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- Tomatoes (Part 2)
Last week I wrote about tomatoes and as I was writing, I realized how much there is to know about them!
Today I wanted to give you a bonus article that covers a bunch of extra information you’d want to know if you are serious about growing tomatoes!
So let’s get right into the care and maintenance tips:
Pruning
As I mentioned in last week’s article (in case you missed it, you can read it here) there are two general growth habits of tomatoes: determinate, and indeterminate.
Determinate grow to a predetermined height and bear fruit at a specific time of year and then are done. Indeterminate can continue to grow and bear fruit throughout the season.
That said, a lot of people have different pruning methods and will recommend different things. I personally have found it hard to mess up honestly. Just remember that the point of pruning is mainly for two reasons: to increase airflow, and to increase yield!
Generally, I will only prune non-flowering branches that are within the first 1-2ft of the stem, and any that are dead or diseased. After that, I kind of just go with my heart to prune out any dense areas to increase airflow.
You will notice that tomatoes might start to grow a small shoot in between the stem and a main branch. These are called “suckers”.
People also have different opinions on suckers, but again you can kind of do what you want here. I like to prune the suckers, but if the branches are pretty dense, I might take out the biggest branches and leave the suckers. It just kind of depends on my mood and I have not seen any difference in yield.
Grafting
Believe it or not, tomatoes can be grafted!
This is something I have yet to personally experiment with, but apparently it isn’t terribly difficult.
\Why is this important?
Well let’s say for instance that you have a small garden where space is at a premium. You may want to graft onto potatoes so you get two crops out of the same space (tomatoes on top, potato tubers below).
Another thing I’ve been wanting to try is grafting tomatoes onto either bittersweet nightshade (a wild poisonous nightshade) or goji berry. Both grow well in my climate and both are at least somewhat frost-resistant.
A study was recently released by some Chinese botanists where they grafted tomatoes onto goji and used a technique called “mentor grafting”. The findings were really interesting: DNA transferred across the graft union. This means that the scion (in this case, the tomato) was actually exchanging genetic traits with the rootstock (in this case the goji).
This is huge because it means we’re one step closer to being able to develop cold hardy tomatoes that can act as perennials in a non-tropical climate!
Anyway, give it a try and let me know how it goes!
A variety called “Black beauty”
Trellising
There are also many different trellising techniques.
Some people do the Florida Weave method, some people do a single stake, a hoop, or a tipi trellis, but I would generally not recommend tomato cages. This is mostly just because they have a tendency to restrict airflow (causing fungal disease and mold) and they’re harder to harvest and prune around.
For micro or semi-dwarf varieties and other determinates, you might be ok to use cages.
My favorite is the simple tomato stake with clips, twist ties, or string to attach the plant. There’s a reason that market gardeners and farmers use this method, it’s the easiest to harvest from, prune around, and training an indeterminate up a stake generally makes it easier to focus on fruit production!
For stakes, I would go with a 6ft stake for the determinate varieties, and at least an 8ft stake for indeterminates unless you want to prune them to a shorter size.
I’ve done Florida weave and while I like it, I think to do it well you really have to invest in sturdy posts and tight string/cable for it otherwise it falls over and makes a mess when the plants get too heavy.
Fertilization
As I mentioned last week, I also like to bury fish underneath tomatoes.
They are very heavy feeders and have a lot of nutrient requirements. I would almost recommend growing them in straight finished compost if possible, just because of how much they need on a regular basis!
This is a huge opportunity for selectively breeding in my opinion. I love the idea of a tomato that has low nutrient requirements!
Companions
There are several great companion plants for tomatoes, and a few to avoid:
Just to name a few!
I would generally avoid planting tomatoes next to brassicas and fennel partially because of the nutrient need conflicts, but also because they tend to stunt or inhibit tomato growth.
I personally make basil, borage, and calendula my staple companions, but occasionally I’ll throw in some alliums and other herbs!
Seed saving/breeding
I wrote a lot about seeds in a previous article, but here’s a bit you should know that’s specific to tomatoes.
Firstly, make sure you have a ripe fruit and don’t save seeds from underripe ones (the seeds often aren’t mature enough to germinate).
Tomato seeds germinate best after being lightly fermented which simulates rotting fruit, so I’d recommend scooping out the seeds and putting them in a jar with water for a few days. The pulp should ferment off leaving the seeds at the bottom of the jar and when you strain and dry, the seeds should have a good germination rate.
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