"Tomato Growing Secrets"

Tomato Growing Secrets by Doug Green

Doug Green is a semi-retired Canadian nurseryman with years of experience in the garden. According to Amazon this “award winning garden author, brings a down-to-earth style and easy gardening systems to his lifetime of organic garden achievements.”

I always enjoy his writing. Tomato Growing Secrets is no exception. So if you think you know everything there is to know about growing tomatoes, think again. This book contains hints and tips for growing a good crop of tomatoes. Some tips include: how to warm the soil for early planting, how to increase a late crop of tomatoes, how to get a ripe tomato before your neighbor (a must read for you competitive types).

Pests and diseases are also covered. A chart to compare with your plant’s symptoms tells what you can (and can't) do about it.

Other books by Doug Green: Tender Roses in Tough Climates, Vegetable Gardening in the North, Successful Organic Lawns and many more. (Some books are offered only as ebooks) Doug’s Website “Doug Green’s Garden”

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Brochure for Master Gardener Spring Garden Series
http://extension.psu.edu/lehigh/events/files/spring-garden-series
See January 8, 2010 post - http://bethlehem-pa-gardening.blogspot.com/2012/01/before-we-know-it-spring-gardening.html

JOIN THE FUN!

ADVENTURES IN AGRICULTURE

Talk about your garden, learn to grow better tomatoes, pick up information sheets, enter to win a soil test kit, have the kids plant bean seeds and pick up coloring pages and crayons.

Join the Master Gardeners at Palmer Park Mall near Easton PA this weekend.

Lots more to see throughout the mall.

Vegetable Garden Quiz

True or False?

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Plant tomato seeds indoors 5 to 7 weeks before last frost date.

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Determinate tomatoes produce fruit in a batch and indeterminate tomatoes produce fruit continuously until frost.
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Leggy tomato stems can be planted in a trench leaving the top of the plant above ground and they will grow roots along the stem.

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Potatoes are actually underground stems.

Cucurbits include cucumbers, muskmelons, watermelons, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, and gourds.

Beans are nitrogen fixing plants.

Blossom end rot on tomatoes is a calcium deficiency caused by anything that interferes with the supply of water during fruit development such as drought or long periods of heavy rain..

As you know, all of the above are true.

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If you are planning your 2012 vegetable garden and want a refresher from Penn State College of Agriculture, check out the “Vegetable Gardening – Recommendations for home gardeners in Pennsylvania” here.

Let’s Talk Vegetables

Bean flower (pole beans Burpee 'Kentucky Wonder')

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Every year, with spring enthusiasm, I eagerly place seeds and plants in pots and in the ground. I dream of fresh green beans steaming on the dinner table; solid cucumber slices in a tangy dressing and juicy tomatoes eaten right off the plant.

With spring enthusiasm, I forget that vegetable gardening takes work and time. Not to mention battling the mosquitoes and gnats that hide under the leaves. In spring I forget how hot 93 degrees with high humidity really is. I forget that vegetables will need watering.

Every year, in July, reality sets in as I pull weeds, wash lettuce, pick cucumbers and clean beans. Years ago I had a large garden with rows of vegetables. Freezing and canning went on all summer. Now as empty nesters, we have only a few vegetables among the flowers.

I’m happy with a few vegetables every year. I wouldn’t want to be without them. The taste of my favorite varieties makes the effort worthwhile. I’m sure I’ll be overcome with spring enthusiasm next year.
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My vegetables this year:

Potted cherry tomatoes - Burpee ‘Sweet 100’.

In the window boxes on the patio - Agway parsley ‘Forest Green’ and lettuce ‘Black Seeded Simpson’. The lettuce is ready for its third cutting.

Happy cucumbers - Burpee ‘Straight Eight’ - crawl up the hydrangea and holly and over the daylilies and mums. Picking cucumbers will be quite a challenge.

Pole beans - Burpee 'Kentucky Wonder’. I’ve had the seeds since 2007 and planted a few seeds every year. This year I planted a few extra thinking they may not all be viable but it looks like they all germinated. I should have pulled a few when they came up. They are one of the best tasting beans I have ever planted.
Green tomatoes on Burpee ‘Early Pick’

Dan Schantz Greenhouse

Miles of Mums. Loads of Lilies. A plethora of Pansies.







Twenty-five acres of greenhouse space stretched in front of us on a cold March morning in Zionsville, PA. I visited one of four greenhouses in the Lehigh Valley owned by Dan Schantz.



This is the birthplace of ‘Dan’s Favorite’ tomato I wrote about last summer.

The computerized and automated process is a marvel of modern technology. Temperature is monitored by computer system. An alarm sounds if the temperature gets too high or too low. Most of the watering is programmed using recycled water. Hanging baskets move slowly overhead to the watering nozzle.
But much is done by hand. The greenhouses employ hundreds of workers.

Thousands of lilies are checked - one by one. The lily buds are measured against a template. If the bud gets too large the plant is moved to a cooler location to slow the process. All the lilies must bloom simultaneously for Easter.


Each tiny tomato seed is placed by hand in a grid of starting mix.
Tomatoes flourish in various stages of growth, from newly planted seed trays to small plants in neat rows. It is all timed to be ready for shipment in April or May.

The plants from Dan’s wholesale operation are shipped to big box stores and garden centers up and down the east coast. Retail stores are located on Lehigh Street in Allentown and W. Union Boulevard in Bethlehem.

It runs like a well-oiled machine and I saw how Dan’s favorite tomato got its start.

Tomatoes, Compost and Bees

I attended Master Gardener Spring Garden Series on Saturday. The informative and interesting topics made the morning speed by. I’ll share just a few details.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes are passed down from generation to generation mostly because they taste good. Other qualities such as meaty texture in ‘Opalaka’ for a paste tomato or the large sized ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’ (1 lb or more )caused growers to save seeds year after year.

Descriptions are listed in heirloom seed catalogs. Heirloom plants can be found at local garden centers but it’s best to do some research first to know what you’re looking for. (Google “Heirloom Tomato”.)

The stories behind some of varieties are entertaining. Folklore says the heirloom ‘Mortgage Lifter’ was named for a man who sold his crop to pay off his mortgage.

Compost

Making compost can be as easy or labor intensive as you want to make it. If you get everything perfect you will make compost in about 3 months. If you don’t get everything perfect, it may take a little longer but you are still most likely to get good compost.

Add –
Browns (fallen leaves preferably shredded, torn newspaper);
Greens (weeds preferably without seeds, kitchen vegetable scraps, coffee grounds):
Air (turn ever week or so);
Water (should remain as wet as a damp sponge).

The benefits of adding compost to the garden? Less waste to the landfill, improved soil and healthy plants.

Pollinators

According to the Natural Research Defense Council, “Honey bees are disappearing across the country, putting $15 billion worth of fruits, nuts and vegetables at risk.”

Mason Bees (Osmia lignaria ssp.) supplement honey bees in pollinating fruit trees and other spring crops. It is slightly smaller than a honey bee, lives in the ground, is non-aggressive and solitary.

Man-made Mason Bee houses are used to attract the pollinators to the garden. A series of tubes (made of bamboo in the picture below) or holes drilled in a wood block is all they need. Mason bee houses can be purchased or made at home and hung in a tree. Think cherries and apples, blueberries and strawberries.


See February 9, 2011 post for future dates and topics in the series. Join the spring excitement.

Tomato

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I’ll be on vacation and away from a computer for a couple of weeks. Before I go I want to give you an update on ‘Dan’s Favorite’ Tomato. I bought the plant on a whim in May.

I wrote about ‘Dan’s Favorite’ in a June 9 blog. The tomato is called ‘Dan’s Favorite’. . . It was labeled “mid-season slicing tomato”. I really don’t know what that means. I’ll have to wait for a taste test to see if ‘Dan’s Favorite’ is also mine.

OK it’s the beginning of August. I guess that’s mid-season. It’s definitely a slicing tomato – just the right size for a sandwich. The bush is large and sturdy and full of huge tomatoes.

The ripe tomatoes have green or yellow spots on the outside and hard pink spots on the inside. The blotchy ripening could be the result of a mineral deficiency or uneven watering. It could be both. ‘Dan’s Favorite’ may or may not be more susceptible to this condition.

The tomato was planted in a space occupied by squash and peppers last year, fertilized with fish emulsion. Compost was added last fall and a layer of mulch added this spring after planting.

The month of July was very dry. Usually I’m careful to water regularly. I have a soaker hose laid out in a concentric circle around the plant. How hard can it be? But this was not the year to be able to spend a lot of time in the garden.

The tomato has a good taste. The size is excellent and the yield is bountiful. I should do a soil test. I may have to try ‘Dan’s Favorite’ again next year to see if I can grow them without blotchy ripening.


A list of non-pathogenic things that can go wrong with your tomatoes from Penn State listed here.

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Garden Homecoming

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I was on vacation last week – a very relaxing time away from home. The garden is looking only a little neglected. Fortunately, my friend Cindie watered the pots for me. Without her, they would have been toast!

The hydrangea (Hydrangea ‘Venice’) is blooming. The color this year goes from pink through lilac to purple. I never know what color it will be. Last year it was a bright pink. (see July 25, 2007 post) It is full of blooms. I mean FULL of blooms. The leaves are barely visible.

The Lace Cap is also blooming profusely. They are both happy in their spot – shaded from the hot afternoon sun.

The potted zinnias (Burpee Giant Flowering Mix and Magic Carpet Mix) look good on the patio. It’s too early for mildew.

The ('BrandyBoy') tomatoes are getting round and plump. I picked beans. The cucumbers are growing from their pot. I made cucumber salad. The 2 "Drip-Pro Waterer"s that I bought from Gardener's Supply seem to keep the potted vegetables from completely drying out.

Not everything looks as good. Japanese beetles are feasting on canna leaves, roses and pole beans. Dead looking, lace-leaved cannas are not a pretty sight. I haven’t found a way to get rid of those armored chewers. I never seem to have time to knock them in a bucket of soapy water. Karen Bernhard, Entomologist, Lehigh Co. Cooperative Extension, published Japanese Beetle information in “Penn State Master Gardeners” blog in the Morning Call July 10. http://blogs.mcall.com/master_gardeners/

Weeds that were tiny when I left are now large enough to have seed heads. Crabgrass, ever the opportunist, has sprouted in every unplanted inch of ground. I pulled one clump as big as a head of cabbage. The lilies are finished blooming and seed heads need to be cut off. Same with the hostas. The sweet alyssum needs a trim. Garden paths are overgrown. There’s compost tea to make. Annuals need to be fertilized.

Lots of work to do to catch up but it’s good to be back in the garden.

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Fall Garden Cleanup

A few days of badly needed rain has caused a temporary halt in garden cleanup.

In the last few weeks, I managed to get a few things done.

Even though we have not had a frost, I’ve been emptying pots and composting the potted annuals. The pots were cleaned and stored for the winter. The pot pictured is ready to roll toward the compost bin. I never do a great job of cleaning pots before I put them away. I dump the soil and brush out a little remaining soil. I use new soil mix in spring and I haven’t had any problems. I guess this is OK but I’m sure there are better methods.

I cut back a few of the black-eyed Susan and cone flowers. I leave some for the small birds to feed on. They like the little seed heads.

I cut back and cleaned the iris bed a few weeks ago. This is the first year I’ve done this. Most years I tend to ignore the mess altogether. The yellow iris blooms profusely every year with almost no care at all. I hope the iris like being neat and tidy for a change.

The peonies were cut off and discarded in the trash. They were a mildewed, unsightly mess.

I picked the last of the tomatoes and pulled the plant the other day before the rain. I harvested 8 green tomatoes and one almost ripe. Most of them will ripen off the vine – or become green fried tomatoes. Next year I want to try Brandyboy tomatoes if I can find them. It's large beefsteak that I’ve heard good things about from other gardeners.

If we get a frost this weekend, I’ll cut off canna stalks. I’ll dig up the canna tubers with a garden fork. They will be dried and stored in peat moss in a cool place for the winter. The rest of the annuals will need to be cleaned out of the garden.

Hopefully, I’ll have time to spread some compost and mulch before leaf raking starts in earnest.

Tomato

“What’s your favorite tomato?”

Penn State Master Gardener Coordinator Sue Drabic posed this question in her August 20 blog http://blogs.mcall.com/master_gardeners/ and got some interesting answers.

I grow one tomato plant each year – usually a beefsteak. This year’s selection was sold as “The World’s Largest Tomato”. Who could resist? I don’t have any information on this tomato but I know it’s a long time to harvest. We got our first ripe tomato last week. The taste is good, the texture is meaty and one slice will cover a slice of bread. But it’s a long time to wait for a ripe tomato. I would like to find a large tomato with a shorter time to harvest.

I found some good tomato information - everything from varieties to recipes - at the University of Illinois Extension site http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies_sp/tomato1.html - Should help me make a selection for next year.