Tomatoes & Herbs

Section Listing

Tomatoes
Herbs

Tomatoes
Tomatoes are the favorite American vegetable for the home garden. Rich in vitamins A, B, and C, tomato varieties are available to produce fruit from early season until frost. Tomatoes are easy to grow. Even a few plants will produce plenty of fruit for eating fresh, canning, freezing, pickling, or making into chili sauce, ketchup, juice and paste to use all year in cooking.

Tomatoes are either determinate (D) or indeterminate (I). Indeterminate plants continue to grow and produce fruit as long as the weather permits. Determinate varieties grow to a predetermined size and produce their fruit during a short time period. The letters that you see on tomato tags represent resistance to a common tomato problem. These letters only note the resistance of the plant.

*Disease codes

• V = verticillium wilt

• F = fusarium wilt

• N = knot nematodes

• T = tobacco mosaic virus

• A= alternaria

Soil & Fertilizer
Tomatoes require a well-drained soil and a sunny location. When transplanting, set the plant deep in the ground and water immediately. Throughout the growing season, provide an even supply of water to your tomatoes. Water is best provided early in the day and below the foliage level to avoid the foliage and fruits remaining wet overnight, which can encourage disease. Each week, plan to provide 60 gallons of water for every 100 square feet of tomatoes grown. Regular applications of a fertilizer labeled specifically for tomatoes will increase yields. Like peppers, tomatoes will produce more foliage than fruits in response to a high nitrogen fertilizer. To insure the quality of your harvest, it is important to be providing a tomato specific fertilizer as soon as fruits begin to form.

Water
Keeping your tomatoes uniformly moist will provide the best results. Water the tomatoes well just before transplanting and try to choose a shady day. This minimizes the initial water lost from the plant to the soil. When watering, avoid getting the foliage wet to discourage disease.

Spacing
Determine plant spacing based on your growing method. Free growing will require the most space per plan; allow three to four feet between plants in all directions. Caged plants will also require a lot of space with approximately four feet between plants in all directions. Staked plants can be grown in a tighter spacing, 18 to 30 inch spacing in rows three to four feet apart.

Herbs
Herbs are among the easiest plants to grow and enjoy. An herb garden, even a single pot on a patio or windowsill, can yield fun and add flavor to your cooking. Herbs provide flowers, fragrance, flavor, and better health. Herbs can be classified as annuals, biennials, or perennials. Annuals bloom one season and then die. Biennials live for two seasons, blooming the second season only. Perennials over winter and bloom each season once they are established.

Light
Some herbs grow well in partial shade, but most need full sun for at least six hours a day. Growing plants in portable containers will allow you to move them if you don’t have a fixed spot with enough sunlight. It also allows you easy access for harvesting when cooking.

Soil & Water
Herbs appreciate good drainage and an evenly moist soil. Drainage is probably the most important single factor in successful herb growing. None of the herbs will grow in wet soils. Perennial and biennial herbs should be winter protected. Mulch after the ground has frozen in early winter.

Harvesting
Fresh leaves may be picked as soon as the plant has enough foliage to maintain growth. Pick leaves or seeds after the dew has disappeared but before the sun becomes too hot. Wash dirty leaves and seed heads in cold water; drain thoroughly before drying. For the most part, the more you use them, the more they will produce. When you don’t pinch your herbs often enough, they tend to go to seed or become bitter.

Brining Herbs Indoors
Extend your herbal gardening season by bringing your herbs indoors. Annual herbs can spend their full life cycle in a pot indoors. Perennial herbs, however, will do better if you place them outdoors during the summer. When transplanting herbs into pots, cut them back to make them easier to work with and encourage new growth. Place your herbs in a sunny location and keep them evenly moist.