GROWING GOOD TOMATOES
There are a few steps you can take to ensure that your tomatoes will be disease-free, clean and without cracks. Moisture seems to be the key factor in raising the best fruit. While mulching around your plants helps to hold nice, even moisture, it is advised that you not add too much, too soon, as mulching your plants also helps to keep the soil cool. It is best to lightly mulch with straw first to help prevent soil born pathogens from splashing up onto the leaves, and then after the soil is plenty warm you can add heavier mulch.
To prevent disease and viral problems on tomatoes start by picking off several of the bottom leaves. Next, surround your plants with a light covering of straw and start spraying or dusting with sulfur and, or copper spray to help prevent further development of fungus. In fact, use any fungicide that is labeled for vegetables and apply about every three to four weeks. And don’t even think about smoking around your plants as this causes tobacco mosaic virus.
But for the best fruit, with no cracking, no blossom end rot and no leaf end rolling, watering is the key. Water deeply and regularly while the plants are developing. Irregular watering (missing a week and trying to make up for it) leads to blossom end rot and cracking. As the fruit begins to ripen, slow down on the regular watering as this helps the development of sugars.
Growing Tomatoes Up-side Down has the advantages of better air circulation resulting in less disease problems, no contact with the ground so that the fruit stays cleaner and the animals have trouble getting to the tomatoes. There are special containers on the market for growing Up-side down tomatoes but really all that is needed is a 5 gallon bucket with a handle and a tight fitting lid, some very good “soiless mix” soil and tomato plant.
Start by drilling a hole 2 to 3 inches in size on the top (the lid) and on the bottom of the bucket. Place a coffee filter on the bottom then fill the bucket with the soil. Next attach another coffee filter to the underside of the lid hole and securely fasten the lid. Turn the bucket upside down, cut a slit in the filter and plant the tomato in the bottom of the bucket. Allow the plant to grow right side up for a few weeks before you hang it upside down to get it well established. Find a secure, sunny location to hang your tomato and make sure that if it gets windy, it will not bump into anything.
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