Q. Every year, I attempt to produce a crop of tomatoes. Every year I fail. What to do?
A. I don’t know what specific issues arise with your plants — whether the plants themselves fail to grow well, or if they fail to set or ripen fruit. This growing season has not been a splendid one for tomatoes in general, and specifically for any that require a long season of sun and warmth to ripen well. The cool, wet conditions through early July caused major pollination and fruit set delays.
Generally speaking, when tomatoes either fail to grow well or don’t produce a satisfactory crop, three key issues need to be looked at: site, soil, and variety choices.
Tomato plants need warmth and sunlight, in locations well away from trees and shrubs whose roots would rob the soil of nutrients and moisture needed by the tomatoes.
A little experimentation with varieties is usually needed to find ones that thrive and produce well in an individual garden’s conditions. It’s also useful to ask friends and neighbours about their most reliable varieties. My consistently most robust and productive plants are Big Beef. Transplants of this variety are often available at local garden centres in the spring. Choose only sturdy, stocky plants with plentiful foliage.
Tomatoes are fairly demanding of a fertile soil that is well plumped with moisture-retaining organic matter. The plants also need lime in the soil to supply needed calcium. It really pays to prepare a tomato plot well by mixing deeply into the soil lime and slow-release fertilizer, and a generous layer of rich compost.
With dry weather, keep the soil deeply, adequately and consistently watered. Check moisture levels regularly, by plunging a trowel or narrow shovel into the ground and levering the blade forward to feel for moisture. In July, or when the first tiny fruits form, mulch with a nourishing compost after a deep watering.
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The Link LonkSeptember 10, 2020 at 09:12PM
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Beef up tomato plants with fertile soil, plenty of sunlight - SaltWire Network
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