Here’s our little pals pictured at the right….these little rascals are pretty hardy for the most part and will go on and become those great tasting tomatoes we all yearn for. However, if the temperatures get too cool the plant, in way of protecting itself, will release enzymes signaling it is shutting down and those blossoms will just plain “Drop Off”! There’s something you might not have realized….Mother Nature is pretty damned smart! Rather than continuing with a growth cycle that might be “fruitless”….pardon the pun….I couldn’t resist….the plant saves it’s energy for better conditions by “dropping” the blossom. Of course the plant will recover when things warm up a tad and we’ll all have a bountiful crop, but it always pays to understand why some folks, myself included, wait for the Memorial Day weekend to throw their tomatoes in.

OK, we’ll be talking a little about fertilizer next weekend along with a look ahead to see what else we can do to promote a good crop of our favorites…..The Tomato! See you then……..

OK we have our tomatoes ready for a good start, next we’ll be looking at some of the on-going tasks we need to perform to keep our buddies the tomatoes healthy as the season progresses. AND don’t forget to think about later plantings….staggered planting if you will. The staggered planting method will provide fresh tomatoes ALL season long versus an avalanche of tomatoes then nothing. OK stay tuned we’ll have some surprises coming up in the future postings. See you next Saturday!

Home Sweet Home….well, at least for your tomato plants…..Look, I’m not saying you need to bring in the Army Corp of Engineers to inspect and confer on your soil and the surrounding climatic conditions but let’s follow some common sense, tried and true, everyday, traditional guidelines here! ROTATE…..Remember Miss Schmedly teaching MEH (Modern European History) in high school? What did she tell you about when agriculture really started to make significant gains in production?….THAT’S RIGHT! When farmers started “Contour Plowing” and……..what?…….“Rotating Crops”!! Geeezzz you guys are pretty bright….I wasn’t sure you’d get that. However……smart as you guys are….do YOU rotate your own crops? Hmmmmm?……C’mon fess up…..that’s what I thought. Listen, one of the best things you can do for your efforts in growing tomatoes is to make sure their “Soil Home” is the best it can be.

Does this look familiar? Hmmm? I certainly hope not! We don’t want any soil borne fungus or nematodes or anything else bothering our little Tomato plants as they start out, but if you don’t give Mother Nature a chance to clean the soil You may just end up with the result you see here! There are many ways to “Rotate” your Tomatoes….How about like what we did last year….”POTS”! You don’t have to spend a lot of money either….how about a 5 gallon container laying around….an old washtub…..even a sturdy old cardboard box can be used with good drainage in the bottom…”AND it’s biodegradable…..that’ll make President Obama happy! ☺ I even knew an old lady that had a shaded lot that used a wheelbarrow with 2 plants in it…..and she wheeled it around during the day to get sunlight….how’s that for dedication and ingenuity. Use your imagination……..anywhere you get 8 hours of good sunlight is a potential site.

OK…a good sunny location…..a container to hold your tomatoes and you’ve got a great start for the season AND you’ve paid heed to the practice Miss Schmedly taught….she’ll be proud! Use your imagination, get the kids involved…or not, but whatever you do HAVE FUN…this all about relaxing and getting a flavorful treat to boot. We’ll talk more about the soil conditioning next week and some planting tips as well…we want you have a nice crop to put on the kitchen table just like pictured here on the right side of the page.

And by the way….YES, I do realize some of you have already planted your tomatoes, but here in Michigan history dictates that the gardener wait until Mother’s Day or, as I do, wait until Memorial Day. OK….come back next week and we’ll have some more common sense “back to basics” advice and insights……Think Tomatoes until then!

They have also added a new Tomato variety, Health Kick! But, alas, the Mister Stripy Tomato is no longer available at Schuring’s. The Tomato God’s give and the Tomato God’s take away or something like that. All the Girls will be there as always….Carole, Sue, Patty, and a host of other “Tomatoes”….if I can say that….☺

OK here’s a recap of the Tomatoes at Schuring’s…Beefmaster, Better Boy, Big Boy, Celebrity, Early Girl Golden Jubilee, Grape Juliet, Jet Star, Lemon Boy, Mr. Stripey, Pink Girl, Red Cherry, Red Plum, Roma Italian, Rutgers, Sweet 100, Yellow Cherry, Yellow Plum, Agriset (a small grape), Amish Paste, Big Beef, Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter Park’s Whopper, Patio, Superfantastic, Tomatilla, Huskey Red and the Better Bush. Don’t forget the new “Health Kick”.

Opps…I almost forgot…the “Tomato” pictured above is Sue. She’s one of the owners and you’ll find her at the Greenhouse most of the time…be sure and say hello and mention this blog…I can use all the brownie points I can get.

My other favorite Greenhouse is the perennial favorite here in Portage, Schram’s Greenhouse. Schram’s has an equally impressive array of Tomatoes available for your garden plus a few new ones this year. here’s the list…

Standard Heirlooms are Red Brandywine, Beefsteak, Large Cherry, Golden Jubilee, Marglobe, Roma, Rutgers, Yellow Pear, and Tomatillos. Hybrids are Beefmaster, Better Boy, Big Beef, Celebrity, Bush Champion, Early Girl, Jet Star, Juliet, La Roma, Lemon Boy, Mountain Spring, Patio, SuperSonic, Super Steak, Sweet 100, and Sun Sugar. Additional Heirlooms are Black Krim, German Johnson, Great White, Green Zebra, Mr. Stripey, Yellow Brandywine, Pink Brandywine, Black Cherry, Amish Paste, Box Car Willie, and the famous Mortgage Lifter. The additions this year are Goliath and Totem. The lovely young lady holding the “Fast Start” Tomato is Dawn Kovach. You’ll be able to see Dawn at the Schram’s location throughout the season.

Here’s a link back to April of last year with more pictures of the Schuring and Schram Greenhouses…CLICK HERE

OK, that’s about it for the beginning of the season…..stay tuned we’ll have some tips and tricks in the coming weeks…get ready to Grow!

This year should be an adventurous one given our recent weather shenanigans and backward timing of Mother Nature. Be that as it may, I think we’re going to have a great planting season for our little red buddies…The World Famous Tomato Plant!

OK, we’re going to start out with a report from our local greenhouse growers next week to see if they hold any surprises for us in the way of “New Tomato Varieties”. I’m also going to check to see if one of our local growers is going to pursue some grafted Tomato plants that may be available here in Portage, MI. PLEASE be aware that the grower involved with this possibility is in the marketing investigation phase of this potential so it may be awhile before we have any answers….I’ll keep you up to date.

We’ll have another addition to the Tomato 411 site as well. I’m looking into initiating a section for Tomato Disease Symptoms and their related treatment. This will be aimed at the local environment but should apply nationally as well. I’ll be continuously hunting for seed bargains where I can find them and will pass them along as they become available.

Alrighty then…..we’re off! I’ll be posting the news from the local growers next week, so stay tuned!

Here’s how it works. Often times folks have a type of tomato they really like but due to climate or soil conditions or some local diseases their tomato variety choice doesn’t do real well. So what can someone do to maximize the resulting yield of their favorite tomato plant in their situation….well the answer came from the Chinese many, many years ago. The Chinese came up with a way to adapt a superior root system to a plant of their choice resulting in a hybrid of sorts. The new root system was made from “Root Stock” and the above ground plant was known as the “Scion”. Of course the Chinese didn’t have tomatoes so their efforts were primarily aimed at fruit trees and ornamental plant varieties. These efforts to improve a plant by combining the root stock with the scion came to be known as “Grafting”. Let’s take a look at how “YOU” can do some grafting!

OK, let’s say you would like to grow a Brandywine Tomato but you know that your soil has some nematodes that might cause some problems with your tomato plant, so the answer to this problem is grafting. We want a root system that is going to be able to withstand the nematodes and provide nourishment for the plant. Well the first thing you need is a good Brandywine plant (scion) which you can find at your local greenhouses. The next thing you’ll need is a good root stock plant…I recommend the “Maxifort” tomato plant which you will have to order from a source that carries the Maxifort seeds…. I would suggest Johnny’s Selected Seeds…here’s the URL  (Click the letters “URL”)

OK, so now you have some seeds to grow the root stock from and you have your little brandywine tomato scion….so what do we do? Here’s what we do, we combine the scion with the root stock….here’s how. Naturally we should have started our root stock in order to get a plant to graft with the tomato stock we have chosen (the scion), in my case a Brandywine plant. Next we need too mate the root stock to the scion, we do this by cutting the two different plants at a 45° angle and joining them with some mechanism to keep them together, you can see above a plastic clip is used. I’ve used Clothespins, tape, or small diameter tubing in order to keep the two plants joined. Perhaps the following video will explain it better than I can….. Watch This!

OK, so there you have it, now you’re a special grafting expert tomato gardener! That does it for this week. I’ll be increasing the post frequency through May…next post in two weeks…be there! ☺

Planning may be the single most best thing you can do for your garden.

What’s that I hear? Why is planning so important? Well, let me give you some reasons why! First off, if you’re one of those folks I see at the greenhouses every year standing there with their chin in their hand while looking more like a Cigar Store Indian* than a shopper you already have a major reason right off!

(*No Cigar Store Indians were hurt or killed in the formulation of that sentence, furthermore, the Cigar Store Indian Nation has given me full permission to use them in any situation I deem worthy…so go take your PC concerns elsewhere!)

OK, where were we? Oh yea, we were listing reasons to plan what you’re going to plant. The second reason is fairly simple….how do you make plans for what you’re going to plant if you don’t know what you’re planting in the first place?

For instance…suppose you’re planting an Early Girl Tomato plant, well there you go, right off the bat you know from reading your Tomato 411 book that an Early Girl is an indeterminate plant….that means it could become the next Jack in the Bean Stalk Plant….if it were a bean plant. Anyway we know it’s not known how big it will get. So IMMEDIATELY we know that we’re going to need a way to support it right? Excellent..you guys were all over that one…so we are going to need what? THAT’S RIGHT!! Cages or stakes or trellising. I’m proud of you guys…I was afraid the long winter months might have dulled the gray matter a tad, but nope, you’re all over it!!

OK, what else would our Early Girl need? Space……..that’s right! So we could start thinking about where we’re going to put our Early Girl or Big Boy or Better Boy. We could also be thinking about some of the new Hybrid Tomato Plants or some of our “Old” favorites, “Heirloom” Toamto Plants. They will each have differing needs for protection and feeding, as well as watering.

Well I think you guys are pretty well prepared…so go on out there and start making you Tomato Planting Planning Lists…next month we’ll start getting into the nitty gritty of what we’re going to plant.

I guess I’m guilty of one of the things I hate most about all these various “Gurus” out there….assuming the newbie understands the basic concepts of any subject.

Let’s take a look at this, I mean I think it’s pretty easy….let’s look at the basics….1st off where are you going to plant? All you need is a piece of dirt facing south so there’s maximum sun exposure. Of course we want to test the soil for pH balance….preferably acidic, that is a pH reading below 7. OK, 7 is kinda the mid point on the acid-alkaline scale (pH). I better go over this.

The pH scale runs from 1 – 14, OK? So, you might be asking right about now what the hell is pH….that’s simple, in a solution pH approximates but is not equal to p[H], the negative logarithm (base 10) of the molar concentration of dissolved hydronium ions (H₃O⁺); a low pH indicates a high concentration of hydronium ions, while a high pH indicates a low concentration. There you go, that wasn’t too bad was it? Let’s cover what the readings mean in real world terms. 1 is the most acidic, I mean this will melt your hand acidic, then there’s alkaline at the extreme which is a 14 reading which will burn your hand beyond recognition….I’m kidding, but to the plants in your garden this is pretty accurate. Now between each number we have a multiple of 10, like the pH of 7 is ten times more alkaline than the reading of 6, kinda like the Richter Scale for earthquakes…..and while we’re on earthquakes I don’t recommend planting your garden in a high earthquake zone….you can….but don’t say I didn’t warn you if one comes along! OK, where were we? Oh yea, we were talking about the multiplicands of the intensity of pH numbers. Did I mention that this is a liquid measure? So you have to put your dirt in a solution….shake it and compare with the color chart on the soil sampling kit you went out and bought….you did buy a soil sampling kit right?…..Hey…that reminds me…your water has a pH too! So we better check that as well…no pun intended….R-R-R-R…check water….”well”……nevermind

OK….so we have our soil site facing south….the soil is slightly acidic…5.9 – 6.7 and our well or city water is not too alkaline…..alrighty, whats next? Oh yea…the tomatoes we’re going to plant.

Now there’s regular tomatoes, hybrid tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and then there are some combinations of those…oh yea…and there are deterrminate and indeterminate varieties unless you graff the tomatoes, then you can get just about anything…so I’ll leave it up to the new gardner what type to pick….just get a few seed catalogs and peruse the 1500 plus varieties and pick a few, or you could just go to the local greenhouse and pick up some seedlings and use those…see how easy this is? Oh, I almost forgot….you need  to know about diseases…here’s a list. You can study each disease by clicking on the link…..there’ll be a quiz later, so study well!

Bacterial Speck, Bacterial Canker, Late Blight, Alternaria Canker , Buckeye Rot, Radial Cracking, Sun Scald , Tomato Mosaic , Spotted Wilt , Blossom End Rot, Anthracnose, Black Mold, Sour Rot, Alternaria Canker, Cottony Leak, Cloudy Spot, Spotted Wilt, Blossom End Rot, Early Blight, Alternaria Canker, Bacterial Canker, Bacterial Speck, Bacterial Spot, Early Blight, Gray Leaf Spot, Late Blight, Leaf Mold, Powdery Mildew, Septoria Leaf Spot, Verticillium Wilt, Cucumber Mosaic Virus, Spotted Wilt, Salt Damage, Phosphorus Deficiency, Beet Armyworm Damage, Leaf Miner Damage, Early Blight, Alternaria Canker , Late Blight Fusarium Wilt, Fusarium Crown Rot, Timber Rot, Southern Blight, Broomrape, Corky Root , Southern Bacterial Wilt, Fusarium Crown Rot, Damping Off, Root Knot, Phytophthora Root Rot, Southern Blight.

OK….let’s see….location…..soil and water pH….tomato types….diseases….Oh yea, when do we plant? Here’s a map….I don’t know where you live so you figure it out….

You can also go to the Farmer’s Almanac http://www.farmersalmanac.com/calendar/gardening/

Alrighty then, I think I have the pis….aggravated lady up to speed now and it’s just a matter of following along. Not hard really….you just have to know a little Biology….a touch of Chemistry…..a smidgeon of Agriculture, a working knowledge of Bioshereic Weather and a good grasp of Planetary Alignment and the reading of Owl Entrails. What could be easier?

OK, It’s that time of year to start thinking about growing tomatoes from seed….seed from the store if you didn’t save any seeds last year.

We want to start thinking about ordering our seeds now so we can get them in time to start them and get them well under way before we have to put them out for hardening off. If you want a rough idea of when you will actually start your seeds we have to think ahead a tad. What we what to do is think of a date when ALL danger of the last frost of Spring will occur….here in Michigan I use Mother’s Day as a planting date, other more daring individuals use May 1st as a “Safe Date” where frost is concerned.

Alrighty then, we have a date and now we need to work backwards 6- 8 weeks depending on the variety or varieties you plan to put out in the garden this year. So if we have a “Beefsteak”, especially one of the heirloom Beefsteaks, we want to use 8 weeks as a rule of thumb. Let’s use May 1st as aour “Safe Date” for planting….let’s do the math….we take may 1st and go back 2 months and we get to March 1st. Boy…that was easy….so we want to plant our little seeds on March 1st.

Yes…..I hear you thinking…..Geeezzz, why is Jack having us look at ordering seeds Now? Well, there’s an easy answer to that….depending on who you buy your seeds from it could take a week or two, but more important than that is there is no harm in ordering early and getting your seeds versus waiting until the last moment and taking a chance on the supplier being sold out…..you know, you’re not the only Tomato gardener out there, so get those orders in!!

If you’re going to pick up your tomatoes at your local greenhouse, I’ll be talking about some of the varieties I’ve grown recently and maybe spur some new thoughts about the Tomato Garden this year. I’ll be highlighting those next month….so stay tuned!

I hope you all have your Christmas shopping all taken care of…..but if you don’t I have an idea. Now for some shameless self-promotion, how about a nice book for someone special….how about a book all about “TOMATOES”!!! Well if you do you can click the little ad at the bottom of the post here and order one. OK……self-promotion over!

Let me wish all of you out there a Very Merry Christmas…..and naturally a happy “New Year!” I leave it there for this post and allow you to continue your shopping and merry making….Thanks for a great year and 2012 will be even better!

OK, here’s a bunch of Green Tomatoes. We can pick the tomatoes when they’re green and bring them inside to ripen. If we want to prolong the ripening process we can pull the whole plant right out of the ground and hang the plant upside down in the garage or some other relatively warn place to continue ripening.

OR….we could russle up some “Fried Green Tomatoes”. Here is a dandy recipe.

Personally I prefer to let the tomatoes turn and then do whatever it is I want to do…canning, ketchup, relish, or just enjoy a slice on a sandwich as long as they last. If the tomatoes get too ripe all is not lost…DO NOT THROW THEM AWAY!!! You can find a nice plot of dirt and just place the tomato on the dirt….that’s it, just wait till late spring and I guarantee there will be some volunteers growing there. Let them grow a little and then transplant them to a spot in your garden, how easy is that?

Here’s another great recipe you might want to try…it’s pretty easy.

Roasted Tomato-Red Wine Cream

By David Harbilas

This is a fairly easy sauce that is short on prep time, long on cooking time and long on flavor.

If you want to impress someone, this is a good sauce to make with a rich flavored entrée of beef, poultry, or pork.

Like many of my recipes, it makes use of a basic roasted tomato puree but takes an addition of a red wine reduction and heavy cream.

Makes about 3 cups of sauce

One bottle of red wine
1 carrot, rough chopped
1 onion, rough chopped
1 stalk of celery, rough chopped
1 head of garlic, cut in half
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
3 red globe variety tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat an oven to 300 degrees. Coat the tomatoes in olive oil, place in a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper and cover the pan. Roast the tomatoes for at least four hours, until slightly shriveled and reduced in size. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow to cool. Puree the tomatoes with a little of their roasting juices to make a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve.

Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the carrot, onion, and celery over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until slightly caramelized. Add the butter and flour to make a light roux and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs, and red wine and turn the heat up to high. Allow the mixture to reduce by at least half. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean saucepan.

Add the roasted tomato puree to the red wine sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the mixture by half and add the heavy cream. Reduce the final sauce until thick and serve.

Starting October 1st (A Saturday) we’ll be switching to monthly postings versus our weekly postings. Our first monthly offering will contain some tips on extending those tomatoes for a little longer…we’ll also talk about next year a little bit.

So keep a tomato in your heart for the next growing season…as illustrated above. ☺

There are a bunch of reasons why the leaves turn yellow with a progression up the plant as the growing season ages. The main reason is it’s perfectly normal. As the season moves along you’ll find that the bottom leaves kind of just don’t do as well as upper leaves, this is the result of the plant caring more for the growing part of the plant to the detriment of the already been used part of the plant….make sense? You see the leaves are really yellow anyway….think of it as the same thing as Fall coming on with the various tress displaying their colors as the water and light dissipate.  Speaking of “Water”, that is the next main reason leaves yellow…not enough water. You see this a lot earlier in the growth cycle when it’s a watering problem, the solution is to water on a more frequent basis. I hope this alleviates any anxiety you folks may have had. ☺

OK, so what’s ahead for our little “Tomato Blog”….well I’m going to cut the scheduled blog posting back to the first Saturday in October, November, and December of 2011 and January, February, and March of 2012….that’s officially, I will probably be throwing in a few posts here and there as I find suitable items of interest.

I WILL be posting next week too….a kind of wrap up of the container episode in Tomato Growing adventures. So be sure and stop back and I’ll keep you informed on what we’ll be looking at in the off-season….All the best!

Personally, I would opt for the one on the right!

I’ve heard that storing a tomato with its stem end facing down can prolong it’s usable life. To test this theory, I placed one batch of tomatoes stem-end up and another stem-end down and stored them at room temperature. A week later, nearly all the stem-down tomatoes remained in perfect condition, while the stem-up tomatoes had shriveled and started to mold. Why the difference? I think that the scar left on the tomato skin where the stem once grew provides both an escape for moisture and an entry point for mold and bacteria. Placing a tomato stem-end down blocks air from entering and moisture from exiting the scar. To confirm this theory, I ran another test, this time comparing tomatoes stored stem-end down with another batch stored stem-end up, but with a piece of tape sealing off their scars. The taped, stem-end-up tomatoes survived just as well as the stem-end-down batch. Aren’t I brilliant? What’s that you say?……Well I thought is was pretty smart, boy, some folks are REALLY cranky today! Anyway, if you make sure that the stems are down you can dispense with the sealing tape and get the results you want!

ATTENTION….BONUS INFO

Here is an old recipe that is excellent for those extra tomatoes or when they’re just a “little” too ripe.

If you have too many tomatoes and you can’t give them away for fear of being hit by one of the last batch you forced on your neighbor, here’s a great lost recipe….Tomato Water! Yes Tomato Water….really fairly easy to make and the flavor is just something you have to experience for yourself, maybe it will put you in a better mood…..guffaw! You can use the Tomato Water for all kinds of things…..

• As a base for Bloody Marys
• As an added flavoring for beer or vodka
• As a base for gazpacho or cocktail sauce
• As a poaching liquid for shrimp, calamari or lobster
• As a dressing for fresh oysters
• As a marinade for white fish
• As a vinaigrette mix-in
• As a rice seasoner
• Chilled and over ice, with basil

Here’s how to make it….CLICK HERE

Obviously I stole this recipe from one of my favorite cooks sites. That would be Alton Brown, I strongly suggest you get the “Serious Eats” from the guy that authors “Good Eats”! Once you have your Tomato Water you are really only confined by your imagination tempered with common sense…Enjoy!

Ever wonder where the big fast food outfits get their tomatoes? Sorry….there’s another question, but it’s an important one if I’m going to tell my story. MacDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Hardee’s, your local restaurant, and just about everyone else in the world including some big supermarket chains buy their tomatoes from farms in Florida. Great place to grow tomatoes right? WRONG! Oh Florida has plenty of sunshine OK, and the soil on commercial tomato growers farms is alright, but the one thing tomatoes hate more than anything is also in abundance in Florida…HUMIDITY! Humidity harbors all things great and small that love to bite, eat, poison, rot, and in general attack our friend the tomato…Jesus, I sound like Mr. Rodgers! Anyway, in order to fight all the bad guys that attack the tomato the Florida growers use large amounts of chemicals. Now I’m not adverse to chemicals because most of them are fine and dandy and are safe for us to consume in minute quantities, just I think they use the wrong stuff and that affects flavor. Another thing that has a tremendous affect on tomatoes flavor is picking them green! The tomato hasn’t had a chance to release the enzymes that ripen the tomato and impart a HUGE portion of what makes tomatoes taste great. Bad enough they’re picked green, but now they gas the poor tomatoes with Ethylene to make them turn red…..I’m seriously thinking of starting the ASPCT…The American Society to Prevent Cruelty to Tomatoes….I mean GASSED!!! If this wasn’t bad enough, my friends, it gets worse! Tomato farmers grow their tomatoes for one thing and one thing only….Yield, that and appearance. They could give a rat’s as……hind quarters about flavor! In fact a new book coming out called “Tomatoland” by Barry Estabrook talks about the growers attitude. One of the tomato farmers is quoted as saying, “I get paid by the pound pure and simple, I don’t get a cent for flavor!” I said, “growers attitude” a couple of sentences back, that’s wrong, it should be “growers approach”, those growers are business people, not connoisseurs of great tomato taste. So as long as we the public will not spit the tomatoes on the floor of your local eatery, I guess we’ll continue to get chemical ladened, gassed tomatoes for the foreseeable future!

So what’s the answer to this horrible injustice to the tomato you ask….you did ask that didn’t you? Well, take heart my friends, we’ve already answered the question as best we can. We grow real tomatoes right in our own yards, and for about 6 weeks out of the year we can celebrate the wonderful flavor of all the great varieties of tomatoes large and small. See what a hero you are? Go get the kids and make them read this, if they’re too small, read it to them!………..More next week!

Some of the benefits of containers we saw first hand this growing season and some are benefits that I could see being a big advantage, although I didn’t directly benefit from thus far! Let’s list the things I liked.

MANAGEABILITY…. This has to be my favorite advantage to the containers. First is visibility. When you are tending the plant in a container everything is closer. Because everything is closer, being off the ground,  you can see things that a ground planting doesn’t easily allow. Secondly is Watering. Don’t ask me why, but the watering management seems a whole lot easier. You can test the soil for moisture content with a quick thrust of your chosen digit and arrive at a decision as to whether to water or not. Speaking of whether, or should I say, Weather, DO NOT rely on rain as a source of water no matter how hard it rained. Natural rain is NOT a substitute for water management! The containers have many benefits, but catching rain isn’t one of them. If you observe your plants during a rain, you’ll notice the natural shape of the plant sheds the water outside the container as a rule. This could be considered a detriment I guess, but I’m not counting it as such….so there ☺

SUPPORTABILITY….When we started this experiment, I was pretty sure supporting the plants would be a trick, I was wrong. This is the first time I’ve been wrong in my life…I don’t like the feeling……Hey Wait! I take that back, I was wrong once before many years ago….I thought I made a mistake! Anyway, the supporting tasks went very well and I liked both ways (caged and Foam Wire supports) of supporting the plants.

MAINTENANCE….This is the part I haven’t experience yet and I consider a big benefit….potentially, of course. However, I assume it will go swimmingly. I am speaking of annual maintenance here versus plant maintenance obviously. The container, even with their contents,  are fairly easily moved. The cages will remove easily as will the Foam Wire to be used again next year. The soil will be good for another year I’m sure! I will add new soil on top of the current soil next year and see how the plants prosper….and you’ll be there….by golly, there goes that pulse again! I don’t recall ever having this much fun with my clothes on!

Alrighty then, we’re nearing the part of the season that always kind of saddens me. We’ll be pulling the last of the fruit from the plants over the next couple of months, but there is always “Football”! Next week we’ll take a closer look at winding the season down….till then, enjoy those Tomatoes!

I think I killed a total of 22 of the dastardly little beast…I would have said I killed 22 of the bastards, but this is a Family Tomato Blog…..so I didn’t! Anyway you can click on the pictures and take a close look at what the bast…..critters did!

Actually, they look a lot worse than they really are. Defoliating a tomato plant looks way worse than it actually is, aside from a potential for “Sun Scald”. Oddly enough, the only tomato plants that the Hummingbird Moths laid their eggs on were the two heirloom tomato plants…..and they must have set a record for eggs….I have NEVER had 22 tomato hornworms in my garden ever…..and believe me, that’s a long time! Anyway, next spring we’ll talk about some various methods of protecting our tomato plants from the devastation and heartache I’ve had to endure (geeezzz, that really sounded heartfelt….I’ll bet I get a couple of contributions out of that. ).

OK, in other events, my computer is totally back to normal after a couple of days of intense re-installs. So we’re good on that front. Oh yea….I sent away for a black light flashlight from China and Mr. Wu promised in a broken English e-mail that I’d have it in 12 days and Lo and Behold (they’re figures of speech….not Chinese) he was right on time the 12th day. However, there were no batteries as promised and the batteries it takes are not “AA”, but rather, “AAA”. So I have to get some AAA’s and put my attempts at catching the elusive little bast…..critters off until next year! I’ll be able to go on some real Hornworm safari’s next year and hopefully bag my limit with Mr. Wu’s excellent black light flashlight. Boy, my pulse is pounding already!

Speaking of “Pounding Pulse’s”…..guess what? It’s almost tomato time, I’ve already started harvesting the VERY sweet “Sungold” tomatoes (A yellow-orange Cherry Tomato) and Sweet 100′s. The Jetstars are almost ready (turning red as I type) and of course the aforementioned Boxcar Willie and Kellogg’s Breakfast have some massive fruit on them and hold the promise of a mother-lode of good eatin’! Alrighty then, I’ll be here next week with more tomato plant surprises and progress reports on our “Container Tomato Plant” experiments. Stay healthy and don’t let the Hornworms bite….or something like that. ☺

OK…..do you know what this is? No? OK, it’s not every day you run across one of these things, so I’ll tell you….although I was sorely tempted to pop a “Quick Quiz” on this. It’s a Hornworm Pupa (cocoon). After the Tomato Hornworm eats your entire tomato plant it crawls down into the soil beneath the once beautiful tomato plant and burrows into the soil and looks like this if you find one. We’ll get more into this next week when I have my computer in working order…fully.

Meanwhile I want you to keep in mind that at the end of the “Tomato Growing Season” we need to be on the look out for these little bastards….I won’t go into the mating habits of the “Hummingbird Moth”, but take my word for it, these Horned Tomato Worms are bastards!….Where were we…..Oh Yea…end of the Tomato Season! One of the things we need to do in late October or thereabouts is to churn up the top 3 or 4 inches of soil and look for any of these little brown cocoons. What you do if you find any is up to you….I recommend recalling what they did to the tomato plant before any punitive action is taken…and be sure you have on old clothes!

Alrighty, we’ll end our little discussion of the dreaded Tomato Hornworm next week and move onto more important matters concerning out tomatoes.

OK, so now we know how to differentiate a Tobacco hornworm from a Tomato Hornworm, what do we do with this information with regard to out tomato plants….nothing actually, I just thought you might like to know the difference in case you ever decide to take up growing tobacco for smoking your own cigarettes.☺ So now that you’ve gotten over you euphoria at becoming an expert you’ve probably formulated a few questions……like, “How in the hell do these tomato hornworms find their way to MY tomato plants?” Well, I’ll tell you….Hummingbirds…..no, no, not those Hummingbirds, the dreaded “Hummingbird Moth!” These giant moths fly around laying eggs on the underside of soft leaves. When the egg matures the Tomato Hornworm emerges….or a Tobacco Hornworm if you’ve taken up growing Tobacco. When this guy emerges he’s really hungry and starts eating whatever is available…..usually your Tomato plant.

I have made it my business to hunt down and dispatch the dreaded “Hummingbird Moth” as witnessed by my Hummingbird Moth Trophy case! Each “Kill” has a little card identifying the location and date of dispatching these monsters. I usually prefer using my “Red Ryder B-B Gun” to take these beast down, but on occasion I have even defeated them bare handed, a messy affair at best. I recently ran afoul of the DNR when an agent spotted me shooting one. He told me, “You can’t shoot those!” To which I replied, “Shoot what?” He said, “Those things you’re shooting at….” I said, “You don’t even know what it is I’m shooting at and you’re telling me I can’t shoot them?” He replied, “Well, we’ll see about this, I’m going to start a 10 Million dollar research program to see what the impact of shooting those things has on the environment!” At this point he departed and I haven’t yet heard what impact “Those Things” have had upon our Mother Earth.

Just in case anyone thinks I was serious about the hunting and the DNR guy….I’m kidding….just a little Walter Mitty flight of fancy. In any event, next week I’m going to tell you a trick for getting rid of any future generations of these pest….and it’s REAL easy!

Kellogg's Breakfast on the left and Box Car Willie on the right

Remember these guys?, two weeks ago? No? Well that probably because they are growing like they’re on “Steroids” or something! Naturally, they aren’t on steroids…I mean that would be illegal and next thing you know I’d be in front of some Congressional Committee trying to explain why needles were found in my garden shed and how it was that my “Box Car Willie” claimed to have dabbled with Vegetable Growth Hormone” on occasion and knew other plants were taking them, but he had nothing to do with them. No….no…..we don’t want to go there and besides I wouldn’t risk my “Organic Growers Club” membership card just for the sake of a “Super Tomato” or two, although they have been a little snippy about the late dues, anyway let’s get back to the tomatoes.

OK, the guy on the left is a “Kellogg’s Breakfast” heirloom and the guy on the right is one of my favorites, a “Box Car Willie” heirloom. See how they grow! Why hell, two weeks ago they were about half the size they are now, why you could say they’ve doubled in size. I think I did a redundancy there, but nonetheless these guys are really moving along. The dose of fertilizer really gave them a kick. They don’t have any real fruit yet, but they will shortly……meanwhile back at the Jet star we have considerable growth with the fruit.

We’ll be seeing some color with these guys very soon, maybe even next week. So I’ll be keeping an eye on them.

Hey, just as an aside for you folks that don’t live in Michigan, on the 11th (Monday) we had one hellacious storm roll through Southwest Michigan. My plants made out OK. I think it was due to the fact that the fence provided a great deal of shelter for the plants. I’ve heard that some other folks didn’t fare so well. That’s too bad, I hate to hear of  a labor of love being interfered with even by Mother Nature. OK, well be learning about the terrible Tomato Horn Worm next week. We’ll be looking out for signs that you might have one of these beast. See you next Saturday!

OK, so why are we here today? We’re here to bring us up to date on our pals the tomatoes. Well, as you can see, we’ve got a new development….take a look over there on the right, our first tomato of the season has arrived and we’re ready to welcome it with a little dose of fertilizer. Folks are always asking me about the best time to fertilize. Actually I’m not absolutely sure about that. Years of reading and observation and advice from the “Experts” has lead me to one conclusion. The first fertilization should always occur about the time fruit is set….I mentioned that last post. It seems this is a time when the plant really needs a small boost. I use Miracle Grow. I like the fact that it is water soluble and is readily absorbed by the plant whether it’s through the root system or directly on the plant itself. After our initial boost I’ll give the tomatoes another small shot every two weeks until the plant starts to slow down near the end of September. Please remember that all this excellent advice and insight is really nothing more or less than what Dorothy discovered behind the curtain.☺ Every one of you is planting in a different environment with different soil, drainage, exposure to the sun, amounts of rain, temperatures, pests, and yes, even the plant stock itself! Only time and observation will tell you what is best for your situation…and I’ll occasionally tell you what is best…..provided the curtain is closed and no dogs bother me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the “Experts” can only provide large generalities as to the best approach to growing tomatoes or any other plant. The real expert here is you, yes you! Don’t get an ulcer over your plants, just enjoy them and keep your eyes open, you’ll be absolutely astounded at what you’ll learn about your little corner of “Plant Heaven”. OK, that’s it for this week. We’ll take a look at all the plants next week and see how they’re progressing. Until then, keep those visions of the first tomato dancing in your head, they’ll be here before you know it!

OK, we’ll take a look at the “Jetstars” next week, they’re the ones that set fruit already…..living up to their name. You’ll get a special treat with them because they have some “Pig Wire” surrounding them. I’ll bet that quickened your pulse…eh? Alrighty then, until next week, keep up the good work with your tomato plants or the good work of coming to see how our experiment is working out.

Foam Wire

Now that we have left the World of Walter Mitty we can continue with our Tomato Plant observations. You will notice that I’ve placed a rather large “Metal Plant Hanger” behind the tomato planter (I know you can’t see it here, but trust me, it’s big). From the plant hanger I ran some “Foam Wire” to the tomato plant and made a 3″ loose loop around the main stem of the plant. This will take some of the strain away from the plant as it grows. In time, as the tomato plant continues to get bigger I will add more “Foam Wire” supports and/or move existing supports. A quick word about the “Foam Wire” I’ve been putting in quotation marks….this stuff is GREAT! The piece of foam wire in the picture is about 5 years old. I’ve used it for a multitude of different tasks. The stuff just keeps going and going. It comes in a 33 foot roll and is EXCELLENT for supporting any kind of plant, as well as, a miriad of other purposes only bound by your imagination. I’m in the midst of trying to find an inexpensive source for this and when I do I’ll post an address for the best price.

Next week I’ll be showing some of the other 7 plants I’ve put in containers and some of the various ways I’ve supported them. I’ll also be talking some more about “Pig Wire” and where to get it and at what price. For those of you unfamiliar with “Pig Wire”, Pig Wire is fencing used for…surprise….pigs. The fencing is 3′-6″ high and has 6″x6″ openings. It is ideal for tomatoes because of the 6″x6″ feature. This allows for reaching in to the plants and tending to them or removing fruit from them. I purchase the wire from an Amish farmer right outside Shipshewana, IN in 45′-0″ lengths at 44¢ a foot…..pretty reasonable I think. The reason for 45′-0″ length is it makes five 9′-0″ lengths and a 9′-0″ length translates into a 3′-0″ diameter tomato cage  and that makes 5 cages, you may not need that many, but you get the idea. Stay tuned and we’ll get you some more information on items to help with growing those tomatoes. See you next Saturday.

Well isn’t this a nice surprise? Our little Tomato plant has really grown a bunch! Next we have to plan how we’re going to support these little gems as they continue to grow and when we are going to give them a little kick in the pants in the way of a dose of fertilizer. But first I need to slow down a tad, I mean this tomato plant is only a couple of weeks into the “Pot” experiment. I guess I should say “Container” experiment….I don’t want anyone else getting over heated by this experiment….☺

Alrighty then….what should we be doing at this juncture of our tomato “Container” experiment? How about we take a closer look at our tomato plant. Well I’ll be dam…..darned….we’ve got some blossom action going on with our little tomato plant!

So, why do we want to keep track of our blooms? No, we’re not going to pick them and make a nice bouquet…besides, they don’t smell all that great. Any other guesses? No….OK, I’ll tell you. When the blossoms start to set fruit, you’ll know this by the little bulbous green guys that appear in the middle of the blooms, we can think about giving the plant a little fertilizer. Now you guys should know what numbers to use when selecting a fertilizer because we went all over that, right? Alright…..don’t panic…there won’t be a test and I’ll give you the proper numbers when the time comes…..I can’t believe we went over that and I still have to tell what proportions of fertilizer we need. You guys better start paying attention….I may start grading all of this!

OK, where were we….Oh yea, we were talking about the blossoms. The blossoms also start the plant on a new cycle in the growing pattern of the tomato plant. The plant gets a kind of natural kick in the growth of the tomato. We need to take advantage of that by giving a little boost to the fruit itself via fertilizer….does all this make sense? Plants don’t think….they react….they react to stimuli and situations via chemical signals and markers. This is all very complicated botany…I won’t go into it right now. After the answers I got about the blossom tracking question I’m not sure you guys are ready for all of that, anyway, we’re going to give the plant just what it needs just when it wants it. This will ensure a tomato crop they will be the envy of all the neighbors….that reminds me of another tip….if you’re living in an area where the neighbors are envious of your tomato crop you might want to consider moving….housing is pretty cheap these days you know……anyway, I’ll report back next week on our experiment and see what steps we need to invoke. OK, see you next Saturday.

To Be or Not To Be Organic

Is this an Organic Tomato or a Conventionally Grown Tomato? ….I’m gonna wager you can’t tell me. And when I say conventionally grown I mean a tomato that has non-animal fertilizers used on it as well as anything else the purist don’t like, like DNA alteration….although I’m sure none of you home gardening experts do a whole lotta lab work with your strains of tomatoes.

I’ll also wager that you can’t tell me what “Organic ” anything is or where this “Organic” movement….philosophy….culture….or whatever it really is came from and where it has evolved to.

I know…you’re probably saying to yourself, “Good Lord, what’s up with this tomato guy getting all bent out of shape over organic and non-organic….I just came over here to read a nice blog about tomatoes and I get challenged like I’m on Jeopardy or something!” Well, let me explain. It all started with a few inquiries about organic growing of tomatoes and I started wondering what really constitutes a true “Organically grown anything”. So naturally I went to the source…the USDA….and guess what I found? It seems “Organically Grown” stuff is more about the environment than it is about healthy food. You can read all about it at The USDA Organic Act Page .

All this “Organic” stuff started way back in 1942 with some dude named J. I. Rodale…seems there were some folks that wanted to get back to farming the way it used to be before industrialization. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know why they wanted to go backwards…..and neither did the USDA. In fact they were pretty much blown off until the late eighties when they made a concerted effort to push for their “Organic” crops. Some bureaucrat decided to lend an ear and the ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION ACT of 1990 was born. If you follow the link above and read the Act you’ll find it’s all about the production of the crop….not the quality of the crop….apparently a superior result is assumed (I’m thinking they should talk to those 31 dead people  in Europe about the quality of German “Organic” Bean Sprouts).

OK….now we arrive at the part that says, in conventional wisdom, that organic Farmers don’t use those bad chemicals on their crops…right? WRONG!! Pyrethrin (with the formula C21H28O3) is one of several common toxic chemicals sprayed onto fruit trees by organic farmers (even on the day of harvesting); another allowed chemical is rotenone (C23H22O6), a potent neurotoxin, long used to kill fish, and recently linked to Parkinson’s disease {Betarbet, 2000 #1258}.

How can organic farmers justify the use of these chemical pesticides? The answer comes from the delusion that substances produced by living organisms are not really chemicals. Since pyrethrin is extracted from chrysanthemums and rotenone comes from a native Indian vine, they are deemed organic instead. So next time you bite into one of those outrageously priced Organic Pears you better hope all the chemical residues have been disposed of through some washing process….and the next time someone invites you over for a summer snack including bean sprouts, you better hope they didn’t grow them in un-composted manure.

Alrighty then….I’m all done ranting and railing. I hope I answered those questions sent in and I apologize to those of you who didn’t know you’d be on Jeopardy upon arrival. I guess I’m just a tad cranky from realizing I should have looked this stuff up a long time ago….funny how the advocates of certain mind set can alter their own truth to fit another set of circumstances….like making outrageous money.

Y’know….Tomatoes are kinda like computers when you’re having problems with them, it’s hard to pin down the exact cause of a problem with just a few physical hints….like yellow leaves at the base of the plant. There’s a common malady that has about a dozen different potential causes. Could be Calcium deficiency…..root nodes……lack of potassium….too much phosphorus, OK you get the idea. You could get a nose bleed trying to figure all this stuff out. Maybe that spot out there in the garden needs a rest. So this year I’m doing some experiments to see if a few 5 Gallon containers and a Cubic Foot of “Scotts Special Garden Soil” per container. We’ll see if the plants we put in the containers do better than the last few years when we put them in the ground

Let’s make a list of what we need to do this.

1- 16″ planter (pretty close to a 5 gallon bucket”)

1- Bag of “Garden Soil” (1 Cu. Foot) of some type…Scott’s….Miracle Grow….or if you’re lucky enough, your own compost. Do NOT use moisture control soil…..it actually does too good of a job….we want the roots to be a little drier than moisture control allows.

Some stuff to put in the bottom of the planter to promote drainage…..I used plain ol’ straw….volcanic rock works real well, use your imagination.

A REAL sunny location with a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight (some varieties can get by with a little less…say 6-8 hours), in case you decide to use a spot you haven’t before.

Anyway, fill the container with your drainage material so that the container is 1/3 filled (a little more for stuff that will compress). Then we dump the soil in and we have the makings of a perfect “Sanitary” planting medium…isn’t this exciting? I know my pulse increased! Next comes the fun part….choosing the Tomato Plant to go into our “Lab”. You can chose any plant you like, we’ll be going into supporting the plants as we move through the growing season. Just as an aside, this whole creation we’ve made weighs about 45 lbs. So if you’d like to shift the planter after the initial placement you can….just be careful not to put your back out. So, voila as they say, were done for now and can take great pride in the experiment we’ve begun. I’ll be updating this on a pretty regular basis and we’ll see how we do….see you next Saturday.

They Brought The Wrong Tomatoes!

Well it’s that time of year for me and a bunch of other Michiganders…..Memorial Day Weekend!! This means planting tomatoes without fear of frost here in Michigan….well, almost anyway!

As you may recall, we’ve covered the basics of fertilizing with our little series on N-P-K, 10-05-10, or as I like to call them….NitPiK (the word is just a memory prompt for me ☺) of course we’re talking about the basic fertilizers; Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. So now we can  move on to another basic step in success…..Proper planting procedures.

Tomato Roots Planted Horizontally

The picture on the right is an illustration of how roots grow when the plant has a significant portion “Trenched” or planted with the stem horizontal and laid in a small trench we have made to accommodate the new planting. I show you this merely as an illustration that the stem of a tomato plant will “develop” roots if given an opportunity. So, horizontal or traditional upright planting the tomato planting season is official launched. We’ll get into some supporting techniques in the next few weeks, as well as, some things to watch out for a your tomato plants continue to grow. Stay tuned, we’ll have some fun watching the growing cycle. Good Luck with the start to the season….at least for me here in Michigan.

Tomatoes love Nitrogen (N2…..eighty percent of what you’re breathing right now). Well, thank goodness, this is actually the vision of “Things to come” in your future garden if you don’t pay attention. Of course this would be just dandy to prevent sun scald, but it would also harbor a perfect climate to encourage fungus’s…..or is that fungi? How do you feel about how easy all this tomato business was going to be now? Buck up….it’ll get easier as we move along ☺

Well, it’s not all that bad if you just remember that tomatoes need a little boost in nitrogen in the 2nd and along into the beginning of the 3rd month of fruiting. Nitrogen is essential for photosynthesis which is essential for the general health of the plant, but we don’t want to over do it. So I don’t mean you need to put our tomato plants on N2 inter venous feeding, but a fertilizer like a 5-10-10 would do nicely sprinkled sparingly around the plant stem in a 4 inch radius, maybe once every two weeks. You may recall from last weeks pearls of wisdom that the numbers on the fertilizer bag or box refer to the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in that order….so when I say a 5-10-10 fertilizer we get Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Nitrogen to REPLACE the Nitrogen used by the plant and of course the Phosphorus for the fruit health plus Potassium to continue the encouragement of root functions. Another way to fertilize is to use Miracle Grow for Tomatoes. I’ve used it for years with great results, but the real bonus is the ability to fertilize with no danger of burning the plant or over doing it in relative moderation. Just follow the instructions supplied with the product and you’ll be fine.

PLEASE keep in mind that all our efforts here will return different results as we move through the growing year, your job is to take note of the major glitches ( if any) that appear and solve them. Just remember….”Wisdom comes from experience, and experience come from the lack of wisdom” and you’ll be fine. ☺ Naturally, we are here to help as well, so you can always feel free to drop a line to us at tomato411(at)gmail.com .

Next week I’ll be throwing some plants into the ground…this is where the real fun begins!
photo credit: Anika Malone

Anyway, we were discussing what a banana is doing on a tomato blog when we sidetracked with all this fertilizer stuff. The banana is there because bananas are LOADED with potassium and I thought it would be a neat way of segueing into the requirements for Potassium in the tomato. Basically, Potassium activates plant enzymes and keeps cell fluid movement in balance. Potassium regulates water loss through stomata (tiny pores) on the leaves, and it is necessary for root formation and food storage in the plant. Severe deficiencies in vegetables can appear as deformed, stunted or yellow leaves, weak stems and premature fruit drop. I know that doesn’t necessarily sound all that interesting but it’s the best I can do. Blame the tomato for the dull accounting….it’s the one that wants the Potassium! Most soils have a pretty good balance of Potassium but you can always incorporate some fertilizer into the soil as you prepare you tomato beds…..moderation, as always, is key.

OK, next week we’ll touch on Nitrogen….kind of a friend and kind of an enemy depending on your needs as it were. We’re into the planting zone now here in Michigan…so the fun begins in earnest!

What in the world could cause such a thing? , you ask. I’ll tell you, there are 2 possibilities. One, there is not enough Phosphorus (P) in the soil for the plant….or number Two, the soil is too damned cold, especially here in Michigan.

Let’s look at how we solve number one. We put some ANIMAL manure on the soil we’re planting in. Animal manure is loaded with Phosphorus, a few bags of cow manure from the local gardening center will do the trick and it’s a good practice regardless of purple plants or not. You can use another animal’s manure too, it’s probably the best manure I’ve ever used for tomatoes……Chicken Manure, tomatoes LOVE chicken manure! You’re probably asking yourself, “Where in God’s creation do I find chicken manure?….well, I just report what works, not necessarily where to get it, you’re on your own there! If you know anybody that raises chickens or of an egg plant nearby you’ll probably be on the road to chicken manure nirvana.

OK, number two, how do we cure Cold Soil? Cold soil can be cured by following President Obama’s advice …..use Solar Power….place some black plastic on the ground around your tomato plants and let the sun warm their feet all the way to toasty. Hey, I forgot to tell you why cold soil is so bad. When the soil is cold (below 50° F) the phosphorus is unavailable to the plants and all kinds of bad stuff happens at that point….like turning purple….that’s because the tomato plants use the phosphorus for Photosynthesis which makes the plant a nice healthy green….see there, that wasn’t so hard to figure out…no chlorophyll. Anyway, put away that 1500 Watt hairdryer and listen to the President….and me! ☺

Next week we’ll take a look Potassium (K)……another one of the big 3…Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and yup, you guessed it, Potassium(K). Till then……

Well it’s “Official”, Spring is finally here! Two of my favorite Greenhouses here in good ol’ Portage, MI. have started stocking the shelves with tomato plants of varying sizes. Regardless of where you live you will find large assortments of tomato plants available to choose from, as well as a flood of flowers and other vegetables. So, what do we have available to choose from locally…well at Schram’s Greenhouse, 7313 S. Westnedge Ave., Portage (phone (269) 327-5347) you’ll find a bunch of interesting tomato offerings. Here’s a listing of their tomato plants; Standard Heirlooms are Red Brandywine, Beefsteak, Large Cherry, Golden Jubilee, Marglobe, Roma, Rutgers, Yellow Pear, and Tomatillos. Hybrids are Beefmaster, Better Boy, Big Beef, Celebrity, Bush Champion, Early Girl, Jet Star, Juliet, La Roma, Lemon Boy, Mountain Spring, Patio, SuperSonic, Super Steak, Sweet 100, and Sun Sugar. Additional Heirlooms are Black Krim, German Johnson, Great White, Green Zebra, Mr. Stripey, Yellow Brandywine, Pink Brandywine, Black Cherry, Amish Paste, Box Car Willie, and the famous Mortgage Lifter.

The Lady on the right in with the giant tomato plant is Luba Schram, one of the owners.Be sure and keep an eye out for Luba, she is always buzzing around trying to keep up with all the chores and requests. Regardless of who you get to help you at Schrams, you’ll find a knowledgeable and friendly staff at your disposal to help with your garden needs.

OK, now we’re on to my other favorite Greenhouse in Portage. That would be as shown in the photo at the left…Schuring’s Greenhouse 610 Schuring Rd., Portage (269-321-8840). Their list is equally impressive for sheer numbers and variety. They feature Beefmaster, Better Boy, Big Boy, Celebrity, Early Girl Golden Jubilee, Grape Juliet, Jet Star, Lemon Boy, Mr. Stripey, Pink Girl, Red Cherry, Red Plum, Roma Italian, Rutgers, Sweet 100, Yellow Cherry, Yellow Plum, Agriset (a small grape), Amish Paste, Big Beef, Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter Park’s Whopper, Patio, Superfantastic, Tomatilla, Huskey Red and the Better Bush….whew…that’s a lot of tomatoes. There’s a new Blog coming from the Schuring Greenhouses…it is http://johnschuringjr.com/retail/

The two ladies on the right are the ladies of Schuring’s Greenhouses. The one with the multicolored apron is Sue Schuring and the other lady with the slightly more conservative apron is Carole Schuring. You can look for them if you’re at the Schuring Greenhouses, but just like the Schram store, all the folks at Schuring’s are top notch and can help you whatever your gardening needs happen to be.

Now don’t forget, there’s a couple of databases available above(click the Tomato Variety Database)….the Cornell Database gives user experiences with various varieties so give it a try to aid in your choices this year.

Hey, I almost forgot…both Schrams and Schurings carry the “Mexican Tomato”…the “Tamatilla”. This tomato plant has to be purchased in pairs normally because of pollination issues…you can read about them here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatillo

Guess what? I almost forgot someone else…she’s another Schuring…Patty Schuring! Patty is holding a tomato plant with a blossom on it….that little blossom is the source of multitudinous arguments about whether to take them off or leave them on….on June 15th last year I put up a blog on that very subject. Patty was kind enough to bring another twist to the topic…a twist from Michigan State’s Extension Service. The crux of the paper released by MSU primarily addressed the “state of being” of the tomato plant biologically after it has blossomed. MSU has stated that once the plant has blossomed the plant uses it’s energies primarily for the growth of the fruit…..this is not always true in my experience….the war is on….I’ll report more on this later…stay tuned!

Click here to visit the Database

You probably didn’t know I was a Shakespeare aficionado did you? Actually it all started when I was dating a girl that lived in an apartment complex in apartment 2B…being a little nervous the first time I arrived I asked myself, “2B or not 2B “, well that’s neither here nor there. Didn’t mean to digress into a fit of nostalgia…let’s see where were we? Oh yea, I was going to tell you about a new feature here on Tomato 411. You may or may not have noticed a page in the at the top of the page entitled, “Tomato Variety Database”, well that page has a brand new listing for you to peruse. You’ll also find out there are over 3,400 different tomatoes varieties and more on the way (hybrids). I’ll be updating the links on that page as I find those sites worthy of exploration by my rabid fans….both of them.

Anyway, as we look forward to the coming season for not only Tomatoes, but the rest of the garden residents, we’ll be delving into some of the elements and compounds that make tomatoes happy….last week we talked about Calcium, in the coming weeks we’ll take a look at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and even a little Sulpher. I can hear your pulse rates increasing already, I know mine has!☺

Additionally, I’ll continue to look for items that are current and relevant to our pal the Tomato, as well as looking into some of the offerings of our local growers here in the Portage and Kalamazoo area. Please stay tuned, hopefully we’ll have a great year for growing the Tomato!

I was at the local Post Office the other day and Melody, one of the Postal Clerks, mentioned to Lucy, another Postal Clerk, that I had a book out about Tomatoes (I’m assuming there was a huge bond with Tomato gardening on Lucy’s part judging by Melody’s remarks). Lucy quickly asked me if I was the gentleman on the radio talking about calcium and tomatoes the other day. She said he mentioned using something unusual to feed tomatoes calcium. I told her I was not the guy on the radio, but he was probably talking about “Instant (powdered) Milk”. She said, “Yes!”….obviously excited with the prospect that I knew such a obscure piece of tomato science. I was going to regale Lucy with further pearls of “Tomato Science”, but she was already yelling, “Next Please”, so I guess my self-imposed position of tomato grandeur had not made the impression I thought.

In any event, this brings us back to, “How do we get Calcium to the tomatoes?” Well, powdered milk is one way. If you take about 3/4 of a cup of powdered milk and work it into the soil around where you intend to plant the tomato it should provide a nice dose of calcium initially (rain, watering, and fertilizing will eventually dissipate the milk) . Another great way to keep the calcium coming is to use ‘Egg Shells”. Grind the shells into small flakes and sprinkle them around the tomato plant base and they will provide a continuing dose of calcium over the growing season. If the prospect of all of this gives you heartburn, take some Tums, as a matter of fact, give a couple to the tomato plants too! Yes folks, tomatoes love Tums. Just grind some into a rough powder and sprinkle them around the base of the plant.

Oh, I almost forgot, I wouldn’t use the Calcium Gummy Bears….hmmm….maybe I’ll give them to Lucy ☺

Turning the soil is one of the more important jobs in the spring. I’m not going to make you spend an entire day outside with large striped clothing and a chain around your ankle, just a few minutes over a couple of days in your normal, “No body knows the troubles I know” clothing. You need to locate your planting spots for the new tomato plants and envision an eighteen (18″) inch radius around that spot. Now you need to merely dig down about eight (8″) inches. Voila….you’re done. For those of you who would like to get extra credit (and huge yields), you could spread around a 40 lb. bag of cow manure or an equivalent amount of compost and work it into the soil down to our 8″ depth. Depending upon how many plants you are putting in this shouldn’t work out to a whole lotta work.

There is another step to throw in here if you are so inclined, and believe me, it will pay dividends. Some black vinyl sheeting or garden cloth or anything you can find that is black and readily anchor-able. Why are we doing this extra step? Well, there are a lot of good reasons, I’ll give you 2 of mine. Firstly, we heat the soil bed in preparation for planting. Soil temperature plays an enormous role in plant growth, but you knew that. Now here’s one you may not have thought about. Microbes and bacteria….huh? Did you think of that one? Well our little pals in the soil react to temperature stimuli too! That’s the second reason and one not many people are concerned about. That’s it for this week, now get out there and get dirty….and singing is allowed. ☺

The Famous Mortgage Lifter

Well here we are. Right at the start of the Tomato growing season. Naturally we’re not going to plant anything right now, but we can sure start planning a few items. Items like, what kind of tomatoes are we going to put in this year? I’ve had a bunch of questions about the tradition heirloom tomatoes . One of my favorites is the gem pictured on the left here, the Mortgage Lifter. These tomatoes grow to enormous proportions, up to 32 ounces…that’s “2 Pounds!” More important than the grand size is the grand flavor, they are Excellent! These are variously listed as 85 – 95 days to maturity, my experience is 85 days.

The Keepsake Tomato

OK, now we are going to go from one extreme to the other. The Keepsake pictured on the right is about a 5 ounce tomato, but this one has the very distinct advantage of keeping fresh for up to 6 WEEKS after picking. I don’t like to keep them around more than 2 weeks, but around our place that’s no problem. The Keepsake takes about 70 days to maturity and is a tasty rascal too. These are great for salads and garnishing.

The King....Brandywines

My personal favorite of all the heirloom tomatoes is the Brandywine. This beauty tales about 95 days to maturity, one of the longer varieties. But let me tell you, this is well worth the wait. They average between 16 to 24 ounces and have a great flavor to them. For those of you who are local (Portage, MI.), you can find a number of these tomatoes in the first row of the Shipshewana Flea Market early in the season, but don’t wait too long, they go relatively quickly. If you happen to see an Amish fellow at the flea market, you can additionally ask where you could get some Brandywine plants and I’m sure you’ll be directed in the right direction, the Amish love the Brandywine too!

Alrighty then….we’re off to a good start to the 2011 season. Stay tuned, we’re going to start publishing weekly on Saturdays until further notice. If you have any request or questions be sure and drop a line to “tomato411@gmail.com”, I’ll try to get back to you as quickly as possible. Thanks!

But, CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions have a lot to do with healthy tomatoes and the CO2 emissions have been increasing lately. Does this mean that good ol’ Al was right about “the “warming”? I don’t think so. There is a CO2 cycle and we are apparently on the upside swing of the natural course of events and this is a good thing as far as tomatoes are concerned. If you want to look at the charts on all of this you can look at Tomato Growth Charts Here. About midway down the chart you’ll find tomatoes. You will also note they call this increased CO2, “CO2 Enrichment”, obviously eluding to a more sane approach to a cycle that has been with us for quite some time. Of course, that was before Al “Henny Penny” Gore got hold of it!

OK, enough of the meteorological lessons and tomato chemistry….where are we headed with the upcoming growing season approaching? I’ll tell you, we’re going to discuss lots of stuff in the coming months including CO2 emissions. I’ll start posting weekly in April and more often in May through August, then we’ll start on a downward frequency as fall approaches….kinda like the CO2 cycle☺. We’ll also be covering some tomato history and lore, pot planting (no, not that kind of pot!), alternative support methodology, new hybrid varieties, and a ton of other interesting stuff you guys will enjoy, I’m sure!

Don’t forget now, if you know anyone that’s into tomatoes or may want to get into the tomato growing club, tell ‘em about that great book….Tomato 411…pardon the shameless plug.

Just click on the picture of the book below and you’ll be whizzed right to Amazon’s page for the book…Thanks!

Thanks to Bent Objects for the Photo

OK, here we are as we approach the “Spring Time Months” getting ready for some decent weather. We’ve survived the “Blizzard of  ’11″ and we’re starting to look forward to that time of year when the breezes hit the front screen door.

One of the things we can do to speed the arrival of Spring is to start acting like it’s Spring. I know of no better way to emulate that time of year than to start sowing some seeds, no not in the garden, but rather, in the house. This will require a few items to help our Tomato seeds along. The most expensive item will be some growing lights. You can use artificial light or you can upgrade to “Grow Lights”….both work well. This will usually require a 4′-0″ fluorescent fixture and either of the aforementioned light bulbs. OK let’s look at what we need to do.

#1 Get Fresh Seeds

For the best chances of success, acquire your seeds from reputable sources. As tomato seeds age, their germination rate decreases. It is best to use seed that is less than 4 years old; however, seed that is much older can usually be germinated if has been stored in cool and dry conditions. I recommend new seeds each year.

#2 Get a Seed Starting Mix

Garden soil is not a good choice, as it compacts too easily and can harbor organisms that cause diseases. Get a commercially prepared seed starting mix, usually a combination of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite, is recommended. Avoid mixes that have a high fertilizer content, as this causes more problems than good. Commonly used and recommended mixes are Jiffy Mix, ProMix, MetroMix and Fafard. Many other brands, or even homemade mixes, can be used.

Combine the seed starting mix thoroughly with warm water to bring it to a usable state. This may take quite a lot of mixing, as completely dry mixes can be difficult to wet. Sometimes it’s best to let the moistened mix sit overnight to be sure that it is evenly wet. The final mix should be damp like a wrung-out sponge, not soaked or soggy.

#3 Select Some Containers

Tomato seeds will germinate in anything as long as the seeds get moisture and warmth. After germination and initial growth, the seedlings need to be potted up to larger containers. Containers must be able to drain excess water. If using old or previously used containers, its best to sterilize them with a 10% bleach solution.

Your choice of containers for potting up depends on the number of plants you desire. Professional nurseries use growing “flats” with various-sized plastic cell inserts. Many sizes and kinds of flats are commercially available to the home grower, but they are not essential.

Many home growers use styrofoam or plastic drinking cups with holes poked in the bottom. Just about anything will work as long as excess water can drain.

#4 Determine When to Start

Many novices fail at starting tomatoes simply because they start too early. Given the proper care, full-sized tomato transplants can be grown in 6 to 8 weeks.

Before planting seeds, you must determine when your plants can be safely placed into the garden. Planting outdoors is best done about 1 or 2 weeks after the average last frost date for your area.

Ask friends to find your average last frost date, then do the math to calculate your seed starting date.

#5 Plant Your Seeds

Fill a small container with damp seed starting mix. Plant your seeds about 1/8 inch (3 mm) deep. Firm the mix lightly to ensure that the seed is in direct contact with the moist mix. The seed needs to absorb moisture during the germination process.

You can plant lots of seeds close together because the resulting seedlings will be moved to larger containers after germination (when the first true leaves appear).

It is a good idea to provide some sort of covering over your germination containers to preserve moisture. You can place the container in a plastic bag or cover it with a sheet of plastic. Allow for some air to circulate but don’t let the mix dry out. Dry seeds will not germinate. The commercial growing containers have plastic fitted lids and they work great!

#6 Wait for Germination

Place the germination container in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Light is not needed during the germination process, but will not be harmful as long as high temperatures are avoided.

Tomato seeds usually germinate within 5 to 10 days when kept in the optimum temperature range of 70 to 80F. Germination is delayed by lower temperatures and accelerated by higher temperatures. Temperatures below 50F or above 95F are detrimental to germination.

Keep a close eye on the first seedlings, as they need to be moved into bright light as soon as they emerge from the soil. They will explosively reach for light, and if the light is not adequate, you will get 3-inch-long (8 cm long) stems shortly after germination – this is very undesirable. If this occurs, you could try to transplant to a deeper container, or you may want to start over.

#7 Keep Seedlings under Light

Very strong light is needed to support tomato growth. A heated greenhouse is the ultimate location to continue growing your seedlings. A second choice would be a cold frame (possibly with supplemental heat for cool nights).

Many home growers use inexpensive fluorescent shop lights. A south-facing windowsill can work but usually presents more problems than the fluorescent shop light setup.

If fluorescent shop lights are used, the leaves of the plants must be within inches (2″ to 2 1/2″ works very well) of the bulbs. Use your own creativity to make a setup that gets the plants directly under the bulbs. The lights should remain on for about 16 hours per day.

#8 Monitor the Plants

Tomato seedlings grow best at a temperature of about 65F with some air circulation and lots of light.

When watering, most growers soak the mix and then let it get nearly dry before providing more water.

When the plants develop their first true leaves, they should be transplanted into larger individual containers. The plants actually benefit from this re-potting step, as it helps them develop a strong root system. The plants may be set deeply into their new containers to shorten the height of the seedling.

Most commercial seed starting mixtures have a small amount of fertilizer that will support small seedlings for some time. Depending on the components of your starting mix, you may need to begin fertilizing. If you do fertilize, do it very, very sparingly with a weak dilution.

Don’t forget, you may need to pot up a second or third time to prevent your plants from becoming root bound. Check often.

The plants require good lighting to continue to grow well. Place the plants where they get plenty of sunlight, and if that is not possible or adequate, use fluorescent fixtures, or specialized high-intensity grow lamps, or use a combination of natural and artificial lighting.

Keeping large tomato plants indoors, under artificial lighting, can be quite difficult. To avoid problems, don’t start too early.

#9 Harden Off your Transplants

Introduce the plants to outdoor conditions slowly. This is called “hardening off”. If it is not done slowly your plants may be shocked and their growth may temporarily cease.

The longer the plants remains indoors, the harder it will be to acclimate them to the outdoors. Avoid full sun and wind when you first move them outside.

Cold frames can be used to harden off the plants. The covers can remain in place on inclement days and removed on moderate days.

Temporary structures can be built from plastic sheeting. Buildings and fences can be used to provide sun and wind protection while the plants adapt to outside conditions.

If really cold weather is forecast, another words, below 40F, it is best to bring the plants back inside. Freezing temperatures will destroy your plants (and it happens fast).

After the transplants are hardened off, they can be planted to their final outdoor growing locations either in the garden or in large growing containers. Most agree that any early blossoms should be plucked off prior to transplanting. Others leave the early blossoms in place, especially if the transplant is strong, healthy, and not root bound.

Some Problems that “Crop Up”….Pardon the Pun

Leggy Seedlings

The plants can become “leggy,” the stems being elongated and limp, and the foliage sparse. Re pot and bury to just below leaves

Slow Growth

When seedlings refuse to grow it is usually because the temperature is too low or the nutrient level is insufficient.

Over-watering

Many growers fail with tomato plants because they over-water. Soggy soil will cause seed to rot. Once the seedlings are growing, they should be watered thoroughly then left un-watered until they are almost ready to wilt.

Over-fertilizing

Over fertilizing can cause seedlings to die, to stop growing, or to grow rapidly into spindly plants. One or at most 2 applications of very dilute fertilizer are adequate to get a seedling through to transplant size.

Good Luck with your seeds and germination and growth….By the way, this is a great enterprise if you have young children and/or neighborhood children. Regardless of your religious affiliation or for that matter….no affiliation at all, it’s kind of a mini-miracle to watch “Mother Nature” perform her artistry.

OK….on to business. See the kid with the load of money in his cart? Do you know where he got the money? Ketchup…..yes ketchup! See that train in the background? It’s carrying all the ketchup the kid made. and is heading to the market to sell it all. If you don’t think there’s a boatload of money in ketchup just ask Teressa Heinz Kerry about it! Yes folks, tomatoes make a lot of folks rich and some people happy…..just to know they can grow their own tomatoes and enjoy them all summer long….and if you know how, a lot longer.

Let’s look into how to make Tomato Ketchup…but first, a little history. I know you guys are all tired of hearing about the Chinese and how much we owe them and such, but they actually have a part in the history of the ketchup. They were the folks that started it all! Way back in the late 1600′s they had a special sauce they used while dueling with “Chop Sticks”. The sauce was called te-tsiap, te for tomato and tsiap for sauce. Can you see how the word evolved to our familiar ketchup? Yea, me neither, but none the less, some Dutch traders came across the sauce in present day Malaysia and it made its’ way back to old England where it became pretty much a staple by 1740. Of course it was brought to the colonies and eventually grew to the status of America’s favorite condiment. For a more in depth look at the colorful history of ketchup just put “history of ketchup” into Google and read away….OK….I promised to tell you how to make it so next is a recipe.

Old-Fashioned Ketchup

48 medium tomatoes (8 lbs.), peeled
2 ripe red peppers, chopped
2 sweet green peppers, chopped
4 onions, chopped
3 c. white vinegar
3 c. sugar
3 T. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. allspice
3 tsp. ground dry mustard
1/2 tsp. hot red peppers

Boil tomatoes, peppers and onions until tender. Run through sieve or strainer. Add remaining ingredients. Boil until thick and pour into jars.

So there you have it…the whole story, well, most of it anyway. Now you have the tools to head off into the new year with a recipe for success. Perhaps next year we’ll see you at the helm of that wheelbarrow! Happy New Year!

Yes folks, even Santa Claus loves tomatoes! This would be a great time to start thinking about that time of year when the sun shines and the gentle breezes of Summer flow all through the garden and your home.

Look….you could give someone a pair of lame socks or some God forsaken tie or you could give them something that will become a family heirloom…”Tomato 411″!

Imagine the look on her face when instead of the same ol’ pathetic Eau du toilette you’ve been scraping by on for years she gets a brand new personal copy of Tomato 411…how about that Huh? Yes the days of hallway sex and silence at the dinner table will be over, you’ll have given the gift that keeps on giving almost right up to Christmas Day itself….Tomato 411.

So, if you’re stuck for an idea to brighten the holidays and your relationships in general it’s time to think of Tomato 411….go ahead splurge….it’s Christmas!

This isn't exactly what we're talking about

OK, here we are with our first post posting post….did I say that right? In any event this is the first Saturday of November and here is the post we promised to keep all of you riveted!

Go here: Canned Tomatoes

You say, “Why would I want to go there?” Well that’s easy, there is a post directly from the Kitchen Diva herself, Martha Stewart. Martha tells us all about canned tomatoes and what brand of tomatoes you can purchase and why you would want to. Allow me to throw in 2¢. I have used whole canned tomatoes for years along with diced, crushed, sliced, minced, and all other forms of tomato destruction and I can tell you that the very best tomatoes come from the folks at “Hunt’s”!

So for all you folks out there that didn’t get to “can” your own tomatoes, there is always Hunt’s.

Alright, stay tuned, we’re going to be adding a lot of items to this site as time passes and we hope you’ll stick with us as we continue to build and make this website a point of interest for the tomato grower, the gardener, and all students of things that grow. Have a great Thanksgiving and we’ll be back in December with some more information on the future, Thanks!

So check back when you can or sign up for the RSS feed and you’ll be kept up to the minute…..

I’m sure you’ve noticed my “vegetable/fruit” notations following the tomato’s classification. Did you know the tomato is considered a vegetable by command of the Supreme Court, yes it was a taxation decision. It was necessary to classify the tomato a vegetable in order to tax it properly, in reality, it is a true fruit botanically.

I guess my real message here is that with enough time and perseverance a backwater, poisonous, misclassified fruit can become the king of the planet’s culinary efforts!

That name doesn't look right!

Have you ever wondered where the name “Tomato” came from….me neither, but it’s Saturday and I needed something to throw on the ol’ blog here so I thought long and hard about Tomato subject matter and right out of the blue came this brilliant idea….Hey!…where did the name tomato come from?

So I went over to our friend Google and started doing some searches and guess what? I found out the tomato really didn’t get a name until it kicked around for a while. The Incans really discovered the fruit/vegetable first, but as with many things, they didn’t realize the potential of the tomato to end up in book someday (Tomato 411) and just let it languish until it eventually moved north into Aztec territory. Well, someone in the Aztec nation figured this fruit/vegetable taste pretty OK and might have a future, so they named it the “Tomatl”.  The Aztecs thought the small fruit was a good luck omen from the Gods….well it ended up going to Spain and ultimately Europe…it was called a tomate then and somewhere along the line it became a tomato. So there you have it, another riveting Tomato story to incorporate into your family traditions….enjoy!
photo credit: katclay

Escalloped Tomatoes

How often have you had pizza and then think, “I should really be having a good meal!” I’m sure we’ve all felt a little guilty about not putting time into a meal, wondering about the nutrition of our offering to the family table, wasting money on something frivolous….That’s all HOGWASH!! Regardless of what the Food Nazis think or disseminate with their less than truthful analysis’s of various foods, Pizza is OK to eat and has tons of good stuff in it….like Vitamin C and Lycopene and Calcium just to mention a few. BUT, if you are really depressed by the Food Cops…try this…

Here’s a recipe that will satisfy that craving for a pizza and still allow for an accompaniment that can satisfy the Food Nazis ☺ This goes well with any Chicken dish, works well with Pot Roast, does excellent with fish….go ahead and use your imagination….I’m positive you’ll come up with a new favorite family meal!

2 Cups cubed French bread

16 Roma tomatoes

1 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/4 C. olive oil

2 T. fresh basil

½ C. (or more) Parmesan

In a large, deep pan heat olive oil and add bread cubes. Stir until bread is toasted. Cut the Roma tomatoes into roughly diced cubes and add them into the toasted bread cubes. Stir for about 5 minutes, adding sugar, salt and pepper. Finish seasoning with basil. Pour into casserole dish. Grate fresh Parmesan on top. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Yes folks it’s Saturday Movie time….another great flick to educate you and me on the merits and little known facts about tomatoes

Yes I know….there is a whole bunch of seeding, chopping, and coring involved with fresh homemade salsa, but what if you could make a salsa in less than 10 minutes that is fresh, tasty, and looks great ? Well, you can! Thanks to the folks over at “Cooks Illustrated” (my favorite subscription) you can…here’s the recipe. BTW, the sterling standard for canned tomato anything, in my estimation, is “Hunts” products.

One-Minute Tomato Salsa

Makes about 3 cups

Hunt’s makes our favorite diced tomatoes. For five-minute fresh tomato salsa, substitute 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped, for the canned tomatoes in step 2. Don’t forget to briefly drain the salsa after you’ve processed it.

1. PULSE VEGETABLES Pulse onion, cilantro, jalapeños, lime juice, garlic, and salt in food processor until coarsely chopped.

2. ADD TOMATOES Add tomatoes and pulse until combined, about three 1-second pulses. Place salsa in fine-mesh strainer and drain briefly. Transfer to bowl. Serve. (Salsa can be refrigerated in airtight container for 2 days.)

There you have it….hope this makes a great football snack for you…or for that matter a snack of any kind for whatever occasion!

You can do some serious detective work with a “Black Light Flashlight” or an extension cord with a Black light attached. I can hear you now, “What kind of detective work? I always wanted to be like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew”. OK I’ll tell you. You can do “Pest Detection” with a black light. The pest you can detect is none other than the infamous “Tomato Horn worm”, yup, the critter brightly glows at night when one of these lights is shined on them! So, instead of standing stooped over a tomato plant looking for the invisible tomato hornworm until the neighbors are pretty sure you’ve entered a comotose state, you can now sneak outside after dark and rid yourself of these critters without any neighborhood rumors as to your mental condition. Pretty neat huh? I have to admit that I’ve embarrassed myself on more than one occasion looking for these masters of camouflage.

Where do you get one of these wands of discovery? Well, you could borrow one, you could purchase one….just look for portable black lights or black light flashlights, or you could find a dentist office REAL close to your garden. I’m opting for the black light flashlight…it’s on sale for $7.00 bucks plus shipping…just search google for “Black Light Flashlights”. Good hunting!
photo credit: Conor Lawless

Experiment a little and I think you’ll find that there is a whole other world of taste out there. Grab a tomato or two outside your usual preference when you’re at the supermarket and throw them into a sauce or sliced onto your favorite sandwich, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.
photo credit: EraPhernalia Vintage

Barbara Rodriguez over at “Organic Gardening” provided these tips to help us out.
photo credit: quinn.anya

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 stored them at room temperature. A week later, nearly all the stem-down tomatoes remained in perfect condition, while the stem-up tomatoes had shriveled and started to mold. Why the difference? We surmised that the scar left on the tomato skin where the stem once grew provides both an escape for moisture and an entry point for mold and bacteria. Placing a tomato stem-end down blocks air from entering and moisture from exiting the scar. To confirm this theory, we ran another test, this time comparing tomatoes stored stem-end down with another batch stored stem-end up, but with a piece of tape sealing off their scars. The taped, stem-end-up tomatoes survived just as well as the stem-end-down batch.

OK, you guys have been working pretty hard on planting, fertilizing, picking, and canning all those great tomatoes. Because of all of this hard work it’s time to relax a little, so I’ve put up this GREAT Bloody Mary recipe…..I personally like substituting a slice of lemon for a garnish versus the lime mentioned in the video….but that’s up to you!

This is a great tomato sauce without a lot of the work that goes into lesser sauces…..a little secret, if you have Roma Tomatoes growing in your garden, dice them up at the end (last 1/2 hour) and throw them into this sauce…..they’ll taste GREAT!

In remembrance of Julia Child, if you can find a “Good” stout Italian table wine, put about 3/4 of a cup into the sauce and cook it down a little longer….it’ll add a ton of flavor!

Alright, we’ve got a video on “Cold Pack” canning. I prefer this method because the least amount of damage is done to the real “Tomato” taste….and it’s REALLY easy to do with a minimum of equipment. Believe me when I tell you…..you can’t beat the taste of summer when the snow is flying and somehow the taste takes you back to a better climatic time.

I also want to give you a little more exposure to various methods of canning…..so I’ve got a link for you to follow and look around the site. They’ve got entire “Canning Kits” if you want to really get into the joys of canning….just thinking about eating tomatoes in the winter should be motivation enough I would think. OK….here’s the link!

http://www.pickyourown.org//tomato_recipes.htm

Have fun!

Before you order your catalogs….let me give you a word of caution. You will be receiving these catalogs for years after you’ve left Earth.  I’m often reticent to order catalogs from seed companies because I know entire landscapes of forests will disappear from sub-tropical areas of the North America continent just because I wanted a catalog…but, if you want one go ahead….conifers grow pretty fast. ☺

OK….on to the list;

Bountiful Gardens…. www.bountifulgardens.org
Request a catalog on page.
Phone # 707-459-6410 (CA)

W. Atlee Burpee…. www.burpee.com
One of my favorites…and they have great “BrandyWine Seeds”
Phone # 800-888-1447 (PA)

The Cook’s Garden…. www.cooksgarden.com
Go to the bottom and click on “Vegetable Seeds & Plants”
Phone # 800-457-9703 (VT)

The Heirloom Seed Project (Lancaster, PA)….www.landisvalleymuseum.org/index.php
Click on “Discover and Learn”, then “Heirloom Seed Project & Farm Program”
Phone #  717-569-0401 It’s worth a visit if you’re out East.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds…. www.johnnyseeds.com
There’s a search box on the left side…put in “Tomato seeds”
207-437-4301 (ME)

Nichols Garden Nursery…. www.nicholsgardennursery.com
Left Side….Click “Vegetable Seeds”
Phone # 541-928-9280 (OR)

Park Seed Co….. www.parkseed.com
Left side towards bottom….click on “Seeds”
Phone # 800-213-0076 (SC)

Pinetree Garden Seeds…. www.superseeds.com
Kinda a down home site in Maine
Phone # 207-926-3400

Seeds of Change….www.seedsofchange.com
Mostly Organic Seeds
Phone # 888-762-7333 (NM)

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange….www.southernexposure.com
THIS is a GREAT site!!!….Spend some time looking around! This site is in Virginia
Phone # 540-894-9480 (VA)

Stokes Seeds Inc….. www.stokeseeds.com
Try this….a little lengthy to get there…

http://www.stokeseeds.com/category.aspx?CategoryID=139&Name=Tomato

Phone # 800-396-9238

Teritorial Seed Company…. www.territorial-seed.com
Second from left….click “Seeds”
Phone # 800-626-0866 (OR)

Tomato Growers Supply Co….. www.tomatogrowers.com
Great Site!
Phone # 888-478-7333 (FL)

Totally Tomatoes…. www.totallytomato.com
This is NOT an intuitive site…poke around, you’ll get the hang of it…pretty good!
Phone # 803-863-0016 (GA)

Have Fun!!!
photo credit: quinn.anya

OK….here’s a request I’ve had a lot lately from some folks looking for a cooler time in the kitchen this summer. This fellow gives a pretty good recipe for a great Gazpacho. Hope you enjoy the movie and the recipe outline.

Direct from a Tomato Recipe Contest in Washington DC, a new recipe….one good enough to be featured in the Washington Post!

The Name? Basil and Balsamic Glazed Tomatoes!

Top Tomato 2010 finalist

Summary……..

Alex Snider came up with this recipe last summer when she was challenged to compose a dessert made with tomatoes.

She combined elements of two favorite dishes: tomato, mozzarella and basil with balsamic vinegar, and balsamic-infused strawberries with whipped cream. She served her creation over sweet, cakey cornbread.

Pair the tomatoes here with creme fraiche or any moist pound cake or angel food cake.

This recipe serves 4

Let’s get to the assembly…..

photo credit: bionicteaching

So get out there and take advantage of the sale….you might even save yourself some crowded malls and stores during the Holiday Season!

OK….so we got another song….but give it a chance…it’s kinda catchy if you listen to the whole song and I guarantee by the end you’ll be tapping your toe to the tune! In any event, my real message here is that there are Tomato Festivals nationwide coming up in August and early September. Grab the family or a significant “other” and head on out….you’ll be surprised how much fun these things are and how much you’ll learn in the process. So grab the beverage of choice and sit back and enjoy the music…you can even think of some places to go…Tomato Festival or otherwise.

Now, for something completely different………..OK, it’s Saturday, what do you want?

Let’s start with a couple of “Round Platters”. Slice tomatoes and arrange them on the platters so they don’t touch. Then we can take a shrimp (you chose the size) and place it on one of the tomato slices. THEN we place a “dollop” of our excellent sauce on each one. The recipe for the topping is listed below and can be adjusted according to your taste.

Sauce Ingredients

• 1 rib celery from the heart, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• Few dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 2 rounded tablespoons prepared horseradish

This Hors d’oeuvres has several distinct advantages. Firstly it makes an impressive appearance without seeming too ostentatious. Secondly, it makes the shrimp go a long way without having a food cop necessary for those individuals who normally might help themselves to a larger than socially acceptable share of the refreshments. Now I’m not implying that you have any friends that are less than true Emily Post devotees, but I know some of my friends break down when tempted with shrimp without hand cuffs!

OK then you’ll be all done with fertilizing for the year after this procedure. Sure, if it makes you feel better you can fertilize as conscience dictates, but for the most part you will have done all that is necessary with the mid season feeding. Good Luck!
photo credit: bnilsen

If you’re out driving around and see a roadside stand….STOP, talk to the folks that are offering their tomatoes for sale, you’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn. Give it a try!
photo credit: bnilsen

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

The video gives an excellent over view of the disease and all the things you need to be aware of and what to do if you discover you have tomato plants infected. Another thing to remember is the freezing we get as seasons change, this is not always a bad thing, freezing weather kind of sanitizes us against diseases like “Late Blight”….until some southern grower sends us a whole new batch next growing season. Good Luck!

Ralphies “Red Ryder B-B Gun” of “Christmas Story” fame has nothing over that red fruit out in the garden….how do I love thee…..let me count the ways….OK, so I’ve gone overboard, but that tomato is going to supply a reasonable facsimile of Christmas in July. I just hope you have something in your garden ready for the stop watch!
photo credit: andycoan

(Makes 10-12 servings, ½ cup each)

3 medium tomatoes (peeled, if desired), seeded and finely chopped

1 cup vegetable juice cocktail

1 cup finely chopped cucumber

½ cup beef broth

¾ cup chopped green pepper

¼ cup finely chopped onion

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Grated lime peel (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Cover and chill at least 2 hours to blend flavors. Garnish with grated lime peel, if desired.

There you go, a soup to take the heat out of the kitchen! With all the hot weather Michigan has been having and most of the Eastern States I thought you’d enjoy this!
photo credit: atl10trader

This was a little disturbing to me when it was brought to my attention. I think I mentioned here on the site that my Dad taught me about a lot of things in the garden, at least I could identify most vegetables. Certainly, even without Dad’s instructions, I’m pretty sure I would have known a Tomato….I think it was catching all of them that made me so acutely aware!

I posted this just to remind us all that we each have a lot we can share with the children, even if it’s just a minute’s lesson.

What’s really amazing is that we all thought the Tomato was poisonous until Colonel Robert Johnson came along in 1820 and ate one on the town hall steps in Salem, NJ. (This is listed in the 1st chapter of  the world famous book, “Tomato 411″)  In summation, we get a lot of bang for the buck with our tomatoes….low calorie….high nutrition…and to make it all even better, it taste great!
photo credit: EikeR

Tomato, Fourth Of July Hybrid

The first tomato to ripen by Independence Day!

Be the first on your block to have vine ripened red, luscious tomatoes by the Fourth of July. Enjoy the plentiful harvest about 49 days after setting plants in the garden. Indeterminate plants produce fruits that average 4 ounces all season long. OK, so I stole this picture from the folks over at Burpee Seed…I’m sure they’ll forgive me. I kind of stumbled across this as I was investigating another tomato plant that bears fruit early…but not as early as this beauty.

I haven’t grown this variety, but you can bet I’ll give it a shot soon….maybe even this year if I can get my hands on some seed. I’ll let you know if I do and I’ll definitely grow some next season! Stay tuned for results.

Have a great weekend and stay healthy!

photo credit: whyamiKeenan

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 many different types of tomatoes. In any event the labeling on the cage itself with a permanent marker and a piece of plastic is a simple, excellent solution to this problem.

Now, the one fella suggested using cloth to keep bugs out…..I would just let that idea pass. The only bug I worry about is the moth that creates the Tomato Worm, the “Hummingbird Moth“. Click the link and read all about it.

Stan offers some good advice on pruning Tomato Plants. He mentions putting a trimmed portion of the tomato plant in some rooting solution and you’ll have another tomato plant to start….try it, I guarantee you’ll like the results…it’s like getting another plant free!

We’re going to take a little short cut here and it’s going to be delicious and quick and no one needs to know except you and me….deal? OK, here’s what you do. Run down to your local market and look for the “Uncle Bens” quick rice, the one that takes 90 seconds in its own plastic bag….you want “Rice Pilaf” or “Spanish Rice” depending on what you are accompanying the rice with…… get 2 bags if you want a heartier serving size. Next get “1″ nice tomato and “1″ small sweet onion. Check out quickly and make sure no one sees you with your goods. Now, in the comfort of your home, take the tomato and dice it up and do the same with the onion. Now comes the good part…throw the rice into the microwave and when done just place the rice in a serving bowl and mix in the tomatoes and onion…voila….done! Now just sit back and listen to the raves from the family. You’ve done it again!

PS….If you are really feeling energetic you can sauté the onions until translucent.
photo credit: jules:stonesoup

If you live in a growing zone similar to Lower Michigan you know that I’m being a bit optimistic with the Thanksgiving tomatoes, but believe it or not there’s been a few years recently that have nearly made the founders holiday. In any event, we can all hope that we get to enjoy our tomatoes whatever time you planted them. Good Luck!
photo credit: lancefisher

Here’s the proof….. http://www.google.com/goog411

Check that baby out…..I knew I was onto something. ☺ Who knows where this will all go…today tomatoes…..tomorrow….Ze Vorld!!

BTW….This was brought to my attention by the perennial raving beauty….Leslie “Uturn” Hagen.

Cut a thin slice from the top of each tomato. Scoop out the pulp and discard. Drain the tomatoes on paper towels. Combine the bacon, mayonnaise, green onions, cheese and parsley in a bowl and mix well. Spoon into the tomatoes. Chill until serving time.You may want to make a few more for a party….just scale the recipe up a tad. There you have it, a quick, easy recipe that’ll please even those who don’t regularly eat tomatoes.

photo credit: westerndave

As Milton’s Sonnet proclaims….

“They also serve who only stand and wait.”

You may want to bookmark this site when all is said and done. My friends over at the Master Gardeners Organization have provided a complete analysis of just about every conceivable way to support tomatoes complete with all the “Pros” and “Cons”!

What they don’t tell us is what else can be done with the more permanent approaches to supporting our tomatoes in the garden and how that can be a huge aid for crop rotation in the garden from year to year.

I’ve had some friends that have taken a somewhat out of the box approach to masking, disguising, blending, or whatever you’d like to call their camouflage in the garden. Naturally, this applies to the more permanent structures in the garden. I’ve seen Grape vines run along the horizontal portions of the trellis approach, I’ve seen English Ivy grown on them, I’ve seen Climbing Roses utilized, and ALL to good effect!

How about that crop rotation we often forget about? In the Tomato “off” years, how about tying a string to the horizontal member and plant some Green Beans…Great Lakes Blues grow great in this situation….actually, any plant that climbs can be used in this case. You’re not limited to vegetables either, some flowers LOVE to climb. How about Brown Eyed Susans or Morning Glories. I guess my main point is that whatever your imagination comes up with is an idea worthy of a try. You might pleasantly surprise yourself.
photo credit: pdbreen

photo credit: thebittenword.com

The Mortgage Lifter

Marshall Cletis Byles, or as he preferred to be called, M. C. Byles thinks so….or more accurately, knows so!

In the early 1930′s in Logan, West Virginia M.C. was the proud owner of a Radiator Repair shop. His shop was located at the foot of a mountain leading to the mines and forestry enterprises in the area and when one of the “Mine or Timber Trucks” would blow a radiator they’d coast back down the mountain right into MC”s shop. There was a real estate agent’s anthem personified right there…location, location, location! As time went by MC became known as “Radiator Charlie” in the area, I’m guessing because most of the truckers didn’t really know his name, so the moniker Radiator Charlie told the story! In any event, MC had developed a love of tomatoes and wanted to grow one with all the best attributes of various heirloom tomatoes. So ol’ MC set out to develop his own tomato. He used the German Johnson tomato as his “Parent” tomato. Ultimately MC decided on 4 other tomatoes to cross pollinate with the German Johnson and he finally developed the tomato he wanted after seven years of stabilization. The “Mortgage Lifter” became a very popular tomato in the early 1940′s and folks drove vast distances just to purchase MC’s Mortgage Lifter at a dollar a pop, pretty hefty for those days.

The “Mortgage Lifter” was named such because according to MC a good portion of his $6000.00 mortgage was paid with the proceeds from selling his tomato plants. The tomato boast of a 1 1/2 to 3lbs weight range and is pinkish-red in color. The Mortgage Lifter is a tasty specimen and gets my wholehearted endorsement…as if it needed it!

M.C. Byles is really a piece of Americana, and we’re lucky to still have a piece of him around. MC lived to the age of 97. He never stepped foot in a schoolroom, nor did he have any formal education of any kind. He was an inventor, a pilot (self taught and flew for the Post Office), a mechanic (also self taught), a botanist…yes, through observation and experimentation, and according to all that knew him…. a great person.

Let me give a definitive answer….it depends….how was that for being definitive? Actually it does depend, it depends on your gardening crystal ball and mother natures mood. Geezzz, pretty soon I’ll have Harry Potter involved….but, I digress.

Let me give a little back ground to the question, a framework to inspect the validity of the the very question itself. There is one school of thought that will tear the blossoms off the tomato plant without a second thought in order to promote a stronger root system. They subscribe to the school of thought that provides that the tomato plant needs to get established before setting blossoms. This is a valid concept, for the most part. Then there is the school of folks that leave the blossoms on….me included. I’ll tell you why. “Usually” I’ve already transplanted my tomato seedlings into a 4″ or 6″ pot  by the time blossoms appear, or I’ve purchased a large tomato plant (Early girl) from Luba at Schram’s Greenhouses. In the 2 above cases I leave the blossoms on because I know the root system is already pretty good and I’d prefer the early tomatoes AND I’ve got the proverbial bird in hand. Here’s where mother nature comes into play…..if you plant and night time temperatures drop below 55° the blossoms will generally drop off anyway. If the night time temperatures exceed 75° and the daytime temperature exceeds 92° for a few days you’ll have a plant struggling to blossom and your theoretical window of blossoming will be severely shortened, add to this problems with humidity making pollen clump and it’s a miracle we get tomatoes at all!

So, there you have it, the Owl Entrails and Ouija Board explanation of how to treat blossoms. If you really want to get scientific with all of this I suggest you do what I did many years ago, try an experiment. Take any 2 plants of the same kind with blossoms on them and remove the blossoms from one and leave the other as it is and see what happens at the end of the growing season. Be sure and mark the plants such that you know which is which. A little twig in the ground works great as long as you remember what it represents. Good Luck and Good Growing!
photo credit: Crystl

So, whatever you chose to use is generally OK, including our friend Hairy Vetch in the photo. Just remember what your goal was when you put down whatever material you chose to use….Keep it watered!

photo credit: pawpaw67

As you can see we’ve got a tomato nearly ready for picking and as we look left and down we see that tomato is going to come somewhat later. Sequential planting works the same way. I do my initial planting on Memorial Day (Michigan is a risk prior to that). Then around mid-June you can throw in another grouping of  tomato plants and if you’re really brave you can throw in some plants at the end of June. If you’re a fanatic you can even plant some fast growers (Early Girl for example) in the middle of July and at the end of August or the beginning September you’ll have a new wave of tomatoes to brag about. Another benefit of this methodology if you’re a caner is the load gets spread out a little and you’re not inundated all at once with the year’s crop. So, as you can see, planting tomatoes may not be over yet!

photo credit: coolmikeol

OK….do you know what you’re looking at? Well, it’s not a caterpillar trying to steal a bunch of tic tacs. Actually this caterpillar wishes these were tic tacs. The reason for that is, these are eggs…..not good eggs where the green guy is concerned, but rather the eggs of a wasp….the Braconid Parasitic Wasp. These little eggs are feasting on the Tomato Worm’s innards, a fine end to a hungry foe….we’ll talk about him more a little later on.

*I made this as big as I could to show the little white guys (You can click this)

Seedlings take a little bit more effort than jumping in the car and heading to the local greenhouse and picking out our chosen plant. There are temperature limits (between 50°F and 75°F), where do I grow them (garage, basement, shed), what do I grow them in (Miracle grow potting soil works fine thanks), what about feeding them (Miracle grow takes care of that or manure tea*), and concerns about the proper lighting (Fluorescent bulbs work fine). All of these are work, but there is a benefit no one talks about….the “Super Seed”! Yes folks, every now and then Mother Nature provides us with a little bonus…..a plant that seems to be the exception rather than the rule, a plant that is a “Super Plant”! This plant grows faster, it grows bigger, it’s fruits taste better, and for reasons known only to the Olympian Tomato Gods it is just plain exceptional! So, what do we do with a plant like this? This is where the “Future” seedlings are going to come from. stay tuned, we’re going to have a seed clinic soon.

*Manure Tea….Take some manure (processed for sure), about 2lbs worth and put it in an old pair of panty hose and soak it in 4 gallons of water for a week, stir the liquid and you have Manure Tea!

photo credit: Ramsay2

An added benefit is the ranking in various diet programs that give the tomato a “Zero” count towards total daily intake. I’d say that’s one helluva benefit for all you tomato lovers out there and even the folks that haven’t grown to love our favorite vegetable or fruit depending upon your viewpoint.

We’ll be visiting some recipes in the future that will add a little flavor and color to your life so please be sure and stop back as we head for a tomato encyclopedia site, hopefully!

Just as a little aside, the Tomato 411 book is in the midst of being made available on the Amazon.com site and should be listed for sale inside of 2 weeks, stay tuned!

Keep an eye out for this on Amazon!

Just a word or two….we’ve reviewed the “Proof” copy of Tomato 411 and it all looks good, so we gave the OK to the publisher!

So, pretty soon when you visit the Garden section of Amazon.com and look around you should find the Tomato 411 book in there somewhere. Well, enough about the book, starting tomorrow we’ll be posting a whole lot more stuff about gardens and tomatoes and all that goes with it.

I think Saturday the 5th of June will be the official start date for our blog here and we’ll do our best to keep you up to date in the tomato world.

What you’re seeing here is some genetics at work…..I’m not bitching mind you, it’s just not my cup of tea so to speak. So the organic seeds I mentioned a bit ago becomes all important if you’re a purist. Please be sure you cultivate….pardon the pun….a good relationship with the folks providing your seeds, or if you prefer the seedling approach, find a reputable local greenhouse to purchase from and you’ll be a happy tomato aficionado!

I anticipate you’ll see this in early June for sale at Amazon.com. The price will be $14.95 and a bargain at twice the price….of course I may be a tad prejudiced when it comes to this particular book. Let me give you some advance notice about the lack of pictures in this book, there is a full reference section that will note a load of sites you can reference that will have all the pictures you ever wanted. There are a lot of other folks that’ll load up a book with tons of pictures just to up the page count and they’ll throw in a bunch of filler too, but I feel you wanted information, not pretty pictures, so that’s the approach I took. I hope you find it helpful if you’re inclined to purchase it. Thanks.

The premise is that the UV light reflected from the red side of the spectrum reacts with the pigmentation in the tomato skin and aids in ripening. A number of schools have run experimentation with all of this (Penn State, University of Oregon, Cornell, and others) and all came to pretty much the same conclusion, there are too many variables to accurately rate the color red for the Tomato as a fix all to ripening. Too many other factors have a major influence on the tomato to get a good reading on the mulch’s influence and given the weed problems I personally will stick with black!

May 25, 2010
- Schools still out for me and the “Upside Down” tomato plant and other garden vegetables that claim great success. Scientific results are still out on all of this, we’ll see.

May 25, 2010
- Y’know, sometimes it’s a blast to try something a little different. Tomato ketchup is one of my favorite things to play with in places like chili, meatloaf, and a multitude of other places…give it a try! ]]> http://www.tomato411.com/general-tomato-news/tomato-gardening-news-on-may-25-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.tomato411.com/heirloom-tomato-varieties/heirloom-tomato-varieties-offer-big-selection/ http://www.tomato411.com/heirloom-tomato-varieties/heirloom-tomato-varieties-offer-big-selection/#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 16:50:26 +0000 admin http://www.tomato411.com/?p=36 Often times we get stuck in a rut when we are selecting tomato plants we want to grow in our garden. One of the things I like to do is select an organic heirloom seed from one of my suppliers that suits my fancy for the current year. There are an almost endless supply of these “Old-Timers” available from a multitude of sources.  Let’s list a few: Abraham Lincoln, Akers West Virginia, Amish Paste, Andrew Rahart’s Jumbo Red, Anna Russian, Arkansas Traveler, Auld Sod, Aunt Ginny’s, Aurora, Avalanche….and that’s just the “A’s”!

You’ll have no problems picking the right heirloom tomato to meet your wants and desires…believe me! ☺ We’ll be talking about where to get the proper seeds as the year progresses.
photo credit: liza31337

If you’re buying seedlings from your local greenhouse you’re going to have to rely on their expertise, so be good and sure you know who you’re dealing with! I would steer clear of those large chains that sell everything under the sun. I’m not saying they are necessarily bad, just their choices in seedlings is more driven by economics versus love of the Tomatoes…lol. Remember, regardless of your tomato growing preferences, organic seeds may be a better choice for starting your seedlings than an unknown source of the seeds.

If you purchased “Tomato 411″, seed are discussed in greater detail there. Good Luck!