THE GREAT WALLS OF WATER: The walls of water keep the tomato plants from being stressed by the cold at night, as the water absorbs the change of temperature in the environment. By encouraging them to grow faster, they will mature faster and put on ideally more fruit sooner so that they will have more time to ripen. While not as celebrated as China’s, the tomatoes think their walls are pretty great, especially during those cold, lonely nights.
PESTS WE’VE SEEN LATELY: Flea beetles are on the hunt for our tomato plants these days. They tend to attack newly transplanted seedlings but spraying Rotenone or Red Arrow every couple days will protect them until they recuperate after an attack. Using Reemay, or row cover, is another method: the flies will scatter in fear when you approach and then an application of Reemay will keep them off. Once they have settled, hardened, and regained their strength, the plants will be much less susceptible.
PRUNING: for more savory fruit and less disease!
This video is extremely helpful for the delicate but necessary pruning. Just to sum up what he says in the video:
- Pruning is meant to increase yield and avoid disease
- By encouraging growth into the “leaders”, more fruit is produced
- Leaders are the first main stem and the second branch that grows below it; everything else is a “sucker”… because they suck the energy away from where it should be! (or maybe for some other reason)
- Some tomatoes don’t need pruning: called “Determinate”, and they are bushy rather than climbers
- Indeterminate plants are those that need to be trellised and pruned
(they need more TLC, but they produce higher quality fruit… worth it? I think so.)
- When should you stop the growth? 30 days before the first frost, remove the ends of the leaders to force energy to the fruit and inhibit new growth… get the most out of the plants for the last harvest!
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| Where a "sucker" once was... |
HOWEVER, let’s be sure to not go overboard with the pruning, as it could shock the plant and make it more susceptible to disease, possibly killing it before it even produces any fruit at all! Tragic.
CITY TOMATOES: As mentioned before, determinate tomatoes are bushier and compact which would be best for containers, which is often the limit in an urban setting (I’m experiencing that limit now!). They are actually quite suitable to hanging upside down (with the roots inside the container and the stem going through a hole in the bottom). Here’s a couple step-by-step links:
Harvest won't be until late August/early September (this is true in Seattle but it of course depends on the climate) but we can enjoy watching the magic as they turn from flowers to fruit, green to red, red indicating when you need to stop what you're doing and pick that ripe one and take the first bite of juicy bliss.
By the way, there are some great classes on how to PRESERVE TOMATOES going on this summer if you’re preparing for a tomato overload. I’ve taken a class on general canning with Ms. Phelps and I would definitely recommend them. So, if anyone is interested:
How to can tomato products including sauces, salsas, and ketchup! Last Sunday of each month: Seattle Can Can: Canning 104- Tomatoes
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| So many colorful varieties! |
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