Gardening Tips
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in the home garden. There are many types of tomatoes that are grown for different uses in a multitude of food dishes.
Types and Varieties - Determinate and indeterminant varieties provide options for harvesting and uses. Determinant varieties set numerous fruit over a very few weeks and ripen over a short harvest period, usually four to five weeks. Determinant varieties reach a height of three to four feet and are more compact than indeterminant varieties.
Indeterminant varieties continue to grow throughout the growing season until killed by frost, insects, or disease. Plants set and produce fruit in a consistent, continual harvest. Plants are much taller than determinant varieties, requiring more space and support.
Early Girl is an indeterminant earlier producer that will bear season long. Tomatoes are not large slicers, but plants are reliable, excellent producers.
Celebrity is a very popular determinant variety for those who want a concentrated harvest.
Larger fruit may be harvested from other varieties, including Big Boy, Better Boy, Parks Whopper.
Super Sweet 100 is a prolific cherry tomato. It is extremely sweet and great for snacks, salads, and more.
Roma tomatoes are plum types popularly used for canning and tomato paste because of its slender and firm nature.
Side dressing – Tomatoes are high nitrogen users. Provide additional nitrogen fertilizer when first fruits are one inch in diameter and repeat every four weeks through harvest. Don’t overdo it! Too much nitrogen will result in beautiful plants while reducing tomato fruit set and yields.
Provide support of plants with stakes and/or cages, or by using the “Florida Weave” technique. Tomato plants may be grown in containers, using pots that will hold a minimum of five gallons of soil or growing medium. Always provide consistent moisture to meet the needs and reduce stress on the plants.
To learn more about tomato production check out this publication which is also our photo source.
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