Growing Tomatoes

Tomatoes are, indisputably, the essential ingredient in traditional salsa.  But did you know that all tomatoes are not equal?  There are slicing tomatoes, cooking tomatoes, juice tomatoes and paste tomatoes; just to name a few varieties.  A good salsa depends on starting the right combination of these fruits.

Choosing the Right Tomatoes for Salsa

The best salsa is made with a meaty fruit that's not too juicy but has a rich flavor.  Some good recommendations for this are:  "Beefsteak", "Better Boy", "Celebrity" and "Tuscany."

Most gardeners agree that growing a few Paste tomato plants in your garden is a good idea, as well.  Though smaller than standard tomatoes, the rich flavor and low moisture flesh of these meaty fruits are ideal for salsa recipes.  Some good paste tomato varieties include:  "Roma", "Viva Italia", and Veeroma."

Determinate and Indeterminate Varieties 

When choosing your tomato plants/seed, keep in mind that there are two types of tomatoes:  determinate and indeterminate. 

Determinate plants are shorter and bushy, with all their fruit ripening at once.  This type of plant works well for use with a tomato cage and the harvest is convenient for canning.  Celebrity, Roma and Heatwave are popular varieties of Determinate tomatoes.

Indeterminate tomato plants are usually taller, more vine-like, and need strong staking.  They tend to produce fruit over a longer period. Some of the popular indeterminate tomatoes are Early Girl, Better Boy and Big Beef.

Do You Want to Start with Seeds or Plants?

Whether you start your garden by seed or nursery plants, is a matter of preference, budget and time.  I prefer to buy plants rather than seed because I've had limited success growing viable seedlings.  And, honestly, the ease with which I can turn my unplanted land into an "instant garden" is exciting.  Starting the tomatoes from seed requires more time and effort but there can be no argument that it's a more cost effective to go!

Starting from seed:  Start your seeds indoors 5-7 weeks before the last frost.  Plant seeds at the depth recommended on the seed packet.  Plants are ready to be transplanted when they are about 5 inches high.

Starting with plants:  Select smaller plants (often sold in 4-packs or 6-packs) rather than the larger 4 inch or 6 inch pots.  Besides being much more expensive, the larger plants will suffer more transplant shock when you transplant them.  It will take only a few weeks for the smaller plants to reach a size comparable to what the large plants would have reached during that same time.  Avoid buying transplants that already have flowers or fruit because young plants need all their energy for root and plant growth.

When to Plant

At last!  Spring is here and you’re ready to get out of the house!  If you’re like me, you can hardly wait to jump in and start planting!  It’s fine to work the soil and to plant vegetables that thrive in cooler weather but you’d better hold off on putting those tomatoes and peppers in the ground until it warms up some more.  Garden centers often offer these plants for sale long before it’s time to plant them.  Wait until any chance of frost in your area has passed.  Try not to worry about the “head start” your plants may be missing out on.  For a tomato to set fruit, the night time temperatures need to be at least 55 degrees.  As anxious as you may be start your garden, you’ll reap the rewards later if you wait until the time is right for planting. 

Planting Time is Here

Planting in the Ground:

• The first thing is to give your tomato plants room to grow.  In general, space plants 3-4 feet apart with 5 feet between rows. 

• Prepare and amended your garden site ahead of time, selecting a space that receives a minimum of 6 hours sun a day. 

• Pinch off all but the top four leaves on each transplant.  Bury the root ball and the stem (within an inch or two of the leaves) in the planting hole.  Roots will develop all along the buried stem, allowing vigorous growth of the plant, once established. 

• To boost the growth of young plants, feed with a 20-20-20 fertilizer, according to label directions, until fruit appears.  After fruit has set, use a slow release, general-purpose granular fertilizer, such as 10-40-10, around the base of the plant every 3-4 weeks.  One handful per plant should be sufficient.  Water after each application. 

• When your plants are still small, set tomato cages over them for future support.  It’s easy to do this early and nearly impossible to coax unwieldy tomato branches through the hoops later.  Take the time to secure your tomato cages to the ground with small stakes.  This will prevent the weight of the plant/fruit from turning over the cage later.  As the tomato grows, guide the young branches through the tomato cage frame.   The cage will help keep the fruit from getting dirty, as well as making them easier to harvest. 

• Harvest tomatoes when fully colored, but still firm.

Planting in Containers:

·       Transplant your seedling into a pot that is at least 12 inches in diameter.  Tomato plants grow quite large and will need room to develop a good root system to support their top growth.

·       Take care when placing the plant in its new home.  If you plant the root ball too high it will dry out and kill some of the small roots near the top of the soil.  You can plant a tomato deeper though.  If the plant is leggy, pinch off the lower leaves and place the rootball and stem into the planting hole.  Leave just an inch or two of stem and the upper leaves exposed.  Planting by this method may sound crazy but the tomato will develop new roots along the buried stem and be heartier for it!

·       When the plant begins to grow, put a tomato cage around it to help it keep upright.  Do this earlier rather than later, as mature tomato plant branches can be a challenge to successfully navigate into the rings of the cage.