Terrific Tomatoes
ellenburgnursery.com

This being the very merry month of May, it is time to start the summer vegetable garden. Having made it through the winter, now we turn our eyes toward better days, brighter flavors, and bigger harvests. Possibly the biggest star of the summer garden is the tomato. First, however, let us get a site ready for this popular player.

In choosing a site, people will generally pick a part of the lawn in the backyard. That’s fine, but if the grass didn’t grow well there, then neither will a vegetable garden. This means a good site is one where there is plenty of sun (at least six hours), good soil drainage, and fair fertility. My general rule is that if you are just growing a few vegetables for your own small family, a raised bed will do well; if, however, you want to grow vegetables for the whole block and your extended family, then a conventional backyard garden where you plant directly in amended native soil is the right choice.

Generally, the advantage to raised beds is more intensive growing because you have more control over the soil for the plants and better weed control. For tomatoes, you want to provide a loose well-draining soil with plenty of organic matter. Adding stuff like composted manures, organic soil conditioner, or peat go a long way to improving what you have or creating soil for a raised bed. The staff at Ellenburg’s can help you choose the right soil amendments for your situation.

When selecting tomatoes, be prepared to be dazzled by all the varieties that are available. An entire galaxy of flavors, colors, and sizes are at your disposal. All it boils down to is your personal visual and flavor preferences. If you want that old-timey flavor that your parents or grandparents enjoyed, an heirloom like ‘Brandywine’ might please you. Heirlooms, however, are less resistant to various diseases which a newcomer like ‘Celebrity’ or ‘Better Boy’ can resist. Heirlooms tend to be a bit more acidic and lower in sugar (sweetness) than the newer varieties.

No variety, antique or modern, is resistant to blossom-end rot. This disease isn’t so much a disease as it is growing conditions. It arises because of a lack of calcium in the tomato. This is avoided by providing enough calcium for the tomato plants. Organic fertilizers such as Tomato-tone® or Garden-tone® are excellent because they have low nitrogen levels (but high P and K) which is important in fruit set and developing fruit as opposed to foliage while providing other nutrients such as calcium.

Another way to avoid the rot, and the most common, is to provide consistent soil moisture. If you can’t be out there every other day soaking the garden, a good 2-3” layer of hardwood mulch can cut your watering down to two to three times a week by moderating soil temperatures and reducing soil moisture loss. Hardwood mulch biodegrades and adds organic matter season to season, improving the soil.

Come in to Ellenburg’s Nursery for all your summer garden needs and expertise! Your totally terrific tomato and vegetable garden awaits you!
Niko Pantanizopoulos
Ellenburg Landscaping and Nursery