Did you know that the tomato stood trial in the Supreme Court? In an 1893 decision Nix v. Hedden the question was whether the tomato was a fruit or vegetable. A group of greens grocers sued the State of New York. The state taxed vegetables at that time, but not fruit. The grocers stated — correctly, botanically speaking — that the tomato was a fruit. Botanists consider it a berry. But the Court sided with the state. A later jurist explained the Court’s reasoning, “In common parlance tomatoes are vegetables…”
Archive for the ‘Tomatoes’ Category
Making a Federal Case Out of it
Monday, July 19th, 2010Shake the Stake
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010When your tomato plants start to flower, it’s a good idea to give them a brisk shake once a week. This will send the pollen flying and increase fruiting. With honeybees in decline, tomatoes will need more help than ever.
Sticks and Salts
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010There’s and easy way to jump phosphorus levels for your tomatoes — toss in a couple books’ worth of match heads into the soil around the seedling when you plant. Growing tomato plants are hungry for magnesium, too. Water them once or twice a season with two tablespoons of Epsom salt dissolved into a gallon of water to provide it.
Tomato News
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Did you know that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a titanic gift to tomato lovers? Tons of great tasting heirloom tomatoes came pouring forth. The black krim, perhaps the tastiest — and ugliest– tomato from the Russian Georgia. Stupice tomatoes come from Czechoslovakia and blow early girls right out of the water. Sasha’s altai tomatoes have a great cold resistance because they come from Altai mountains on the Russian-Chinese border. We have a great selection of all these heirloom tomatoes and more. And when you visit you can check out the biggest tomato plant in Boulder, 36 feet long and still growing. Pay us a visit, won’t you?
Starting Seeds
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Most seeds can be direct-sown into the garden when the time is right. But many folks like to get a jump on the season by growing vegetable starts. These are usually warm weather plants - tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, melons, cucumbers, etc. While you can grow them in a container with drainage - i.e. a Dixie cup with a whole hole in the bottom - most folks use seed trays and cell packs.
There are two trays, one with performations in the bottom and one without - you’ll want one of each. Cell packs are sheets of small cells that nestle snugly inside the seed trays. You’ll want one sheet of cells for each tray you intend to plant.
Clear plastic covers are also a good idea. You’ll need at least one, which can be rotated to other trays as the seedlings sprout.
For most seeds you don’t need starting mix - any good quality potting soil will work as well.
Put your unperforated tray on the bottom, insert the performated tray into it, followed by the cell pack. Dump an appropriate amount of potting soil into the center of the cell packs and spread it equally into the cells. Use your thumb to lightly tamp down the soil in each cell.
Put two seeds in each cell, cover with additional potting soil (1/4″ for tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, 1/2 inch for melons and cucumbers) and firm the soil lightly.
Lift the perforated tray and cell pack together out of the bottom tray. Fill that tray with an inch of warm water and float the perforated tray with the cell pack on it. Watering from the bottom up will give you even watering and minimize seed displacement, something that can happen when you top-water.
When the cells are dark and evenly moist, put the perforated tray with the cell pack over the sink to drain, dump the excess water out of the bottom tray and then place them back in the bottom tray. Snap on the plastic cover.
Put the assembled trays in a sunny, warm spot during the day and the warmest place possible at night. Most warm-weather seeds germinate best from 70 to 85 degrees, going slightly cooler once they develop leaves. If you’re growing different kinds of seeds in one flat, try to keep the estimated germination times as close as possible.
Seedling heat mats can be pricey, but are a good long-term investment, espeically for tomato and pepper starts. Another good, warm place to put your trays at night is on top of the your refrigerator, toward the back. Since the tray is higher in the room it will stay warmer and get additional warmth from the coils releasing heat in the back of fridge.
Once you’ve achieved 50% germination, take the plastic cover off for good. Keep the first seed to germinate in each cell and pluck out the other.
If your seedlings are tall and pale they aren’t getting enough light. Use a flourescent light to boost light levels and length of day (see below).
If they rot at the base - called “damping off” - they’re too wet and too cold. Toss the contents, sterilize your fresh potting soil by putting it into a 250-degree oven for an hour and start again.
Seedlings that seem spindly can be toughened up by putting them in the path of an oscilliating table fan set on low. The movement of the air will make them more robust, but also more likely to dry out.
Keep the cell packs evenly moist. With the cover on, they won’t need much water.
You can use fluorescent light to start your seeds or extend the length of the growing day. If hung by a fine chain, they can be precisely raised and kept 2″ to 4″ above your seedlings. You don’t have to use more expensive daylight spectrum bulbs. For most purposes a regular white bulb works just fine. Sow your seeds 6 to 8 weeks before you intend to plant them. which in our case will be around Memorial Day.
Put Your Garden on Wheels
Monday, March 15th, 2010One of our customers had a dilemma - he wanted to grow tomatoes but he had only four hours of sun on one side of his house and four on the other. Tomatoes need at least six hours of direct sun to produce. So we took an old shopping cart, set two five gallon buckets (with drainage holes drilled in the bottom) inside it, hung two from each side and one from the front. Filled with good quality potting soil and planted with tomato starts, he could now grow seven tomato plants by moving the cart from one side in the morning to the other side in the afternoon.
Putting your container garden on wheels - on a wagon or a cart - means that in the mountains you can wheel your plants out during the day and inside at night. The threats of hail or a sudden freeze? Run ‘em inside. Nice spring day? Run ‘em out.
The Tomato Plant That Swallowed Boulder - 29 Feet and Growing
Saturday, February 6th, 2010Taking a cue from the gardeners at the Epcot Center in Florida,who grew a single tomato plant that covered a quarter-acre and produced 32,000 fruit, we’re trying our hand at it. In the back of the main greenhouse we’ve got a Sun Gold tomato plant that has currently hit 29 feet and still growing. Stop by and take a gander and pick a tomato in winter, if you can reach them.
Tomato Tips
Friday, May 15th, 2009
These tips are also great for peppers and eggplants.
Plant when the weather warms up the soil: usually the last two weeks in May.
Remove the bottom sets of leaves and plant tomatoes deeper. This increases the root mass and means more tomatoes.
Harden off your seedlings by exposing them to increasing amounts of sunlight before planting. A few hours in the shade the frist day, then increase their exposure. Plant them on a cloudy day or in the evening.
For each plant, dig a hole at least 12″ in diameter and 10″ deep. Even bigger is better. Backfill with a misture of 50% top soil, 40% compost, 10% manure.
Pinch off the first few sets of blossoms to encourage better rooting, growth, and, ultimately, yields.
Fertilize every two weeks with a relatively low-nitrogen, high-phosphorous fertilizer. Water with 1 tablespoon Epsom salts/1 gallon water every two weeks. Liquid iron and Super Thrive are also good ideas.
The more often you pick, the better your plants will yield.
Always water at the base of your plants in the morning. Soaking the entire plant increases potential for disease later on.
Guide to Avant Gardening: Part 8 ~ Tomatoes, Squash, and Pumpkins
Monday, May 11th, 2009Tomatoes: 45 to 120 days. Grown from starts planted around Memorial Day. Few plants engender such passion as tomatoes. They’ve traveled the world from their origin in northern South America. And the best thing that ever happened to tomato lovers was the collapse of the Soviet Union. When the Wall came down dozens of terrific tasting varieties came running out. Tomatoes are classified as either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes produce all their fruit at once. Indeterminate tomatoes produce their fruit over an entire season, with clusters of fruit ripening sequentially. Indeterminate plants tend to produce more fruit.
