Tips for Growing, Harvesting, and Storing Tomatoes
Searcy, Ark. –
Tomatoes belong to a group of plants in the nightshade family. Its edible relatives include Irish potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tomatillos. Tomatoes originated in the Peru-Ecuador area and spread northward in pre-Columbian times to Mexico, where they were first domesticated. Spanish explorers carried the plants to southern Europe, where they were first eaten, before being utilized by the people of northern Europe and the United States. For many years, they were considered poisonous and were grown only for ornamental purposes under the names “tomatl,” “love apple” or “pomme d’amour.” The name tomate, or tomata, was adapted from the Aztec word tomatl. Early tomatoes were remarkably similar to those grown today. Tomatoes are easy to grow. A few plants provide an adequate harvest for most families. The tomato plant is a tender, warm-season perennial that is handled like an annual in summer and fall gardens.
Today, 95 percent of all American gardeners grow tomatoes; they are the most popular garden vegetable in Arkansas. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, four out of five people prefer tomatoes to any other homegrown food. Tomatoes rank number one in terms of their contribution of nutrients to the American diet, simply because we eat a lot of them.
Cultural Practices
Cultivars
- Red tomatoes: Better Boy, Celebrity, Mountain Pride, Big Beef
- Pink tomatoes: Bradley, Pink Brandywine, Arkansas Traveler 76
- Paste tomatoes: Viva Italia, Plum Dandy,
- Yellow tomatoes: Lemon Boy
- Patio/Container Type tomatoes: Husky Red, Gold, Pink Cherry, and Lizzano
- Small Fruited tomatoes: Large Red Cherry, Super Sweet 100, Juliet
Hundreds of cultivars of tomatoes are now available for the home gardener. They range widely in size, shape, color, plant type, disease resistance and seasons of maturity. Catalogs, garden centers, Web sites and greenhouses offer a large selection of tomato cultivars, and selecting the best one or two cultivars can be extremely difficult. Choose the cultivars best suited for your intended use and method of culture. Small-fruited cultivars, such as cherry tomatoes, set fruit during periods of high temperature that limit fruit production of the large-fruited types. Container and patio cultivars are popular where space is limited. Their ornamental value is considered as important as fruit quality. They have red or golden fruit and are not suitable for pruning. Many heirloom tomato cultivars such as Brandywine, Oxheart and Marmande are readily available as seeds or plants. It is always fun to try one or two of these and rediscover tomatoes from our past.
Planting Time
Transplanting tomatoes gives them the best start. Start plants five to six weeks before the first frost-free date in your region. Some gardeners transplant tomatoes soon after the soil is prepared for spring gardening when there is a high risk of damage from freezing. Be prepared to cover early-set plants overnight to protect them from frost. There are many ways to protect young tomato plants. Some of these methods include hot caps, floating row covers and water-filled plastic cones. For the best results, plant when the soil is warm, soon after the frost-free date. Plant development, not the age of the plant, determines when tomatoes bear fruit. Late plantings may be made in early July for fall harvest and storage. These plants have the advantage of increased vigor and freedom from early diseases. They often produce better-quality tomatoes than a late picking from the spring planting. Time late planting for maximum yield before a killing frost arrives in your region (about 100 days from transplanting for most varieties).
Spacing of Plants
Spacing depends upon the variety and method of culture. Space dwarf plants 12 inches apart in the row, staked plants 18 to 24 inches apart and wire caged or ground bed plants 24 to 36 inches apart. Place rows 48 to 72 inches apart.
Care
Prior to planting, fertilize with a complete fertilizer at the rate of 1 pound per 100 square feet of row. Apply 8 ounces of a starter fertilizer solution (1 tablespoon of 20-20-20 per gallon) when transplanting. Hoe or cultivate shallowly to keep down weeds without damaging roots. If you wish to maintain your plants for full-season harvest, consider mulching with black plastic or organic materials. Water the plants thoroughly every two to four days during dry periods. Plants in containers need daily watering. Side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer at the rate of 1 pound per 100 feet of row or 1 tablespoon per plant after the first tomatoes have grown to the size of golf balls. Make two more applications three and six weeks later. If the weather is dry following these applications, water the plants thoroughly. Do not get fertilizer on the leaves.
Staking and Pruning Methods
Many gardeners train their tomato plants to stakes, trellises, or cages with great success. Wire cages placed over small tomato plants hold the vines and fruit off the ground. Short cages (3 feet high) usually support themselves when the wire prongs at the bottom are pushed into the ground. Taller cages require a stake, post, or wire for support. Large mesh (6 x 6 inch) wire permits easy harvesting. Tomato plants must be tied to supporting stakes or to a trellis because they do not support themselves with tendrils, unlike cucumber plants. Loop ordinary soft twine, cord, or cloth loosely around the main stem and tie it tightly to the stake. Tying the stems too tightly injures them. All varieties are not equally suitable for staking and pruning.
Staking involves pruning the plant to either one or two main stems. Tomatoes grown without support develop a bush shape. The small suckers that develop between the axil of the leaf and the stem are removed to develop a vine structure rather than a bush. Drive a wooden stake (1-inch diameter and 6 feet long) into the ground beside the plant and allow it to be loosely attached to the stake as it grows. Do not damage the root system when inserting the stake in the ground. Attach the plant to the stake with twist-ties, soft string, strips of cloth or nylon hosiery. The plant is sufficiently supported if it is attached to the stake at 12- to 14-inch intervals. Continue to remove suckers to prevent the plant from developing more than one or two central stems.
Prune-staked or caged tomato plants to stimulate early fruit maturity. Be sure your cultivar is suitable for pruning. To prune the plant properly, remove the shoots (suckers) when they are 1 to 2 inches long. The shoots develop in the axil of each leaf (the angle between the leaf petiole and the stem above it). Pinch the shoots off by hand rather than cut them.
Prune the plants every five to seven days. Be careful not to prune the developing flower clusters that grow from the main stem or to pinch off the growing tip (terminal) of the plant. Remember, the more severely you prune the foliage, the more you limit plant growth (including root development). Double-stem or multiple-stem pruning systems sacrifice some earliness and fruit size for less risk of cracking, blossom-end rot, and sunburn. Do not prune cherry tomatoes.
Determinate cultivars stop growing after five to seven clusters of fruit have developed. This type requires less pruning than the indeterminate cultivars. The determinate vine has a repeating pattern of two leaves followed by a fruiting cluster, while the indeterminate vine has a repeating pattern of three or four leaves and a fruiting cluster. Indeterminate cultivars are technically perennial plants because they keep growing until adverse conditions stop their growth. Indeterminate cultivars require more pruning and larger cages or taller stakes.
Harvesting
The tomato is an unusual plant; cell division in the future fruit is nearly over at the time of flowering. A small but fully formed tomato can be seen at the base of the flower as soon as it opens. Further development is largely a matter of cell growth. The tomato reaches full size in 20 to 30 days, about half the length of the total ripening period. Tomatoes should be harvested when they are firm and changing color. They are of the highest quality when they ripen on healthy vines and daily temperatures are about 80 degrees F. When temperatures are higher (90 degrees F or more), the softening process is accelerated, and color development is retarded. During hot summer weather, pick tomatoes every day or every other day. Harvest the fruit when it has a healthy pink color and ripen it further indoors (at 70 to 75 degrees F). Harvest all green, mature fruit in the fall on the day before a killing frost is expected. Wrap the tomatoes individually in paper and store them at 55 to 65 degrees F. They will ripen slowly during the next several weeks. Immature green tomatoes may be harvested and used for frying or processed for relish, pickles, etc.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. For more information you can contact your local county extension service, you can also follow Sherri Sanders on Facebook @UADA.WhiteCountyAgriculture
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By Sherri Sanders
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
The Cooperative Extension Service
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Sherri Sanders
County Extension Agent - Agriculture
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
2400 Old Searcy Landing Road Searcy AR 72143
(501) 268-5394
ssanders@uada.edu
The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative
action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need
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