Saving Seeds

Tomato seeds are surrounded by a gel which contains a germination inhibitor. I like to clean my tomato seeds by processing them with Oxiclean washing powder. Not only does it remove this germination inhibitor, and any bits of tomato that might be sticking to the seeds, but it may also help to remove certain soilborne diseases from the seeds so we aren’t carrying a tomato disease from one year to the next.

Fermentation?

The classic method of saving seeds is to leave them out in a cup or container for a few days until they start to ferment. They produce a strong smell and develop a “fungus mat”. Because of the smell, some people let their seeds ferment outside. But if we have 100 degree temperatures, that can “cook” the seeds, making them not viable. Plus, you never know how long it’s going to take for the seeds to separate from the tomato solids. If you’re going on a trip or out of town for the weekend, you might come back to dried out, useless seeds. Fermentation really got to be a hassle for me. And moldy tomato seeds grosses out my roommates!

Hybrids?

Seeds should be saved from open pollinated varieties (eg, heirlooms), unless you are willing to take your chances and experiment a bit, as your saved seeds may not be true-to-type. Most of the tomatoes at the grocery store are hybrids (F1) and so there is a good chance you will not get the same tomato when you save seeds and grow them.

Tomatoes should be ripe or close to it. If possible, avoid saving seeds from deformed or “catfaced” tomatoes as they may have resulted from a fused blossom. Since a fused blossom is usually a much larger flower than the typical tomato blossom, there is a higher likelihood it attracted bees or other pollinators. The seeds you save might be cross-pollinated from another tomato and yield unexpected results.

Note: Make sure your work surface, utensils, cups, strainer, and fingernails are free of any stray seeds before you begin and after each seed saving session.

Hint: It is helpful to get a paper plate ready by writing the variety name on it with a permanent marker before you begin, in case you walk away and forget what variety you saved seeds from. Don’t write with a regular ink pen because moisture will cause the variety name to run.

Step-by-Step

1. Select ripe tomatoes of one variety to save seeds from.
2. Cut a hole or X on the bottom of each tomato and squeeze the juice and seeds into a measuring cup.
3. If the seeds and juice from the tomato are less than 1 cup, add water to make 1 cup. Add 1 tablespoon of Oxiclean washing powder for each cup of tomato seeds/pulp/water.

4. After 30-45 minutes, stir and pour seeds through a fine mesh strainer.
5. Rinse off seeds until they no longer feel “slippery”.
6. Use a paper towel to dry off the bottom of the strainer.

7. Turn the strainer upside down and whack it onto a non-coated paper plate to transfer the seeds to the plate.
8. Spread seeds around so they are not all clumped together. This will let the seeds will dry properly. Cover loosely with a paper towel and set out of reach for approximately 1 week or until seeds are dry.
9. Scrape seeds into a paper envelope (such as Coin Envelopes from your local office supply store) and label with variety name, year, and your seed source.

Mailing Seeds

Domestically, it is easy to mail 3-5 packets of seeds in a standard sized business envelope. Because seed packets can slide around in the envelope when handled, it is strongly recommended to take a blank sheet of letter sized paper and tape the seed packets to it in such a way that no two seed packets are overlapping seeds.

Loose seed packets can attract the attention of postal inspectors, not to mention that if all the seed packets slide to one end of the envelope, seeds may be crushed by mail sorting equipment. Bubble mailers may be used if you want to ensure safe arrival of your seeds.

Mailing seeds to other countries poses additional challenges. Padded/bubble mailers are not recommended as they attract attention. One suggestion is to mail individual seed packets inside of greeting or holiday cards.

Starting From Seed

The Right Soil When they first germinate, tomato seeds are vulnerable to any bacterial or fungal spores which might be present in your growing medium. If shortly after they germinate, your tomato seedlings die, especially with a dark ring just below the soil line, this is damping off. This can be completely avoided by purchasing a sterile soiless seed starting mix. This can be found for ~$4 for an 8 quart bag which will fill a couple of 72 cell flats or a dozen 4″ pots. If you are growing organic transplants, then you will need to create your own soil mix. The peat moss you use will not have a wetting agent. Add 1 tsp of an organic dish soap to 1 gallon of water and water the soil with that.

Place seed starting mix in a bowl and then moisten it with water until it is damp, but not sopping wet. Scoop the mix into your seed starting trays or pots. Ferry Morse sells reasonable seed starting trays with clear plastic domes. We do not recommend peat pots for a variety of reasons. The peat tends to wick water away from the tender seedlings, depriving them of water. Also, the peat pot does not degrade as quickly as the advertising would indicate. If used, the bottom should be cut out with scissors to allow free root growth.

Presoak?

An entirely optional step in seed starting is to pre-soak seeds. Soaking your tomato and pepper seeds in weak tea and seaweed emulsion can increase germination rates and seedling vigor. If you have fresh seeds (less than 5 years old), or you are starting seeds for too many varieties for this to be practical, than this step can, of course, be skipped.

Add a tea bag to a cup of warm water and steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bag and add a few drops of Maxicrop liquid seaweed. Arrange several small bowls or cups, add your seeds to each cup, and then add enough of the weak tea to each to moisten the seeds. 12 hours is our recommended soak time. Then sow into moist seed starting mix as described below.

Depth

Tomato and pepper seeds, especially cherry tomato seeds, seem to perform much better when planted extremely shallow — merely 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch deep. I usually arrange the seeds on top of the soil and then with a small tool pull a few strands of the mix over the seeds. One method is to simply drop the seeds on top of the moist seed starting mix and then sprinkle a little bit of dry soilless seed starting mix on top and mist it with a sterilized water bottle until damp.

If you are willing to separate the plants later, then 2-4 seeds can be started in each cell of a 72 cell seed starting tray. Or you can start directly in 4″ pots. The benefit of starting in a smaller cell and then transplanting or “potting up” into a larger pot is encouraging the initial tap root (which goes straight down to the bottom of the pot) to become a more fibrous root system taking up the whole pot.

Tomato seeds germinate at different rates. Cherries can be especially precocious. Pepper seeds prefer to germinate about 10 degrees warmer than tomato plants (ideally 85 F degrees). If you are lucky enough to have a seedling heat mat, then you can start your seeds at the same time. Otherwise, we recommend starting your pepper seeds 2-3 weeks before you start your tomato plants and expect them to take up to 2 weeks to germinate.

We recommend making a map of your seedling tray (including some indication of orientation in case you rotate the tray and forget which end is which!) and labeling the contents. [Downloadable Seedling Maps]

Moisture

Once you have planted your seeds, the biggest challenge may be resisting the temptation to overwater. We recommend not watering the soil again until the seedlings are 2-3 inches tall and have used up most of the water in the soil. This is typically 5-7 days after germination and there will be a noticeable drying of the surface of the soil. Of course if seedlings start to wilt, then provide them with a little water.

If you are starting in trays and a clear plastic dome was provided,
use it (it does not have to be airtight). Once a good number of
seedlings germinate, remove the dome and place the tray under
fluorescent lights for 16 hours per day.

Some growth of green moss on the surface of your seed starting trays is
normal, but this may be a symptom that you may be overdoing it on watering. Also, if you are
anxious about disturbing your seedlings, you can water the bottom tray instead
of from the top. This is called bottom watering.

Fluorescent Lights

Fluorescent light fixtures which accomodate two 48 inch 40 Watt bulbs run $20-30 at Home Depot and Lowe’s (some are labeled 32W but will work just fine). The $15 models at Wal-Mart are of poor quality. If you are starting seedling trays (instead of individual pots), then it is recommended that you buy the light fixture with the widest metal reflector available so as to distribute the light over the entire width of the tray. To the human eye, fluorescent bulbs are bright from any distance, but
in actuality, the light output falls off dramatically over a distance
of just a few inches.

The top leaves of your plants plants should be kept no more
than 1-2 inches below the fluorescent bulbs for 16 hours per day. If you have to go out of town, then a few days of 24 hours will not harm the plants, although a timer might be a good investment. Use chains to raise and
lower the lights, or use old books, DVD cases, etc. to raise and lower plants. Fluorescent lights will not burn the plants even if the leaves touch them.

Standard cool white 40 Watt bulbs run about $4. I use one cool white and one Daylight (warm/natural light) bulb which run about $6. Avoid any of the ‘deluxe’ bulbs as they are more pleasing to the eye but have a lower light output. Also there is no need to purchase expensive Aquarium, Terrarium, or Plant Growth lights as it is strongly recommended to replace your seed starting fluorescent bulbs every year (especially if you are also starting seeds for a fall crop).

A recent development in seed starting involves High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide lights. These can produce in excess of 400 W of light. With the use of reflective mylar and with the lights 3-4 feet above the plants, a very large number of plants can be started this way. If there is interest in this subject, we can expand on it in a separate article.

It’s a Breeze

Use an oscillating fan to provide a gentle breeze over your seedlings for several hours per day. This will encourage them to grow thicker stems and overall stockier plants. Many major retailers do not carry oscillating fans in December-February as it is a season item. Buy them in the summer.

Fertilization Seedlings should require no fertilizer until their second set of true leaves. Spray the leaves of your 3-4″ tall seedlings with half strength seaweed emulsion i.e. Maxicrop. 1/2 teaspoon can be added to a 32 oz spray bottle (which should be clean and not contain traces of chemicals). This should be the last fertilization needed until the plants are transplanted into the ground.

Potting Up (Transplanting)

If you started in trays, then you will need to transplant up to 4″ pots when the plants have their second or third set of true leaves. Tomato plants are very risilient and if the trays are well-watered about 30 minutes before transplant, then the tomato plants will have had a good drink of water and stand up better to having their roots disturbed during transplant.

The stems of tomato plants have many fine hairs which have the remarkable ability to become roots if buried in soil. Take advantage of this by transplanting your tomato seedlings as deep in the larger pots as you can. We recommend picking off any leaves that will be buried in the soil by this process. If the seedling is not tall enough to have leaves above the surface of the soil, then add some soil to the bottom of the pot.

You should retain some extra plants as “backups” in case a frost wipes out your initial planting.

Hardening Off

Seedlings started under lights must become slowly acclimated to sunlight before they can be planted in the garden. 11am-2pm holds the most brutal sunlight of the day and is the most likely to damage your plants. 1 – 1 1/2 weeks before planting, your seedlings can be moved out into full shade for 1-2 days and then gradually provided with dappled or direct sunlight with gradually increasing times. If evening temperatures are predicted to fall below 45 degrees or high winds are predicted, then seedlings should be moved indoors. Times can be doubled on cloudy days. Here is a hardening off calendar:

[Day 1] Full Shade
[Day 2] 10 minutes of morning sun.
[Day 3] 15 minutes of morning sun. 10 minutes of afternoon sun.
[Day 4] 45 minutes of morning sun. 30 minutes of afternoon sun.
[Day 5] 1 1/2 hour of morning sun. 1 hour of afternoon sun.
[Day 6] 3 hours of morning sun. 2 hours of afternoon sun.
[Day 7] 4 hours of morning sun. 3 hours of afternoon sun.
[Day 8] Ready to plant.

We realize that many folks cannot do the type of babying described
above, but putting the plants in dappled shade (being aware of the
movement of the sun throughout the day) will help. There are several methods of unattended hardening off, including placing some type of protection directly over the plants to allow morning and afternoon sun to reach the plants, but block the searing mid-day sun until your plants are ready for it.

A lawn chair, inverted laundry basket, or boards supported by bricks, paving stones, or inverted 5 gallon buckets can all be used to provide protection from this mid-day sun. Plants can also be sprayed with inert kaolin clay (sold as Surround) mixed with water to provide a protective physical “shell” to reduce sunlight exposure, but will need to be reapplied in case of rain. 50% shade cloth is another good option.

Plants which are not hardened off will exhibit foliage damage 1-2
days after exposure. The characteristic dessication of the leaves from improper hardening off (tan smooth spots where the leaf has dried out and become paper-thin) can
stunt or kill seedlings.

Seedlings are More Vulnerable to Pests

Tender seedlings are vulnerable to such pests as flea beetles and leaf miners. Flea beetles leave behind tiny holes in the leaves. Leaf miners leave zigzagging tracks in the leaves of the seedlings. In both cases, there is no point in spraying the plants with insecticides as the insects which caused the damage are gone by the time you find evidence. Spraying the plants with Surround or dusting the plants with Sevin (Carbaryl) when they are first set out will protect them from most opportunstic insects.

Planting Dates

Seeds should be started so that plants are 10-14″ tall and healthy

at planting time. These are our recommended seed starting dates for
tomato seeds. Remember to subtract 2 weeks for pepper seeds (unless you
use a heat mat).

Houston (inside Beltway 8)-

Houston (west or north of Beltway -

Houston (east or south of Beltway -

Austin -

San Antonio -

Dallas / Ft Worth -

Don’t Trust the Weatherman!

Seedlings should be brought indoors if evening temperatures are predicted to go below 45 F or if high winds are expected. It is important to note that the High and Low temperatures provided by many television newscasts, newspapers, and websites can be very inaccurate and misleading. We cannot encourage you strongly enough to consult the National Weather Service, or Weather Underground to get hour-by-hour predictions of expected temperatures for your area (ZIP code). Weather Underground is particularly pessimistic (they always low-ball evening temperatures) which makes it an especially good indicator.

Can I buy plants?

If you have reached this point of the article and starting your own tomato seeds sounds daunting, or it’s February, you’ll be surprised to know that there are excellent nurseries in the major S.E. Texas cities and surroundings which carry excellent plants. Although I start my own seeds every year, inevitably I do buy a few plants at local nurseries to support the local business and sometimes they have a great variety I hadn’t thought of. It is assumed that plants from local nurseries have already been hardened off and are ready for transplant.

Houston – Inside Beltway 8: Wabash Antiques, Another Place in Time, Southwest Fertilizer and Buchanan’s Native Plants all have an excellent array of tomato and pepper varieties.

Houston – Outside of Beltway 8, RCW Nurseries is starting to carry a good selection of herb and vegetable plants. Cornelius Nurseries, Houston Plants & Garden World and Houston Garden Centers all carry the ubiquitous Chef Jeff’s line of tomato and pepper plants which have some good choices.

Austin – Bloomer’s in Elgin, TX has a fantastic selection. We are currently inquiring about additional nurseries in San Antonio.

San Antonio – We are currently inquiring about the best nurseries in San Antonio.

Dallas/Ft. Worth – Calloway’s Nurseries has nearly 20 locations in and around Dallas, Fort Worth, and Plano. We have not investigated, but presumably they have the Chef Jeff’s line of plants which have some good choices.

When to Plant?

The most common question about growing tomatoes in South East Texas is when to plant. If we wait until all danger of frost has passed (mid-April), then we will get very few tomatoes, especially from late season varieties (most heirlooms). So we must plant out in mid-March and be willing to protect our plants from the occasional cold temperatures. Transplants should be large and healthy. The plants in six packs In late May and June, evening temperatures start to linger in the 70’s. This in addition to high humidity (which denatures the pollen in tomato blossoms)puts an end to fruitset. Most fruitset on your tomatoes will typically occur in late March (if you were able to get your plants out early), April, and early May. It is really imperative to get plants out as early as possible.

Long range weather forecasts should be consulted before planting out. Evening temperatures should not go below the mid-40’s. Once you plant out, it is inevitable that we will have at least one very cool or cold night. In the event of a frost prediction (35 degrees or below), blankets, walls of water, or tarps should be installed during the day to trap as much heat as possible. Plastic coverings should not be allowed to touch plants as they will burn/damage the plants when the cold sets in.

If you have too many plants to protect using the above methods, then constant misting with hose water or sprinklers has been shown to keep plants from succumbing to frost damage as low as 33 degrees. This will increase the amount of fungal problems (specifically early blight) during the season, but it is worth it if your plants can be saved (especially if you did not grow extras as “backups”).

Tomato Varieties

A frequent question we get is what varieties do well in Texas? To my mind, this is not a question that can be answered easily by simply providing a list.

We have found that timely planting is every bit as important as variety selection, and a common mistake new tomato growers in Texas make is to plant too late. Even a couple of weeks can make a major difference in getting a decent harvest from any variety before the heat kicks in, even from some of the “heatsetter” types – which frequently don’t taste very good. Plant early! Protect plants if necessary. In Central and South Texas, a good target plant out date is usually the first to second week of March. This also means you will need to get your seeds started before Jan 15. Planting out in late March or early April is usually too late.

Also, different people define tomato success in various ways. I primarily grow for taste, and have a large garden with plenty of plants, so the productivity of any one plant or variety is not a major concern of mine. If a tomato is not very good to great tasting to me, I probably won’t grow it again no matter how productive the variety was.

Others may only have room for just a few plants and so productivity is likely going to be a major concern. A superb tasting variety that only gives a gardener 5-6 tomatoes per plant may not be considered so much of a “success” if they’ve only got ten tomato plants total in the garden and a large family who loves to eat plenty of tomatoes.

We come across a lot of blanket statements out there like “heirloom tomatoes don’t do well in Texas” and “it is better to grow hybrids”. However, we’ve found that almost any tomato variety can be grown here when planted at the right time and properly cared for. It is true that some varieties are noticeably more productive than others, but this is no reason to exclude heirloom varieties from your garden in favor of hybrids, because some heirloom or open pollinated varieties can be plenty productive too. A wise gardener grows a variety of different tomatoes to find which do the best for him or her in terms of productivity, flavor, and other factors.

We encourage people to grow different varieties and try new things, but here is a short list of some fairly reliable and productive tomatoes that we also like the taste of:

• Jet Star — F1 hybrid medium fruited red variety developed in 1948 by Harris Seed Co.; widely available in seed packets and plants have been spotted at major retailers and some nurseries
• Arkansas Traveler — An excellent dark pink medium fruited tomato developed and released by the University of Arkansas in 1971; 4-6 ft tall plant; plants are available almost universally at better nurseries
• Gregori’s Altai — Heirloom Russian variety; large pink beefsteaks on a 4-6 ft tall plant; exceptionally early
• Break O’Day — 7-8 oz uniform red globes with very good flavor and productivity on compact 4 ft plants
• Momotaro — F1 hybrid pink, tennis ball sized globes with great flavor and productivity on 4-6 ft tall plants
• Sun Gold — F1 hybrid goldish-yellow cherry tomato; extremely productive on a very large plant — 8-12 feet
• Black Cherry — Dusky purplish-dark cherry tomato; very productive on a large plant — 6-8 ft tall; developed by the late Vince Sapp of Tomato Growers Supply

Jet Star	Arkansas Traveler
Gregori’s Altai	Break O’Day
Momotaro	Sun Gold
Black Cherry

Here is a short list of some of our top favorites on taste alone. We usually get at least 8 good tomatoes minimum per plant from all the varieties listed by planting early, sometimes a lot more:

• Brandywine (sometimes referred to as Pink Brandywine)
• Prue
• Cherokee Purple (or Indian Stripe, similar)
• Earl’s Faux
• Stump of the World
• Wes
• Aunt Gertie’s Gold

Note: Varieties recommended above are just a few we like and are by no means an inclusive list of our favorites. Also, we’ve primarily listed varieties that have at least fair commercial availability for the seed at this time.

Where to Buy (Recommended Vendors)

Seed Sources

There are several reputable sources for tomato seeds, but three we particularly like based on their selection and service are Tomato Growers Supply, Victory Seeds, and Seed Savers Exchange. All of these companies are convenient to order from online, germination rates are good, crossed seeds are infrequent, and service is prompt, dependable, and courteous.

Tomato Growers Supply has a great selection of both open-pollinated/heirloom and hybrid tomato, pepper, and eggplant seeds.

Victory Seeds is known for having the most complete Livingston tomato variety collection around and has a fantastic selection of heirloom and historical tomato varieties.

Seed Savers Exchange started out as a non-profit organization to save historically important fruit, vegetable, and flower varieties which were quickly being replaced by commercial choices. This mission continues, but they have branched out into commercial seed and plant sales. Many heirloom seed vendors owe their beginnings to the SSE.

Other vendors to consider for vegetable seeds include:

Sand Hill Preservation is known for their extraordinary melon varieties and poultry selection, while their tomato catalog selection contains many varieties which remain difficult to find outside of private collectors.

Orders for Sand Hill must be submitted via snail mail (no online ordering), and only checks and money orders are accepted. They also do not take orders from August 15 to December 25, which can be a bit inconvenient for us Texas growers. Quantities are generous and prices are very reasonable.

Marianna’s Heirloom Seeds specializes in some of the more unusual varieties of tomato seed. Her selection of eggplant and peppers is also good, and Marianne carries seed for several sweet Italian frying type peppers, which we have found generally do better here in Texas than bell types. Online ordering is available (via PayPal).

Additional Seed Vendors

• Johnny’s Selected Seeds
• Gourmet Seed International
• Wilhite Seed
• Heirloom Seeds (in PA)
• Tatiana’s Tomato Seeds
• Wild Boar Farms

Plant Sources

If you are looking for a mail order source that has a great selection of well-grown open pollinated and heirloom transplants, check out Selected Plants.

Houston (Inside Loop 610) nurseries have gone out of their way to distinguish their offerings with unique choices of tomato and pepper seedlings you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

• Wabash Antiques
• Another Place in Time
• Southwest Fertilizer
• Buchanan’s Native Plants

Houston (Outside Loop 610) nurseries all carry a selection of tomato varieties including the ubiquitous Chef Jeff’s line of tomato and pepper plants which have some good choices.

• RCW Nurseries (249@8)
• Plants for All Seasons (249@Louetta)
• Cornelius Nurseries (1960)
• Houston Plants & Garden World (Several)

One good choice for Austin and surrounding areas is Bloomer’s in Elgin, TX. They grow and sell an eclectic mix of tomato and other vegetable varieties.

Another nursery I recently discovered in Austin that is worth checking out for tomato and other vegetable and herb transplants is The Natural Gardener. Their selection of organic amendments (both bagged and bulk) is amazing, and they brew compost tea on-site, which is available for sale Fri-Sun.

We are currently inquiring about other nurseries in Austin as well as San Antonio.

Dallas, Fort Worth, and Plano have nearly 20 Calloway’s Nurseries which carry the Chef Jeff’s line of tomatoes and other veggies.

Please let us know if you have had a positive experience at any local nurseries in Central or South Texas that are worthy of mention on this website.

NOTE – Just because a vendor is not listed does not necessarily mean they aren’t a good source. We’ve merely listed some recommendations based on companies we have personally dealt with in the past and been pleased with. To find out more information about any mail order vendor you may have questions/concerns about, go to The Garden Watchdog and look them up.

Support Your Plants

There are any number of ways to support tomato plants. Some work better than others, depending on the size of the plants.

While we do grow a few dwarf and determinate tomato varieties, the vast majority of the tomato varieties we grow are indeterminate, producing 5-10′ tall plants. The cone-shaped tomato cages found stacked floor to ceiling at big box retail stores are fine for the smaller varieties, but absolutely will not support our larger plants.

Here, we present the methods we prefer or recommend for adequately supporting indeterminate or semi-determinate varieties. We’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each as well:

• Texas Tomato Cages™
• Concrete Reinforcement Wire (CRW) cages
• Galvanized “C” Cages
• Florida Weave
• PVC Cages
• Staking
• Cattle Panels

Texas Tomato Cages™

These premium cages are made of galvanized metal (little or no rust), foldable for easy storage, and solidly constructed. The cages come in two sections, a bottom and a top. They are also expensive (nearly $24 per cage including shipping and tax), but will last a lifetime if properly taken care of.

The standard/large cage is 24″ in diameter and 6′ tall. We also occasionally like to use the 18″ wide cages for containers or some of the more droopy foliaged heart/paste varieties like Prue or Wes. Really, the only disadvantage to these is the cost — in our opinion these are by far the best ready-to-use cages on the market. Visit Texas Tomato Cages website for more information.

(Texas cages in my ‘07 garden)

Concrete Reinforcement Wire (CRW) Cages

These are also a great way to support plants. However, you will need to make them yourself (use caution and wear a long sleeved shirt, gloves, and eye protection when cutting the wire) and they are not foldable, so will take up a fair amount of room in your yard in the off-season, especially if you grow a lot of plants.

They will last many years (we have heard of folks who still use CRW cages they made 20 years ago), although they do rust. One way to somewhat mitigate the storage space they will take up is to make some of the cages a slightly smaller diameter, so that they can be stored inside of the larger ones.

It is generally recommended to make a 24″ diameter cage, but some prefer them a bit smaller. There is no need to cut off the bottom so that the cages can be stuck into the ground a few inches, as if will not make the cages stable enough for our occasional high winds, and you will lose a bit of cage height by doing so. Stabilize the cages using lengths of rebar driven at least a foot into the ground and secured to the cages with wire or zip ties.

(Photos of Earl’s Faux and Aunt Gertie’s Gold courtesy of Earl Cadenhead in Columbus, OH)

Galvanized “C” Cages

Galvanized fence is cheap and comes in 50, 100, and 150 foot rolls up to 5 feet tall. The main benefit of galvanized fence is that it is lightweight, nearly as strong as the heavier Concrete Reinforcing Wire (as described above) and does not rust. The drawback, which has kept some people from seriously considering them for cages, is that the fence holes are a mere 2″ x 4″ — too small to accommodate any but the smallest of hands.

The solution Morgan found is to prop the ends of the cage open with lengths of heavy wire. This gap allows tending to the plants and harvesting. Cages should be zip-tied together once the plants start getting taller. Another solution (pictured below) is to add T-posts to your garden bed and attach the cage ends to them. Either way, at ~$80 for 20 cages and a couple hours of work, it is one of the cheapest cage solutions we’ve seen.

Tip: Galvanized fence comes tightly wound. To unspool it, ask a friend or use a couple of bricks to secure the roll while you unroll and flatten sections of it by walking on it. It will still have enough “spring” to form a circle once released.

Hint: Use heavy wire snips to cut the fence. A 2 foot wide cage would require just over 6 feet of material. But since we are leaving an approximate 1 foot gap in each cage, then we should cut lengths of fence approximately 5 feet by 5 feet.

(Morgan’s Galvanized “C” Cages, anchored together using zip ties)

(Photo courtesy of Bully in Michigan, “C” Cages anchored using posts)

Florida weave

Requiring less maintenance than staking and able to support more plants at a lower cost, Florida Weave is a process of “weaving” tomato plants using heavy garden twine between stakes (typically placed between every other plant) to support and contain the plants.

There is still a bit more work involved when compared to just caging. Twine will need to be added periodically to support the plants as they grow, also, the plants will need to be trained into the weave. For instructions, see How Do I Use Florida Weave?

(Photo courtesy of Michael Gunn in Pasadena, Texas)

PVC Cages

PVC cages are made from lengths of PVC and connectors. These are comparable in cost to Texas cages, plus there is some work and time involved in making them. In addition, the components have to be reassembled each year, if one is disassembling the cages at the end of the growing season. However, they are very sturdy and are presented as one of many support alternatives. See Tom Matkey’s PVC Tomato Cages for pictures and instructions.

(Photos courtesy of Tom Matkey)

Staking

Staking is a frequently recommended means of supporting tomato plants, however, it requires a fair amount of maintenance for indeterminate tomato varieties. Six to eight foot stakes driven at least a foot into the ground are recommended.

You will need to periodically tie up the plants to the stakes using garden twine or the stretchable green garden tape – really, anything you have on hand that will not cut into the plants can be used, some even cut up old worn out t-shirts into strips and use that as ties. Wooden stakes can be used, but since termites are so prevalent in our area, they may not last long unless they are treated wood. We generally prefer the 8ft green plastic coated metal stakes which can be found at many large home improvement stores. Metal T-posts can also be used as well if you can find ones that are at least 6′ tall for indeterminates, because you will lose 1′ driving them in to make them stable.

(Photo courtesy of “Grub” Lockwood in Australia, staked tomato plants and misc vegetable containers)

Cattle Panels

Neither one of us has personally used cattle panels to support plants, but thought it might be worthy of mention in order to provide another good alternative to support indeterminate plants. We have seen instances where tomato gardeners made a huge garden arch with a panel and planted their tomato plants on the outside. We’ve also seen instances where folks put long lengths of panel in their beds or rows and then shored the panels up with posts every few feet. If using this method, you’ll need to periodically tie up your plants to the panels and/or train them into the panels.

Sprawling

You may be tempted to allow your tomato plants to sprawl along the ground, as they do in their native environment. However, we have found that this does not work particularly well in our humid South East Texas climate.

Disease pressure here is high due to our heat, humidity, and occasional torrential spring and early summer rains. Plants and fruits will be more susceptible to Early Blight, Anthracose, and other assorted rots and fungal diseases. If you intend to sprawl, be prepared to grow extra for the slugs, birds, and other critters. Plant spacing would need to be quite a bit more generous than with caged or staked plants, allowing at least 5 feet between rows and 4 feet between plants within a row. A heavy layer of mulch would be a must.

Pests and Diseases

Diseases

The most common and problematic diseases of tomato plants in Central and South Texas are fungal foliage (rather than systemic) diseases such as Early Blight and Septoria Leaf Spot. We also occasionally see some minor Bacterial Spot/Speck, but have not found that these usually prevent the possibility of obtaining a good harvest here.

Early Blight

We may also encounter various fruit rots and spots later in the season, especially if rains are heavy. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including late blight, advanced/untreated early blight, pythium and alternaria rots, anthracnose, etc. Good cultural practices, including mulching, removing diseased fruits/foliage, and frequent picking can cut down on the frequency of fruit rots.

Blossom End Rot is not a disease at all but is instead a physiological issue with nutrient uptake. BER is typically caused by uneven watering/moisture and usually goes away later in the season. Its effects can be somewhat mitigated through proper watering techniques. We have found that the application of Dolomitic (not hydrated) lime can also be helpful, but you may not need it. If in doubt, have a soil test done first.

Blossom End Rot

Root Knot Nematodes can occasionally be a problem, especially for those with sandy soil. Nematodes cause root galling and affect the ability of the roots to uptake water and nutrients. Signs of a nematode infestation are visible bumps (galls) on the roots, wilting, yellowing of leaves, and stunted plants. Commonly suggested methods to control nematodes include planting cover crops of elbon rye, marigolds, or brassicas, but results vary. Amending the soil with lots of organic matter may also help, as well as rotating crops.

Some folks are getting good to great results by pretreating planting areas using mustard based products such as Dazitol, or even by just working some mustard powder into the planting hole when setting out their transplants. If you have problems with nematodes, yet another option is to grow in containers.

Actinovate might also be worth a try, and there is some anecdotal evidence out there to suggest that it might help to create a favorable environment for the roots to thrive and resist RKN. Adding sugar or molasses to the planting hole can also help.

Another option is to grow Nematode tolerant varieties (frequently hybrids) denoted by a “N” following the variety name in the catalog or on a plant tag description. However, we have found that most N tolerant varieties may not always be the most flavorful. Some we do like for taste include Sun Gold, Sweet Quartz, Mortgage Lifter VFN, and Momotaro — just to name a few.

Note: Tolerance does not mean complete resistance. If the infestation is severe, even N tolerant plants will eventually succumb, but it can buy you some time — perhaps enough time to get a good harvest.

Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) is a devastating tomato disease for some folks in the Panhandle, but is not generally seen that much in Central and South Texas at this time. TSWV is transmitted to tomato plants via thrips. Ways to minimize the possibility of TSWV include keeping weeds mowed and avoiding plantings of known host plants close to or in your gardening area. Specifically, be aware that marigolds are a common ornamental host plant for thrips (and spider mites) in our area, even though this goes somewhat against old garden lore that suggests marigolds are a good “companion” plant for tomatoes.

Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus courtesy MSUCares

Systemic fungal diseases might include Fusarium and Verticillium wilts. These are both in the soil and infect plants via the root system. Treatment options tend to be limited for both of these fungal wilts, but luckily, they are rather uncommon in our area. Bacterial wilts are also systemic, and also tend to be uncommon in our area.

General Disease Prevention Suggestions

• Watering — Water plants in the morning or early afternoon whenever possible, and water the soil, not the foliage. Do not be tempted to overwater. Water deeply and infrequently from the very beginning to train your plants, as this will tend to cause them to drive their roots deep (to seek water), which will lead to healthier plants that are better able to fight off various stresses. We generally prefer to water our plants no more than once every 4-5 days or so, even during the worst drought weather and hot temps. Soaker hoses are our preferred method of watering plants.
• Location — If at all possible, site your plants where they get good early morning sun so that foliage dries out quickly from any accumulation of overnight rain or morning dew.
• Mulch — Mulching can help in limiting splashback of fungal spores onto the foliage from the soil. It can also assist you in your efforts to water deeply and infrequently as a layer of mulch will significantly cut down on evaporation. Just be careful not to pile up too much mulch right up next to the stem — be sure to leave a gap of an inch or two to avoid stem rot. Several inches of pine or wheat straw, coastal hay, shredded black-and-white newspaper, shredded leaves, and untreated pine bark are possible mulch choices. Ideally, install your soaker hoses first, then put mulch on top of them to keep any wetting of the bottom foliage to a minimum.
• Spacing — Space plants 24″ to 36″ apart for proper airflow. This will tend to limit the chances of disease from spreading from plant-to-plant and will also avoid areas of dense foliage between plants where insects may hide.
• Removing diseased foliage — Remove and dispose of diseased foliage on your plants periodically to minimize the possibility of fungal disease spreading to the rest of your plants. Do not add diseased foliage to compost piles.
• Selective pruning — We generally don’t prune to a specific pattern such as a central leader or “suckering”. We have found that it is wise to leave most of the foliage on for both maximum photosynthesis and protection of the fruits from sunscald. However, we do perform light cleanup of foliage and occasionally some suckers below the first fruit or flower cluster (or the bottom 12″ of the plants, if first fruit set occurs higher up for whatever reason); as this can be helpful in allowing the plants to dry out more quickly after rains and morning dew. If plants become extremely cramped in their cages to the point that good airflow is inhibited, light thinning of the foliage is recommended.


Sunscald

• Daconil — Early in the season, we usually use a fungal preventative called Daconil (Chlorothalonil) to help the plants get off to a good start and reach a critical mass. Later in the season, we frequently don’t bother to continue spraying plants if they look healthy after significant fruit set has been achieved — especially in a dry year. Daconil is a non-systemic fungicide that coats the foliage in order to limit fungal spore attachment.

  Daconil is not a cure-all, and will not reverse existing disease present on foliage. It is best used as a preventative from the get-go, applied early and regularly, if at all. Daconil can usually be found at most box stores or gardening centers labeled as either Ortho Garden Disease Control or Daconil in a 29.6% concentration. Mix up small batches following the instructions. Pre-mixed spray bottles of Daconil have poor application and are not cost effective if you are growing more than a couple of plants.

Pests

Stink bugs and Leaf-footed bugs are frequently a problem in our area because they will damage the fruit, leaving behind inedible corky white spots. Soap sprays and neem oil can help in controlling the immature bugs (nymphs), but may not have always much of an effect on mature bugs. Bugs and nymphs should be removed from plants and squashed whenever you see them. They can also be knocked into a bucket of very soapy water, or vacuumed off using a hand-held vacuum. Surround, a finely milled kaolin clay product which is mixed with water and sprayed onto the plants, will also tend to repel them. Trap crops such as millet can sometimes be effective if the stink bugs find those crops more attractive. Then, you can kill them on the millet. Chemical controls for stink bugs include Ortho Bug-b-Gon Max (Bifenthrin) and Sevin (Carbaryl).

Adult leaf-footed bugs

Leaf-footed nymphs

Note: Not every insect encountered in the garden is an enemy. Assassin Bugs can look similar in appearance to leaf-footed or stink bugs from a distance, but have distinct differences in leg formation and other distinguishing characteristics. Wheel bugs, a type of assassin bug, have a serrated “wheel” protruding from the top of the thorax. They are not harmful to your tomatoes, and are in fact a highly beneficial insect which will prey on many other insects in your garden. Assassin bugs usually travel alone which can be used to help identify them. Nymphs look similar to leaf-footed and stink bug nymphs, so keep that in mind and attempt to make a proper ID before reaching for a pesticide.

Keep an eye out for Cornworms and Fruitworms, as they will tend to bore into the fruits and cause damage. More often than not, fruitworms will eventually find your tomato plants, as will Tomato Hornworms. Hornworms can eat an amazing amount of foliage relative to their size, to the point that just a few insects can severely defoliate and damage your plants.
Note: If you find a hornworm that has been parasitized by Braconid wasps (white eggs on its back), leave it be, as these are beneficial wasps that will kill the hornworm before it does substantial damage.

B.T. (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is an organic dust (Dipel Dust) or liquid concentrate which will help to get these pests under control, that is best used early and regularly in the season to keep the population under control before they have a chance to multiply and do serious damage. Note: B.T. does not kill on contact. It is ingested by caterpillars when they feed on the foliage.

Fruitworm damage

Hormworm

Both Spider Mites and Whiteflies can sometimes be a problem, but usually tend to be less problematic in our area than the above-mentioned pests. Spider mites are much more frequently seen during dry/drought years, or in the more arid areas of Texas. Both can usually be controlled with regular use of soap sprays or neem oil, but it is important to become familiar with the early signs of damage — dulling of foliage and/or rasping (tiny lighter spots on leaves) — so you can treat if necessary before the population gets a foothold and does major damage to your plants.

A magnifying hand lens may be helpful in spotting them early on – look on the undersides of the leaves for moving dots and thin wispy webbing. We have found that severe spider mite infestations cannot always be effectively treated using soap sprays or neem oil, but we have had good success in the past using Pyganic (pyrethrin).

Note: Overuse of the broad spectrum insecticide Sevin has the potential to cause mite problems down the road, as it kills other insects that prey on them (Sevin is not effective against spider mites). You can end up with a double whammy effect by using it if your garden is prone to mite problems. Just keep that in mind before reaching for the Sevin dust and regularly coating your plants in it as a general all-purpose bug preventative.

Suggested links

• Texas A&M Tomato Problem Solver
• University of Florida (IFAS Extension) tomato pest/disease guides
• AVRDC photo gallery of tomato diseases
• Cornell Vegetable MD Online

Container Gardening

Container growing is a quick and easy way to expand your available gardening area even if you have poor soil or limited space in your yard to make garden beds. A container can be set anywhere you have good sun, whether it is on a driveway, a patio, or in the middle of your yard. Another distinct advantage is that it gives you the ability to safely set plants out earlier, because they can be more easily protected by moving in the event of a late freeze or frost. Containers are also practical for those who move frequently or live in apartments or condos.

Also, container growing is a good alternative for those who are battling various soil problems, and losing the battle. The primary soil problem in Texas tends to be root knot nematodes. Less prevalent are bacterial wilts, and verticillium and fusarium (systemic fungal diseases).

Suitable container sizes and example varieties

• Indeterminate – 15 gallon preferred (10 gallon at least) – Cherokee Purple, Black Cherry, Sun Gold, Green Giant, Arkansas Traveler
• Compact indeterminate/determinate/semi-determinate – 5 to 10 gallon – Picardy, Rutgers, Break O’Day, Kimberly, Bloody Butcher
• Dwarf/tree-type/compact determinate – 5 to 7 gallon – New Big Dwarf, Lime Green Salad, Citron Compact, Golden Dwarf Champion, Extreme Bush, Taxi
• Micro/mini – 2 to 3 gallon – Red Robin, Tiny Tim

(Indeterminate plants in 15 gallon containers with 18″ diameter, 6′ tall Texas Cages, early in the season – many indets will eventually end up growing past the tops of those cages )

Larger containers are preferable in our hot climate because it cuts down on watering and it also makes for a more stable planting that is less likely to tip over in a storm.

I have found ANY variety can be successfully grown in a container, especially if the container is an adequate size for the plant. I generally avoid 5 gallon buckets and the like for indeterminate varieties and don’t generally recommend them as a “best” practice in our climate. However, it can be done if you are willing to keep up with the high watering and feeding requirements that will result from growing large plants in small containers. I’ve found that much better results are obtained from using a 15 gallon container or larger (10 gal minimum), and prefer to save the 5 gal pots for dwarves or compact determinates.

Cherry types are also good for containers (use 10 gallon minimum) because they are much less susceptible to blossom end rot (BER) than larger fruited varieties.

Mulching

I recommend mulching as it helps to limit splashback of fungal spores from the potting mix onto foliage. It also helps to keep the roots cool and moist, and cuts down on both frequency and amount of watering. My preferred mulch is wheat straw, applied 3-4″ thick. Do not pile it right against the stem, though — leave about an inch or two gap. I particularly like wheat straw because of the light color and hollow structure, which makes an excellent insulator. Shredded leaves and pine straw are other favorites. Shredded paper (non-glossy) can also be used, but be sure to wet it after applying or it will blow away. I prefer to avoid colored paper, unless I know the dye used was soy based. Wood mulch or bark chips can also be used, but avoid the dyed mulches as the dark color will be more likely to absorb heat.

Watering

Containers should not be allowed to dry out completely, as this can cause BER and blossom drop. Don’t wait until your plants are wilting to water. Water every day if necessary, but do not overdo it. When the container starts to feel lighter and the soil is dry a few inches down, this is usually a good indication it is time to water. Also, don’t be tempted to water on a hot day just to cool off the roots, it may cool them off, but it will also smother the plant (roots also like oxygen) and can lead to root rot and any number of other problems.

Using larger containers and mulching can cut down drastically on the time spent performing this task. Water the container and not the foliage. Wetting the foliage unnecessarily can contribute to foliar fungal disease (like Early Blight and Septoria Spot), which can frequently be a problem in our area. Also, water in the morning or early afternoon if you can so that any water that has splashed onto the foliage has a chance to evaporate before the sun sets.

Container color

For our hot climate, containers in light or neutral colors are generally best so the roots don’t bake. I prefer to use white containers, and avoid the use of black.

Suggested container mixes

The use of dirt dug up from your yard, cheap bagged topsoil (frequently lots of rocks, sand, and “mystery” dirt), poor quality potting soils, or bagged mix labeled “garden soil” is not recommended. Nor is the use of excessive amounts of sand, because of the small particle size. Excellent drainage is particularly important in a container, which is why I prefer a peat based mix. Bark fines or finely shredded landscaping mix can be added to this as well to stretch it out.

The compressed bales of Pro-Mix are a favorite of mine, but are becoming increasingly hard to find in the area. Alternatives include Jungle Growth, Metro Mix, and Miracle Gro potting mixes.

Note: Rocks or gravel added to the bottom of a container do not help with drainage. They can even inhibit drainage due to the physics of how soil in a container drains/wicks. This is a common and persistent gardening myth. However, they can be occasionally be useful to add weight to a container to cut down on the possibility of tipping.

My basic recipe for container mix

For every 5 gallons volume of potting mix, add:

• One cup of slow release fertilizer (10-10-10 or the kind labeled for vegetables or tomatoes). Or, one cup of TomatoTone
• 3/4 cup of Dolomitic/pelletized lime to help prevent BER — avoid hydrated lime as it can burn your plants
• 10% compost (optional)
• Bark fines — can be up to half of the volume of the mix if desired

Alternative recipe from Al (Tapla) for those who like to make their own completely from scratch

• 3 cu ft pine bark fines (1 big bag)
• 5 gallons peat
• 5 gallons perlite
• 1 cup lime
• 2 cups slow release fertilizer (Osmocote or similar)
• 1/2 cup micro-nutrient powder or 1 gal composted manure

Can potting mix be reused?

While there is no hard and fast rule, I generally prefer not to reuse container mix more than once. If reused, it should be turned over to help bury any fungal spores on the surface, and re-amended (see above recipe for container mix).

Ongoing Fertilization

I prefer to add a little more slow release fertilizer once I see significant fruit set, and also every couple of weeks or so once the plants get large. Alternatively, Miracle Gro or the equivalent can be periodically used at half-strength. So can TomatoTone or any number of products. The important point is that plants in containers require more frequent fertilization because of all the watering involved, which tends to deplete the container mix.

Fertilizers provide three primary nutrients to plants, plus many micronutrients. The three primary nutrients are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K). Nitrogen produces lush, green foliage. Phosphorous is vital for producing a healthy root system to support the plant. Potassium promotes flower and fruit development and is vital for maintaining growth.

Support and stability considerations

It can sometimes be a challenge to properly support a container planting, but can be done. Methods I prefer include the use of a small (18″ diameter) Texas cage placed inside of a large container, a tall 6-8 ft stake, or a cage made of concrete reinforcement wire (CRW) cut to fit inside the container (a small stake may need to be added to attach the CRW cage to for stability).

High winds can be a problem in our area and can cause even a large container to tip over, especially if it is a large indeterminate plant, top heavy and loaded with fruit. It may seem counterintuitive, but right before an impending storm, I prefer to water all my containers if they are a bit on the dry/light side. This helps to make them heavier and less likely to tip over. If your potting mix is light and free-draining, this occasional “overwatering” shouldn’t be a problem. Containers can also be pushed together as a unit to help prevent tipping. Yet another way to cut down on the possibility of tipping is to drive a tall stake next to the pot (or though the bottom of the pot).

Grow Bags

Grow bags are an inexpensive alternative to hard sided containers and are also much easier to store. They can also be reused, especially if you take good care of them. However, they can be more susceptible to tipping, so keep that in mind before deciding to use them. One way to make them more stable would be to run a long pole/dowel through the handles of multiple bags to help keep them together as a unit. They could also be staked. For a grow bag source, see: GrowOrganic.com

(Grow Bag image courtesy of Michael Volk in El Paso, TX)

Earthboxes™

I don’t use Earthboxes, but many do and are pleased with the results. If you use them, be sure to follow the instructions exactly, because every instruction has a specific purpose in ensuring the best results. Use a peat based potting mix like Pro-Mix or Jungle Growth, do not add bark fines or any other type of soil. The mix needs to be light and fluffy to ensure proper upward wicking from the water reservoir below. Also, be sure to put the cover on as instructed so that the system remains sealed and the fertilizer strip you’ll apply per instructions does not get too quickly released into the mix due to rain. Cover should be white side up to help keep the roots cool in our hot climate. Some EB users will also add a strip of dolomitic lime as well, and it is generally recommended to cut down on the possibility of BER. When the plants get large, the EB water reservoir might have to be filled at least once a day in a hot climate.

(Earthbox image courtesy of Araness in Orange, TX)

Earthboxes and any number of accessories designed to work with the system can be purchased from the company who sells them, including plant supports and automated watering systems which attach to a faucet. The quality of the products is good, but the cost can really add up if you are growing a significant number of plants.

You can make your own EB type containers to cut down on the expense, and so that you can have a larger water reservoir than standard to cut down on the need to fill it so frequently. Instructions here: http://www.josho.com/gardening.htm

SETTFest 2009 Announced!

The 3rd annual South East Texas Tomato Festival (SETTFest 2009) will return to the historic Washington on the Brazos state park on June 13th, 2009.

Located 20 minutes from scenic Brenham, TX, this state park has authentic recreations of crafts and farming of the time of the founding of the Republic of Texas. The excellent facilities available to us at this location should draw a great crowd! Last year we had over 150 tomato varieties represented.

Setup begins at 11am, with the Tasting running from 12:30pm to 3pm.

EVENT INFO | DOWNLOAD FLYER

Website Relaunch

We are proud to announce the relaunch of the South East Texas Tomato Festival (SETTFest.com) website. We will be doing our best to provide helpful and accurate information about the challenges and solutions to growing tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables in S.E. Texas. We are adding information all the time such as variety recommendations, garden bed preparation, container growing advice, and more. We will be keeping more up-to-date information on our Tomato Festival as well.

If you have any suggestions or feedback, please feel free to leave your comments below or use the Contact Us form. If you’ve got photos of your garden or your tomatoes you’d like to send us for inclusion in the website, please send us an e-mail and we’ll arrange that as well.

A Crash Course in S.E. Texas Tomatoes

Grocery Store Tomatoes

There are many forces which conspire to suck the flavor right out of the tomatoes you find at your local grocery store. Very often, farmers choose varieties which produce in a short window of time (determinates), are disease tolerant, and that have tough skin and/or stay firm for a long time in order to handle storage and long distance shipping. These traits are often chosen over flavor. Furthermore, the vast majority of tomatoes are picked green and shipped thousands of miles to an ethylene gas processing facility to ripen the tomatoes to a pale pink. Any last bastion of flavor is lost in the refrigerated trucks and further refrigeration by your local grocery store. It is no wonder that tomatoes are the number one vegetable grown in home gardens, since finding a good one at a grocery store is unlikely.

Tomato Myths Debunked

There’s a lot of questionable information out there about tomatoes, especially in regards to growing them in Texas. Here’s a few we can bust right off the bat:

Myth #1: You can’t grow a good tomato in S.E. Texas.

Fact: For the most part, all the same rules and advice to growing tomatoes that apply elsewhere also apply to Texas, it’s just that our window of opportunity is much smaller. If your seedlings are too small, or you are 2 weeks late planting them, you probably won’t get many tomatoes.

Myth #2: You should only grow special heat setting hybrid tomato varieties.

Myth #3: Beefsteak tomatoes cannot be grown in S.E. Texas.

Fact: Most heat setting varieties do not have great flavor. We have found that in the right soil and planted early enough, almost any tomato variety can be grown successfully here.

Myth #4: Tomatoes don’t grow well in containers.

Fact: Even the fussiest tomato varieties can grow and produce as well in containers as when grown in the ground, if they are given the right size pot, the right care and nutrients. See our Container Gardening article.

Myth #5: You should grow “disease resistant” varieties.

Fact: Since the 1950’s, scientists have been breeding tomatoes to be productive, disease tolerant, and thick skinned to stand up to shipping. Much of this research on disease tolerance has focused on soilborne diseases such as Fusarium and Verticillium Wilt (represented by F and V in the name). However, these are not problems common to S.E. Texas. Root knot nematodes are a problem for some folks here with sandy soil, but there are solutions for that other than limiting yourself to only tomatoes with an “N” following the name.

The biggest disease problems that most of us in S.E. Texas face are Early Blight, Septoria leaf spot, and Anthracnose, etc. for which there are very few hybrids that are significantly tolerant to those problems. In short, trying to grow special tomato varieties for our area is not really necessary. Check out both our Tomato Varieties and Pests and Diseases articles for more information.

The Right Dirt

The heavy clay and “gumbo” soils prevalent in S.E. Texas provide a poor medium for growing tomatoes. Even if you dig a hole and replace it with excellent soil, you are just creating a “bowl” of good soil that will fill up with water every time it rains. Tomato roots, like most plant roots, require not only nutrients and water, but also oxygen for respiration and will rot if left in standing water for even a few hours.

Yet other S.E. Texas gardeners have discovered that their backyard resembles a beach. Soil made up of primarily sand will drain too well. The solution to both issues is raised bed gardening.

A Good Foundation

If you choose to make your raised bed out of lumber, we suggest pressure treated wood, as termites are prevalent in our area. It is no longer treated with arsenic so is safe for vegetables and will last 3-5 years vs. 1-2 years for non-treated wood. A manageable raised bed size is 3′ x 12′ and will comfortably house 5-8 large tomato plants. Two 2″ x 10″ x 12′ boards, a 2″ x 10″ x 6′ board cut in half, and a box of galvanized wood/deck screws is all you need to start your raised bed. You will probably want to leave at least 3 ft minimum between your beds, in order to be able to tend to your plants and pick fruit.

Tip: If using 24″ diameter cages, to fit 7-8 plants in a 3′ x 12′ bed, you will need to stagger the planting in a zig-zig fashion. To fit 5-6 plants, a single row will work.

(3′ x 12′ beds with 8 plants per bed, staggered/zig-zag planting)

The Grass is Greener…

If like most of us, you want to replace some of your lawn with a garden, you’ll need to remove the grass first. Renting a sod cutter will set you back $50, which is a lot cheaper than the chiropractor and also takes a lot less time. If you’ve got a month or two before planting season, you could use Roundup or a similar herbicide to wipe out the grass, although it can be tricky to apply it in straight lines. One way or another, your grass (which is really a cultivated persistent weed) has gotta go.

Fill ‘er Up

A 3′ x 12′ bed filled to a depth of 8 inches requires 24 cubic feet of soil. Potting soil and potting mix are some of the best soil ingredients, but are also very expensive in the quantities necessary to fill such a bed. If you can find it, Pro-Mix is the most cost-effective bagged potting mix (4 cubic feet for $10~12). Peat moss is great, although you might have to add a little dish soap to get it to absorb water. You can use a small amount of dye-free shredded pine bark or sandy topsoil as filler if need be. If you have a wholesale soil company in your area, you may be able to have pre-mixed soil delivered in bulk quantities as small as 3 cubic yards (which will fill 3 raised beds).

Tip: Freshly cut wood chips can be a poor addition to your soil as their decomposition may temporarily “lock up” nutrients which would otherwise be available to your plant roots.

Compost

The most important ingredient in your raised bed gardens is compost. Compost is just partially or completely broken down organic matter, and provides organic material to feed the plants and create healthy soil, as well as improving drainage. The $1 bags of “composted manure”, “compost”, or “composted humus” you find at local home improvement stores and retailers are frequently filled with rocks, sand, or other mystery ingredients and should be avoided. Black Kow composted manure is $4.50 a bag, but it is 100% compost and a 3′ x 12′ bed needs only 3-4 bags in the first year and 1-2 bags each year thereafter. Composted sheep or horse manure, as well as fresh rabbit manure, shredded leaves, composted rice hulls, and cotton burr compost are also excellent products if you can find them.

Tip: Fresh horse manure should be allowed to age for at least 2 months before you plant your tomatoes. If your garden beds are idle in December or January, you can add fresh horse manure and it will have time to break down before you till it under and then plant your tomatoes in March.

Timing Is Everything

March or April is much too late to buy tiny 6-pack transplants from Wal-Mart. In mid to late February, start looking for large (8-12″ tall) transplants from reputable local nurseries, or grow your own plants. Tomato plants should go out as soon as overnight temperatures are predicted to stay above 40 degrees for 7 days. Some years, we can plant as early as February 28th. Others, we have to wait until March 15th. If you wait until all danger of frost has passed, there is a high likelihood you will get very few tomatoes.

Be prepared with blankets, tarps, or row covers to protect your plants. If you are a night owl and temperatures drop to the danger zone of 36 degrees or so, you can mist your plants with a hose attachment to keep them from freezing. Misting can not only warm the plants, but will temporarily warm the surrounding air by 2-3 degrees. Remember, the coldest part of the night is typically just before dawn.

Walls of Water are a frequent recommendation for protecting tomato plants from cool weather. However they are expensive, tricky to set up, and if the wind picks up, they can fall over and crush your plants. Further, the frosts which are the most damaging usually strike when the plants are 2-3 feet tall. Walls of Water are only 18″ tall.

Tip: Local T.V. weather casters and radio announcers have repeatedly provided very inaccurate forecasts — we no longer trust them. Consult a reputable weather website such as Weather Underground or NOAA.

A Tomato is a Tomato

If you contact your county extension service, you will likely receive recommendations for productive commercial hybrid varieties such as Celebrity, Carnival, Sunmaster, Bingo, and BHN444. We mostly grow tomatoes for flavor and these varieties just don’t deliver for us. It can be a challenge to find a balance between the best tasting and best producing tomatoes for S.E. Texas. Our favorite tomato varieties are just not found at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, or Lowe’s. Fortunately, most major cities in S.E. Texas have a great selection of local nurseries with countless tomato varieties to choose from. Please check out our Tomato Varieties and the Recommended Vendors articles for recommendations and where to find seeds and/or plants.

Starting from Seed

Although there are some good sources to buy great tomato transplants in Houston, Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, sometimes the only way to grow your favorite varieties will be to start your own seeds. We start seeds in late December to mid-January. Seedlings should be grown under fluorescent lights for 6-8 weeks before transplant. Plants which were started indoors must be gradually introduced to sunlight. This process is called hardening off and takes 5-7 days.

Feed Me

Slow release fertilizers such as TomatoTone (4-7-10), GardenTone (4-6-6), or Vigoro Tomato & Vegetable Food (12-10-5) should be applied and mixed into the soil shortly before planting your tomato plants. A small amount of dolomitic lime might need to be added as well to prevent Blossom End Rot, especially if you are growing in containers. Once your tomato plants start to develop small tomatoes, an additional feeding of fertilizer is recommended. This can be a handful of the fertilizers mentioned above, or a liquid fertilizer diluted and sprayed onto the plants such as Neptune’s Harvest fish emulsion, Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed, or HastaGro 6-12-6 liquid fertilizer.

A product that we particularly like is Bluebonnet Farms Premium Organic Fertilizer. It contains many ingredients such as dried molasses, corn gluten meal, dried seaweed, alfalfa meal, and fish meal which are known to foster beneficial soil microorganisms. Update: current availability of this product seems to be poor in the area, unfortunately. We have heard that the private label Calloway’s (Cornelius in Houston) carries might be the same or similar, though – but have not yet confirmed.

Tip: One of the biggest mistakes in growing tomatoes is going overboard on fertilizers. High nitrogen fertilizers such as chicken manure should only be added in small quantities. Adding these or a high number fertilizer like 30-30-30 is a recipe for gigantic plants and little or no tomatoes.

Transplanting

Properly hardened-off tomato plants should be transplanted into the ground 2-3 feet apart from one another, and planted as deep as possible (removing any foliage which will be underground). Several inches of the stem should be buried if possible, so only the upper branches of each tomato plant are above ground. The fine hairs on the stem of a tomato plant will produce roots when buried, providing a much stronger, healthier root system.

Tip: Water your tomato plants just before taking them out of the pots and planting in the ground, and then water them again, getting the surrounding soil moist. Plant on a cloudy day, or in the afternoon or early evening so that your plants will have one night to acclimate themselves before they are hit with full sun.

Water Water Everywhere

After all the time and effort you have invested in your garden, don’t kill your tomato plants with kindness! Tomato plants should be watered well when transplanted, again after 3-7 days depending on the weather, and then if you have prepared your beds as described above, should only require 1-2 inches of water once per week early in the season, provided there is no significant rain. The best judge of whether your tomato plants need water is your finger. Dig your finger into the soil. If it is wet at a depth of 2-3 inches, then it does not need water.

If you want to baby your tomato plants, don’t let them go to bed wet! Tomato plants should ideally be watered in the morning or early afternoon using soaker hoses which apply water where it’s needed — the soil — and not where it isn’t — the leaves. If watering by hand, use a watering wand to apply water to the soil line, rather than wetting the leaves. If tomato plants are watered at night, there won’t be a chance for the sun to dry off the leaves, leaving your tomato plants vulnerable to fungal and bacterial infections.

Fungus is Anything but Fun

The most commonly heard buzzword in tomatoes is “disease resistant”. But the diseases which run rampant in S.E. Texas include fungal foliar diseases such as Early Blight, Septoria Leaf Spot, as well as Anthracnose fruit rot, Bacterial Spot, and Bacterial Speck. At this time, there are no desirable tomato varieties available which protect against these issues.

Fortunately, applying a thick layer of mulch, proper watering, sanitary gardening practices, and weekly application of an anti-fungal spray such as Daconil from the day of planting out can keep these problems at bay long enough to have a fantastic harvest.

Don’t Forget the Mulch

The best preventative measure you can take to keep fungus from splashing onto your leaves when the next monsoon rainstorm passes through, as well as regulating moisture on hot days, is a 3-4 inch thick layer of mulch. Some good choices for mulch include:

• Dye-free shredded pine bark mulch (not super-black or super-red)
• Wheat straw (if you can find it)
• Shredded leaves (not black walnut!)
• Grass clippings (if you have not used ‘weed and feed’ in 3 months)
• Shredded non-glossy newspaper (water immediately to prevent it from flying away)

Tip: Mulch should not touch the stems of your plants, or it may encourage stem rot. If you are installing soaker hoses, do that before installing your tomato cages or mulch.

Support Your Local Tomato

Most of our preferred tomato varieties are indeterminate which means they produce unwieldy 5-8 feet plants and beyond (especially cherry tomatoes). The little 3-4 foot tall cages at major retailers will not support indeterminate tomato varieties.

Texas Tomato Cages are the Cadillac of tomato cages, as they are very sturdy, last forever and can be folded for easy storage, but their price may be out of reach for many readers. You can make your own cages out of Concrete Reinforcing Wire which have large holes for easy access to the plants, if you don’t mind rusty cages. Cages can be built out of galvanized fence, but the holes are too small to reach through — the solution is to use wire to keep a gap of approximately 8 inches where the ends meet so that the plants and fruit can be easily reached. Other solutions include staking, the Florida weave, and cages made from PVC pipe. For more information, see our Support Your Plants article.

Tip: Even though you’ll probably be pretty beat after planting your tomatoes, don’t wait more than a week or two to install your cages or support system. Tomato plants grow fast, and the legs on your stakes or cages could disturb the roots.

Harvest Early, Harvest Often

It is a myth that tomatoes must be left on the vine until ripe to develop the best possible flavor. We have found that tomatoes that are harvested at first blush are almost indistinguishable from ones that are left on the vine until ripe. Considering the temptation that ripe tomatoes offer to mockingbirds, stink bugs, and other pests, why take the chance? Just be careful not to damage other fruit or break branches in the process.

Trivia: Researchers have found that the sugar and acid content in tomatoes actually decreases if the fruit is left on the vine to full ripeness. The sugars begin to turn to starches and acidity is reduced, resulting in a more bland flavor.

Outside Links from this Article:

• Tomato Varieties
• Pests & Diseases
• Container Gardening
• Support Your Plants
• Weather Underground
• National Weather Service
• Texas Tomato Cages
• Recommended Vendors