Nutrition Facts
According to the USDA, tomatoes are low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. They are also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium and Manganese.

Tomato Plants
Tomatoes can be grown either from seed started indoors, or from transplants purchased at your local garden center. There is usually a large selection of transplants available at reasonable prices this time of the year, and transplants are usually the easiest way to start your tomatoes. Select healthy plants that are 6 to 8 inches tall. Check to be sure that the transplants are not root bound. That is, that they don’t have a large amount of roots poking out of the bottom of the pot.

To start your own tomato plants from seed, plant the seeds in a light, seed starter type, soil mixture at least 4 to 7 weeks before they are to be planted outdoors in your garden. One week before they are to be planted, harden-off the tomato plants by placing the potted plants in your garden to gradually expose them to increased amounts of sunlight.

Varieties
Tomatoes come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, and varieties and are classified as being either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate varieties stop growing once the plant sets fruit and the entire crop is produced all at one time. Indeterminate varieties continue to grow and set fruit as long as the temperature permits.

(See Chart Below for Recommended Varieties)

Soil Preparation
Tomatoes do best in well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter and with a pH in the range of 6.2 to 6.8. They require at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Although tomatoes love warm weather, once daytime temperatures rise above 95 degrees, nighttime temperatures stay above 85 degrees or fall below 55 degrees, tomato flowers will no longer set fruit.

Before planting tomatoes, remove all rocks, trash and weeds from the planting area and till the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. To help prevent disease, be sure to practice proper crop rotation by NOT planting tomatoes in soil in which tomatoes, or any other member of the Nightshade family such as potatoes, peppers, or eggplant, were grown in the past two years.

Planting
Tomatoes should be planted after the danger of frost has passed. The table below lists the Spring and Fall Planting dates for each state but you can refer to our Freeze and Frost Dates Tool to find the Last Frost Date for your specific area. Remember, if a frost is expected after you have planted your tomatoes, you will need to cover them with a “planket” type material or the frost will kill them.

An excellent way to encourage a vigorous root system on your tomato plants is to lay the plant on its side when planting. Dig a hole that is as deep as the transplant root ball is wide. Next dig a shallow trench just below the surface to bury the transplant’s stem in. Leave the top 3 to 4 inches of the plant sticking out of the ground and pile a little bit of dirt under this part to angle it slightly upward. Be sure to carefully trim off any leaves that are to be buried. Within a few days the plant will be completely vertical.

Stakes & Cages
If left to their own devices, tomatoes will grow only so tall before they fall over and grow along the ground. This encourages disease, poor fruit production, and is not an efficient use of space. Use stakes or cages to help support your tomatoes and keep them growing upright. Place the stake or cage in the ground shortly after planting to minimize possible root damage. If using stakes, they should be about 6 feet tall and the tomato plant should be loosely tied to the stake at 10-inch intervals to support the plant.

Weed Control
Keep the garden free from weeds, as weeds will compete with the growing tomatoes for soil nutrients and water. Do not dig too deep when using a hoe, or pulling weeds to avoid damaging the plant’s roots.

Watering & Fertilizing
Tomatoes need about 1 to 2 inches of water per week. A good way to help keep them from drying out and wilting is to put a 2-inch layer of mulch around each plant. If you don’t have adequate rainfall, water them once or twice a week. Consider drip irrigation as it conserves moisture and avoids getting the plant’s foliage wet, which can cause diseases. Fertilize your plants once every week or two with an application of a balanced fertilizer.

Insects & Diseases
Tomatoes are relatively hardy but are affected by several insects and diseases. Hornworms are 3-inch long curled caterpillars that cut plants off at the soil line, chew 1/4’’ holes in pods or seeds, and occasionally chew leaves. Apply a Bacillus thuringiensis based insecticide to control them.

Whiteflies are small, whitish insects that may be found in masses on the underside of leaves. Hose off the underside of leaves to knock off aphids or apply an insecticidal soap.

Neem oil, sulfur, and other fungicides can be used to help prevent blossom-end rot.

Deer or bird net is always a good idea, once the plants have set fruit, to keep our furry and feathered friends from enjoying our tomatoes before we do.

Harvesting & Storing
Harvest tomatoes when they are fully ripe. If you harvest them while they are still green, they can be allowed to ripen over time in the house. Keep unripe tomatoes in a well-ventilated area at room temperature until they are ripe. While fully ripe tomatoes can be kept fresh in the refrigerator for several weeks, never store green tomatoes in the refrigerator.

Recommended Varieties
The following chart list the recommended varieties, days to harvest, spring planting dates, and where applicable, the fall planting dates for tomatoes in each state, Wherever possible, the information in the chart is in accordance with the Cooperative Extension for each state.

The post Tomato Time Planting Tips first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Here in Central Texas, March 15th is the proverbial “D-Day” of the gardening world, as it marks our official “Last Freeze Date.” This date was not mystically divined from a few magic tealeaves by a fortuneteller, nor have the folks in Washington proclaimed it as the law of the land. Not even the Weather Czar, if there is such a person, had anything to do with it.

To find the Last Freeze Date for your area, check out our handy Frost and Freeze Date Tool in the How Do Gardener Tool Shed.

The Last Freeze Date for a given area is based on historical weather data from that area, collected over a 30-year period. The actual dates that freezing temperatures occurred in that area are averaged together, and statistical probabilities of a freeze occurring are then assigned to every day of the year. For us, March 15th is the date that there is only a 10 percent chance of a freeze occurring. Remember, although statistically accurate, you are really just playing the odds with this date. Before planting you should ALWAYS check your local weather to see if a freeze is in the forecast.

Two other “D” words that are usually not looked upon with the same enthusiasm around here when we talk about gardening are the ever-hungry deer, and our rock filled dirt. We all know how it works. If you spend enough time with a pick axe, hacking away at the ground, are able to remove all of the rocks, and can actually find enough soil to plant a garden in, the deer will probably eat everything if a late season freeze doesn’t kill it all first.

One of the best ways to combat the deer, the dirt, and freezing temperatures, while optimizing your available garden space, is with the use of raised garden beds. Rather than trying to dig down into the existing soil, raised beds allow you to garden on top of our rocky soil by adding your own soil mixture into a bed placed on top of the ground.

Build the Beds
Each raised bed is 4 feet wide by 4 feet long and only 6 inches deep. Keeping the beds no wider than 4 feet makes it easy to reach anywhere in the raised bed. I construct each one out of a single 16-foot long by 6-inch wide composite decking plank (around $29) cut into four equal length pieces and screwed together at each corner. Avoid pressure treated lumber due to the chemicals it contains. If you want to save a little money up front, you can use plain untreated 2-inch by 6-inch lumber, knowing that it will rot and need to be replaced in about five years. You can always paint only the outside surfaces of the completed untreated lumber beds to add a little color to your garden.

The Soil
You may be wondering how you could ever grow vegetables in only 6 inches of soil. The answer lies in a technique called “Square Foot Gardening” developed by Mel Bartholomew. This technique allows you to grow your garden in only 20% of the space typically needed for a traditional row garden.

The key component of “Square Foot Gardening” in your raised beds is the soil. Rather than trying to weed, till, and amend the existing soil in your yard, you will make our own custom mixture. This mixture, called “Mel’s mix,” consists of one-third coarse vermiculite, one-third peat moss, and one-third compost. It is this soil that allows you to grow your vegetables in only a 6-inch deep bed.

The components are measured by volume in cubic feet. Each 4-foot by 4-foot bed requires 8 cubic feet of soil. Try to use several different types of compost to make up the compost portion of your soil mix. Different compost brands are derived from different sources such as chicken waste or cow waste. Once you have your components, lay a tarp on the ground near your raised beds, dump your ingredients on it and mix thoroughly. Once mixed, fill your bed(s).

Drip Irrigation Grid

I decided to install and use a Rain Water Harvesting System, discussed in detail in a future article, to connect to my Drip Irrigation System. A garden hose from an outdoor faucet will work just fine but be sure to install a Pressure Regulator.

Grow Vertically
Many vegetables such as pole beans, peas, cantaloupe, and even tomatoes can be grown on a vertical trellis made out of one-half inch electrical conduit and nylon trellis netting. I made mine 6 feet high and 4 feet wide. Drive a piece of one-half inch rebar that is about 18? to 24? long halfway into the ground at each of the two corners where the trellis will be placed. Then just slip the conduit over each piece of rebar to hold the trellis in place.

The electrical conduit comes in 10? lengths (around $2 each) and your local home improvement store can cut it to the desired length. The nylon trellis netting can also be found at your local home improvement store or garden center.

Keep the Deer Out
Finally, create a structural framework to support either deer netting, or protective mesh plant fabric using two 10’ lengths of one-half inch diameter PVC pipe for each bed. Just stick one end of the PVC pipe in the soil on the inside corner of a raised bed, arch the pipe over top of the bed diagonally, and stick the other end of the pipe in the soil on the opposite side of the bed. Repeat this step with another PVC pipe, arched diagonally between the other two corners of the raised bed and tie them together where they cross at the top. Now deer netting can be draped over the top of this structure and anchored to the ground just outside each raised bed with stakes, a few old bricks, or some scrap lumber. If cold weather threatens, replace the deer netting with row cover fabric to protect the plants from frost or freeze damage.

Check out the book All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!
by Mel Bartholomew for specific information on the the number of each type of vegetable to plant per square and other great information.

So there you have it. A great way to battle the deer, the dirt, and late spring freezes, while growing a lot in a small space. Raised beds do cost more up front but, once installed, will more than pay for themselves by increasing your crop yields for years to come. Try a raised bed or two this season and see for yourself.

The post Use Raised Garden Beds to Battle Deer and Dirt first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

One of the easiest and most efficient ways to grow fresh vegetables, while optimizing your available gardening space, is by utilizing Square Foot Gardening, developed by Mel Bartholomew.

Raised Beds

Rather than digging down into your existing soil, use raised beds. Each raised bed is 4′ wide by 4′ long and 6″ deep. Keeping the beds no wider than 4′ makes it easy to reach anywhere in the raised bed easily. I construct each one out of a single 16′ x 6″ composite decking plank (around $29) cut into four equal length pieces and screwed together at each corner. I avoid pressure treated lumber due to the chemicals it contains and untreated lumber will rot in just a few years.

Once each bed is constructed, place it in an area that receives full sun. You can place two or more beds together to form rows if space permits. Be sure to leave at least 3′ between each row of beds to allow easy access. Once your bed layout is determined, remove any existing grass within each bed and level each one. Now staple a piece of weed blocker fabric to the bottom of each bed and place the beds in their final positions.

The Soil

You are now ready for the key component of your raised bed, the soil. Rather than trying to weed, till, and amend the existing soil in your yard, you will make our own custom mixture. This mixture, Mel’s Mix, consists of 1/3 Coarse Vermiculite, 1/3 Peat Moss, and 1/3 Compost. It is this soil that allows you to grow your vegetables in only a 6″ deep bed.

The components are measured by volume in cubic feet. Each 4′ x 4′ bed requires 8 cubic feet of soil. Be aware that a 3.9 cubic foot bale of Peat Moss equals 8 cubic feet loose. Try to use several different types of compost to make up the compost portion of your soil mix. Different compost brands are derived from different sources, ex. chicken waste, cow waste, etc. Once you have your components, Lay a tarp on the ground near your raised beds, dump your ingredients on it and mix thoroughly. Once mixed, fill your bed(s).

Drip Irrigation Grid

The next key technique used in Square Foot Gardening is placing a permanent 12 x 12-inch grid over each raised bed. The fully grown size of each plant determines how many can be grown in each square. You can use strips of wood or string to make these grids but I chose to install drip irrigation lines to use as both my grid and to optimize the watering of the beds.

I installed a closed loop of 1/2″ Black Polyethylene Drip Irrigation Tubing around the perimeter of each row of beds.

At the corner closest to your water source, use a 1/2″ Tee Fitting.

At the next two corners, use 1/2″ Elbow Fittings.

At the forth corner, closest to your next row of beds, use another 1/2″ Tee Fitting and run a length of 1/2″ Black Polyethylene Drip Irrigation Tubing to the Tee Fitting on the next row of beds.

At the fourth corner, closest to your next row of beds, use another 1/2″ Tee Fitting and run a length of 1/2″ Black Polyethylene Drip Irrigation Tubing to the Tee Fitting on the next row of beds.

Next, I ran 1/4″ In-Line drip tubing across the length and width of each bed, spaced at 1′ intervals, and connected these to both sides of the 1/2″ Black Polyethylene Drip Irrigation Tubing around the perimeter.

I decided to install and use a Rain Water Harvesting System, discussed in detail in a future post, to connect to my Drip Irrigation System. A garden hose from an outdoor faucet will work just fine but be sure to install a Pressure Regulator.

Grow Vertically

Many vegetables such as pole beans, peas, cantaloup, and even tomatoes can be grown on a vertical trellis made out of 1/2″ electrical conduit and nylon trellis netting.

I made mine 6′ high and 4′ wide. Drive a piece of 1/2″ rebar, that is about 18″-24″ long, halfway into the ground at each of the two corners where the trellis will be placed. Then just slip the conduit over each piece of rebar to hold the trellis in place.

The electrical conduit comes in 10′ lengths (around $2 each) and your local home improvement store can cut it to the desired length. The nylon trellis netting can also be found at your local home improvement store or garden center.

Ready to Plant

Check out All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space! by Mel Bartholomew for specific information on the the number of each type of vegetable to plant per square and other great information.

I hope you find this post useful and that you try these techniques for yourself. Enjoy.

The post Raised Bed Gardening first appeared on The How Do Gardener.