TOMATO

TOMATO
(Lycopersicon Lycopersicuni)
Full Sun
Part
Shade
Popularity of the Tomato
A fine source of the vitamins A and C, the common tomato is
easily grown in almost any backyard. Because of its food value,
many uses and ease of culture, the tomato is probably the plant
most widely grown by any gardener.
Growing the Tomato
Planting and gardening in the proper manor is part of the formula
to growing great tomato plants. To grow perfect tomatoes
remember that the tomato plant is only ready and willing to
deliver if you give it the full range of conditions that it requires. Hardiness of each tomato plant will
be determined by the basic requirements outlined below.
Tomato: Planting - The tomato is a warm-season plant which requires a fairly long
growing season. You may live in an area where seed can be planted directly in the garden, but
in most regions they must be started in a hotbed or indoors.
Tomato: Culture - As warm-weather plants tomatoes require an open, sunny, well-drained
location in the garden. Avoid poorly drained spots where rainwater tends to form a pool. Many
diseases of tomatoes are associated with poor drainage.
Tomato: Transplanting - Young tomato plants are set out as early as possible to hurry
their growth, and it is sometimes necessary to protect them against late frost damage. Invert
peach baskets or paper bags over the tomato plants during unusually cold nights.
Tomato: Staking - Perhaps the most desirable method of growing tomatoes is to stake
and prune them. More plants can occupy a given space this way, and the difficulties of
cultivation are greatly decreased.
Tomato: Harvesting/Varieties - During the summer, tomato vines should provide a
steady supply of fresh fruit for family use. Later, when the crop reaches its peak, you will
probably want to preserve much of it for future use. Whichever way you choose, you can plant
varieties of tomatoes bred especially for your purpose.
Tomato: Pests/Diseases - Tomatoes have a built-in insect repellent called solanine that
will repel many insect pests. The tomato hornworm is probably the most serious pest of
tomatoes, although Japanese beetles, cutworms and other pests also bother the plants.

The proper soil for tomatoes:
The most important factor in the growth of tomato plants. Roots breathe the way you do. Deprived
of air, roots, or portions of roots die of suffocation. Make sure soil is loose and friable, permitting
good drainage for your tomato plants.
Watering tomatoes:
Neither too much, nor too little. Too much water can drown tomato plant roots, especially if soil is
heavy. Too little water can stop tomato production.
Nutrient requirements of tomatoes:
The daily requirements of tomato plants for nutrients is small, but that amount should be available
when the plant needs it. Always follow package or bottle directions of the fertilizer that you use for
best results as you grow your tomato plants.
Maintenance of the Tomato Garden
To produce a bumper crop of tomatoes you will need to monitor their progress throughout the
growing cycle. The following points are critical to growing the perfect tomato.
• Sunlight: To a plant, light is life. Sunlight is used by the leaves to convert raw materials
into useable plant food, and provides the energy required for photosynthesis. The tomato
should have 8 hours of continuous sunlight, but can get along with less. However the less
sun that the plants receive the more it will negatively affect their rate of growth and
production.
• Temperature: Most tomatoes need night temperatures between 55° and 75° to set fruit.
But there are varieties that will set fruit at lower and higher temperatures. Read the
planting and growing tips found on your seed pack or plant tray.
• Protection of leaves and roots: Leaves and roots need protection from temperature
extremes, strong winds, birds and beasts, weed competition, and pests and diseases.
But if you've satisfied the first five requirements, the plant is in a good position to protect
itself from any damager, and will require much less protection from the gardener.
Growing the best tomatoes
You don't have to be a horticulturist to grow tomatoes or to put the basic rules of
plant growth together. It seems to us that what trips up many a grower of tomatoes
is a lack of concern with one or another of the needs of the plant. Actually, these
fundamentals are one fundamental; all must act in unison.
You can go into the garden, look at a tomato plant, and decide that it needs more
fertilizer. Fine—but you should bear in mind that fertilizing, the nature of the soil in
which the tomato vine is planted, and your watering habits are all interdependent. If
you plant a six-pack of the tomato variety recommended by your garden store, and
all plants grow and produce well, you can count yourself lucky. But if your
experience hasn't been all that successful, the preceding advice may be helpful.