Where to start?
Rockwall County provides an amazing opportunity to grow tomatoes, be they in containers or in the ground allowing our Blackland Prairie soil to feed the plants and make super delicious fruit.
If you choose to grow in containers, make sure to use at least a 5 gal size so you have ample soil and water holding capacity for healthy plants. Also keep in mind that harvest size (think weight of total fruit production) is a good indicator of the requirements the plant will need while developing and setting fruits.
Deciding which varieties of tomatoes to grow is a matter of personal preference but choosing a variety that is well adapted to our climate is a major key to success. Determinate (bush type) vs Indeterminate (vine type) will play into this as well as one grows to a “determined” height and sets fruit generally about the same time, the other does not. Understanding the idea that determinate tomatoes have smaller root systems because of their “determined” height, makes them generally better suited for container gardening than their indeterminate cousins. Indeterminate type tomatoes, being more vine like, have a much more extensive root system making them better suited to in-ground planting (which would include raised beds).While some varieties of “cherry” tomatoes may be indeterminate, their overall harvest weight is relatively low compared to other types. The same could be understood for ‘Celebrity’ tomatoes being a “bush” type but can produce a massive harvest. Additionally, there are now some hybrids which are labeled as “semi-determinate” which are closer to indeterminate in how they set fruit but do not grow as tall.
Determinate Type Tomatoes
BHN 589 This is a hybrid bush type tomato developed by BHN Seed company that puts out 1-2lb fruit. BHNSeed and TAMU have worked together on several trials to develop tomatoes that perform very well for Texas.
Patio Tomato These hybrid tomatoes were developed in the 1960’s specifically for containers and tight spaces. They come in several colors.
Roma Tomato Also known as “paste” tomatoes they have a low seed count and aren’t high in juice content making them ideal for cooking… or making tomato paste. They are a hybrid whose genes contain the famous Italian San Marzano fruit.
Indeterminate Type Tomatoes
Sweet 100 “Cherry” These are quite small and once they get going there is a DAILY harvest of sweet goodness.
Mortgage Lifter Absolutely HUGE fruit and amazing slicing tomatoes. These do best in the ground.
San Marzano These “plum” tomatoes grow in clusters and are the tomato of choice in Italy. They make the most amazing sauces and are best suited for cooking.
Cherokee Purple Heirloom tomato with super sweet giant fruit that stay green near the stem, and turn a deep red towards the blossom end. Great slicer but can tend to crack like most heirloom types.
Tomatoes and their issues
Did you know that tomatoes are the number one planted vegetable in-home gardens in the US (although botanically tomatoes are actually berries)? According to The National Gardening Association some 86% of home gardeners who have food gardens have planted tomatoes! That’s an overwhelming percentage of crop space in home gardens. When you consider that only 22% of all US commercial vegetable production are tomatoes it’s astounding that home gardeners want to take a stab at the once forbidden fruit nicknamed “poison apple.” As a western culture, we’ve only been consuming this amazing berry since about the mid 16th century. According to the USDA, the average person in the US consumes some 88 lbs of tomato product each year making it the most consumed fruit by a long shot.
With that in mind, it stands to reason that our extension offices get a LOT of questions about this delicious nightshade. Top three questions in Rockwall County for tomatoes are as follows:
- What is blossom end rot?
- Why do tomatoes crack?
- What are tomato hornworms?
Blossom End Rot is an irreversible physiological disorder where the blossom end of tomatoes, peppers, and cucurbits become sunken, black, and leathery. This can tend to become a source of fungal infection and or other vectors of disease and ultimately rot. The reason this disorder develops is a deficiency in calcium caused by inconsistent watering. I’m not sure about you, but I remember my grandparents throwing eggshells into the tomato garden. While this is technically adding calcium to the soil it’s not really bioavailable for the plants to use. If you have noticed this issue with your tomatoes, or suspect it, consider a few things first
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- What are your watering habits like? Make sure to mulch, and water consistently so the soil is not overly wet or overly dry. Roots can not effectivly absorb calcium when the soil is extremly dry or oversaturated.
- Don’t over fertilize or cultivate weeds too close to roots. Pulling deep-rooted weeds close to the tomato stem will sever your tomato’s vital feeder roots.
- If you haven’t done so, get a soil test to see where your soil may be deficient.
Adding calcium in a bioavailable form may be necessary. Bonemeal or lime are great sources but be careful if you’re using lime as a source of calcium as it tends to increase soil pH.
Why do my tomatoes crack? This answer is simple, and yet complex. In short, inconsistent moisture and rapid temperature changes can lead to cracking. In Texas, the heat, and lack of steady rain during growing season can wreak havoc on tomatoes. This is one of the main reasons we mulch. Mulch helps keep soil moisture consistent when we can go weeks without rain and then get a month’s worth of water in a single storm event. To combat fruit cracking keep the following in mind:
- Consistent watering. Don’t let plants dry out completely between waterings.
- MULCH MULCH MULCH! I can’t overstate this enough. This barrier will help maintain steady levels of water for longer periods of time.
- Don’t over feed your plants. Too much nitrogen can cause fruit to develop too fast and become structurally unstable. Make sure to use a balanced food with adequate potassium and calcium.
- Harvest early. It’s best to harvest just as the fruit is turning red (the breaker stage). This not only keeps the skins from getting tough, but it also means you’re getting to the fruit before the birds or other foragers are.
What is eating my plant? Manduca quinquemaculata or five-spotted hawkmoth is the culprit for the ever-famous tomato hornworm. The caterpillar of this moth is the true villain here. The tomato version (blue or black horn) is closely related to the tobacco hornworm (red horn) and the two look very much alike, in fact, you can find either species on either plant (they consume nearly every plant in the solanaceae family). Adults feed on nectar of adult plants and in the process, they pollinate these plants. Females lay one egg on a leaf in the most protected spot and larvae hatch after about a week. Eggs are large and are pale green to white. Larvae can reach nearly 4” when fully grown. Here are some methods of control:
Tobacco Hornworm
- Hand picking is one of the best ways to control them as with most caterpillar pests. You can even use a UV blacklight at night to find the little boogers as they will glow.
- Trichogramma wasps. Parasitic wasps who lay their offspring in the egg of the caterpillar larvae preventing them from developing.
- Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This naturally occurring bacteria is present in the soil. It’s highly effective in controlling caterpillars but can be overused. Make sure if you choose this method, you follow the directions explicitly. It’s best to spray this in the early morning or late evening as Bt breaks down rapidly in the sun light.