Tomatoes need six to eight hours of sun; that’s all. Keeping this in mind, you might find a whole new area of your yard that will be good for growing tomatoes.
Amend, amend, amend! For great tomatoes use a lot of organic matter in your soil. Most of SCV has either clay (and alkaline) soil or decomposed granite (sandy) and both of them need organic matter.
Dig deep, plant deep – plant a tall seedling deep so more of it can root and give you a great base for your plants.
Use organic, balanced fertilizer at planting; fertilize again five weeks later and then again five weeks later for varieties that mature later. Add a foliar feed especially for container plants.
Soak the plant, not the soil around it. Try one cup when it is a seedling, increasing water as it grows. Don’t increase the frequency of water, just the quantity. Let your plant dry out between watering. Water deeply and infrequently.
As fruit sets plants begin to yellow and look tired. This is natural; don’t think that this is the time to add water… it’s not!
Support tomatoes! There are many types of tomato support, choose one and use it. Pinching is a technique that if used might help determine which supports are best.
Growing in Containers – Size matters! Don’t plant a tomato in an eight-inch pot and expect to get fruit. Buy pots that don’t retain heat. If you already have black pots, cover them (in burlap or an old sheet). Use a mixture of potting soil and planting mix. Water for the plant not the pot. Fertilize every 10 days. Check your soil and water when the plant needs it. Smaller fruited plants do better in pots.
Tips:
• When plants flower shake the stakes to pollinate the flowers.
• Pick the fruit when they are a little soft. Play with your food! Feel your tomatoes for ripeness leaving them on the vine, especially cherry tomatoes.
• Prevent pests by rotating crops by family or replace soil in containers, remember peppers and eggplants have the same pests. Enjoy a delicious summer!
Julie Molinare is a Certified Landscape Designer living in the Santa Clarita for over 15 years. Julie taught the Introduction to Landscape Design Class at CSUN – Tseng College of Extended Learning and is Owner/Designer of The Grass Is Always Greener Landscape Designs. For more information, please call 661-917-3521 and visit www.thegrassisalwaysgreener.net (blog has a more detailed post).