Tomato 411

OK….you’re worried about soil borne nasties and other junk that may be looming out there in your garden. Perhaps you’ve used the same plot or place for your tomatoes year after year and that soil needs a rest. You planted there because it’s the perfect spot, well fear not, because we’re going to use that [...]

I know….this looks more like a deranged Leopard versus a Banana…..and why would I show a banana on a blog about Tomatoes? That’s a good question, maybe I can provide a good answer. Well it all starts where we left off last Saturday….we were talking about the “BIG Three” for plant health…Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium [...]

OK….so why do I have a picture of Calcium Gummy Bears with Vitamin D for strong bones you ask? Fair question, so I’ll answer. Tomatoes LOVE calcium among other things. Yes, I know, tomatoes don’t have bones. What tomatoes DO have is a large appetite for “Calcium” in spite of the lack of bones. So [...]

Pretty dull picture over there at the right. But I don’t see dull shades of brown and tan and rust, I see BIG green tomato plants with all the tomatoes smiling and singing and danc……sorry….I got a little carried away. Naturally the Tomato plants and their fruits are not going to dance and sing, or [...]

Is this dentist checking for Tomatoes in the patient’s mouth? Well, actually, no. I don’t know what the hell the dentist is doing….but I DO know another use for that ultraviolet light, or as it is popularly known, “Black Light”. You can do some serious detective work with a “Black Light Flashlight” or an extension [...]

Well, we’re winding down to the final days of “Tomato Production”! Pretty soon the leaves will turn brilliant and beautiful colors and we’ll enter our celebration season for the bountiful harvest we enjoy in America (if not our own little corner out in the garden). So, in that spirit I present the following……. To prevent [...]

I thought I would put an end to the famous debate…Stem Up…..or Stem Down….read on. Published July 1, 2008. From Cook’s Illustrated; We’ve heard that storing a tomato with its stem end facing down can prolong shelf life. To test this theory, we placed one batch of tomatoes stem-end up and another stem-end down and [...]

These beauties all have one thing in common, they were well fed. Right about now as your tomato plants are pouring forth their excellent fruits they might be getting a little tired. A good thing to do is give them a little boost. I personally prefer Miracle Grow but there are plenty of great fertilizers [...]

I don’t panic easily and I’m not going to now! However, I have always believed in the old adage about an “Ounce of protection”! The local agricultural folks have asked me to post about a disease that occurs in Tomatoes and Potatoes called “Late Blight”. You can read all about it here…. Tomato Late Blight [...]

Did you catch that part at the end? Yes, the part about labeling your tomatoes and attaching that tag to the cage. I’m always amazed by the fact that folks plant tomatoes and then forget what kind they were….well, I have to admit I’ve done it myself when I’ve gone hog wild and planted too [...]