Plant Care
Starting from the Ground Up- Location, Soil, and Watering
Location
Tomatoes can grow in a variety of soil types. There are two main ways to grow tomatoes- in garden beds or containers. Planting in the right part of your yard takes some planning. Tomatoes need 6-8 hours of sun per day. However, Tomatoes prefer some afternoon shade from the Colorado sun. Soil
To give your plant the best start, shoot for the optimum conditions. Sandy and Loamy is better than clay. (If you have heavy clay, amend soils with peat or compost.) You really want to have good drainage in your soil. A plant that sits in water or gets too little water will both be detrimental to plant health. PH should be Neutral (7) to slightly Acid (6). You can get soil test kits at garden centers, whereas some garden centers can do a test for you. If you are doing Container Gardening, a bagged potting mix usually is a good start. For the container gardening, Size Matters. Pay closer attention to the variety and size of the container. A smaller determinate (Bush) variety of tomato might fare better than an indeterminate (Vine). The bigger the container, the bigger the tomato variety able to utilize. Also remember to stake or cage tomatoes in either a Container or the Garden. They will need support later in the season, and especially with the wind in southern Colorado! Watering
This is one of the biggest components of plant health and success. Too much or too little cause their own problems. Finding the sweet spot is key. Tomatoes, like all plants, like to have access to water, but need to dry out a little between waterings. The best recommendations out there are to check by hand how the soil feels. Sticking a finger in the soil to the second knuckle, and it feels dry, it is time to water. Additionally, the time of day to water matters. Watering in the morning is best. If you have to water in the evening, water at the base of the plant. Getting water on the leaves will encourage fungal growth. Planting
Tomatoes are one of the few crops that will develop roots on buried stems. Plant the tomato up to the first set of leaves. If you have heavy soil, rather than digging a deep hole, dig a trench and gently lay the plant on its side. You can also wrap a small scrap of newspaper around the main stem to prevent cutworms from biting off the main stem where it meets the soil. Timing! Please be aware that in the Pikes Peak region, the "typical" safe date for planting a garden is around May 15th. You can plant prior based upon a 10 day forecast, but prepare to cover if needed. Preventing Disease/Companion Planting
Growing Heirloom tomatoes at home are so rewarding as their depth of taste and freshness typically far exceeds anything you’ll find at a grocery store. Most tomatoes you find in the grocery store are hybrid tomatoes developed for large scale growers to be prolific and disease free. Growing heirloom varieties tend to be more susceptible to disease, but do offer a flavor some hybrids can’t match. The only given with tomatoes are that they are an annual plant- they will stop producing tomatoes and will die by the end of the season. The best ways for preventing disease are through water management, pruning to keep more air flow, and watching for pests and insects. Another method for helping out your plants is to plant with Companion Planting. A great read on this is the book “Carrots Love Tomatoes”, by Louise Riotte. Pruning
Early Season- Pinch off flower buds/cluster until plants are 12-18 inches tall, so energy can be put into the roots. Keep the bottom of the plant pruned to help ensure better circulation of air towards the base. Mid-season- Pinch off any suckers that form below a flower cluster. End of Season- Prune off the growing tips to put energy towards the fruit. |