Last Saturday, Nancy went to a Tomato Seminar with Mark Levisay, hosted by the Corner Store Nursery, and came back with a notepad filled with tips and facts. Mark is a Master Gardener and is known for bountiful crops of tomatoes and peppers. She relayed some of his Tomato Tips to me and here are a few that I remember.
Don’t water tomatoes with a hose. Use a sprinkler can and water deeply at the base for best results.
Those blemishes on the bottoms of tomatoes are caused by improper watering (too much or not enough).
If you find a tomato with disease, do not toss it on the ground as that perpetuates the disease. Dispose of it in the garbage.
If you plant in beds, empty out all the old dirt (put it in your flower beds) and start with new mix or soil.
The ideal time to plant tomatoes is May 15 when all danger of frost and chilly weather has passed.
Put an 8-foot stake in the ground, then plant the tomato beside it. As it grows, secure the vine to the stake with strips of cloth (like an old pillowcase), not wire, which cuts into the vine.
Eggshells have calcium, which stimulates vine growth, but it takes a full year for eggshells to break down and be of use.
Do not use insecticides. Rather, inspect the vines and remove destructive insects by hand.
Harvest tomatoes just before they are fully ripe, not after.
Plant tomatoes at least 3 feet apart and allow for growth.
Rotate your tomatoes each year.
These are just some of the tips. Corner Store Nursery sponsors regular gardening seminars. To be informed of the schedule (they are quickly filled) stop by and get on their mailing list.
Oh, and here’s my tip. Use Duke’s Mayonnaise on that first Tomato Sandwich.
