap the plants.
There are also commercial blossom setting products that can be used to encourage fruit set.
Be careful to use these products very sparingly.
If too much spray is sprayed on the flowers, or if they are sprayed more then once, the fruit is apt to be deformed.
It's a condition called 'Cat-facing', where the tomatoes end up partially formed and deformed on the blossom end.
Fragrant plants like Heliotrope, Stock or Nicotiana can also be planted near the tomatoes to encourage beneficial insects, to aid in pollination.
CULTIVATION:
Be careful when you pull weeds or cultivate around tomato plants.
Most plants are quite shallow rooted, and if you are not careful, you might disturb the surface feeder roots. At the same time, it is important to eliminate weeds and grasses, because they host many insects and diseases.
STAKING:
Tying plants to a stake can restrict growth and fruit production.
(This is based on research done in trials at WSU Puyallup, several years ago.)
The use of tomato cages or fencing allows the plants to grow more freely. In our 'test garden' we do not provide any support for the plants.
It looks a little sloppy, but the plants produce abundantly.
PRUNING:
To remove some foliage to allow for better air circulation is not a bad idea.
However, the leaves shade the flowers and fruit, which are sensitive to hot sun.
So in order for the fruit to ripen without sun scalding, abundant foliage should remain.
Late in the season, some varieties tend to get quite tall and out of hand, and it is obvious that the late flowers will not produce ripe fruit.
So some of that growth can be removed, to divert the growth to ripen the fruit that is already on the tomato vine.
Of course, any foliage that lies on the ground should be picked and discarded, as it would be subject to rot and prey to slugs and soil insects.
TOMATO BLIGHTS:
In recent years specialists have found that covering over the top of the plants with polyethylene, keeps the July, August and September rains off the foliage.
This reduces the likelihood that the plants will be ruined by blights. Actually, I recommend it be put in place right from the beginning, as it also acts like a greenhouse providing warmth and bright light, which encourages earlier flowering and fruiting.
The covering should be kept at least twelve inches above the top foliage.
INSECTS AND DISEASES:
If the plants show any signs of insect or disease problems, you can take a leaf sample into your Independent Garden Center and have the Certified Nursery-person on staff, or Master Gardener, make an on the spot diagnosis and recommend a means of control. Vegetable garden type dusts or sprays are often recommended on edible crops like tomatoes.
Give the tomato plants the care they need and you should be rewarded with a bountiful harvest of red ripe tomatoes this season.
http://www.humeseeds.com/sumtom.htm.....................................................................
Warm Temperatures Increase the Sugar and Nutrients in Tomatoes
Most gardeners know the flavor and nutritional quality of fresh tomatoes is best if you grow your own. New research from France shows that the temperature at which fruit ripens can also affect the taste and chemical composition. Researchers in Avignon, France, harvested mature green tomatoes from a greenhouse and ripened the fruits in light or dark rooms at either 70 or 79 degrees F. Six days later when the fruits were fully ripe, they measured the concentration of various nutrients.
Concentrations of carotenoids -- including the cancer-fighting compound lycopene -- were highest with fruits ripened in light rooms at 70 degrees. However, higher levels of sugar and lower levels of acidity were recorded when the fruits were ripened in light rooms at 79 degrees. While you can’t regulate the temperature outdoors in the garden, you can adjust the indoor temperature where you ripen those green fruits harvested before the first fall frost. For the highest nutrient content, keep the tomatoes at 70 degrees. For sweeter fruits, keep them at 79 degrees.
For an abstract of this research, go to:
Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.
http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/gc-server/web/gardenNews?#section=gnLand&article=/news/87
