Professional ideas for rising tomatoes in your backyard

“I wish to attempt rising tomatoes in my backyard this 12 months and would really like some recommendation on how to achieve success in doing so.”

— Larry Zar, Highwood

There are some primary practices to observe that may assist guarantee your success in rising tomatoes.

Backyard facilities have numerous tomato vegetation on the market now, so it needs to be straightforward to seek out good high quality vegetation. Determinate tomato varieties (that means they’ve a decided, outlined rising peak) develop to 2 to three toes tall and customarily don’t require staking — thus are good for small areas and containers. They have an inclination to supply many ripe tomatoes earlier within the season, and on the identical time, with much less productiveness within the latter a part of the season.

Indeterminate tomatoes will proceed to develop massive and want cages or stakes. They produce fruit all summer season and into fall, when frost kills the vegetation. Fruit manufacturing slows as the times grow to be shorter and colder in fall earlier than a frost.

Search for tomato vegetation which have darkish inexperienced leaves and are brief and stocky with robust stems. They should have no flowers or fruit forming until they’re established vegetation rising in a big container. I desire rising heirloom varieties due to the big variety of differing types. The vegetation dry out shortly at house, so you’ll want to watch them carefully for water till you may plant them.

It is extremely necessary to attend till temperatures keep constantly heat earlier than planting tomatoes, as chilly soil and air temperatures can set their development again dramatically. Memorial Day weekend is usually a great time for planting tomatoes within the Chicago space, however use the climate as your information, since timing might be earlier or later relying on spring climate. I noticed tomatoes on the market on the finish of April and marvel how these vegetation fared with out the gardeners using specialty rising methods to offset the chilly climate.

Tomato vegetation should be in a mattress with full solar for greatest outcomes, since gentle shade adversely impacts the fruit manufacturing. I’ve efficiently grown tomatoes in beds that had been shaded within the morning with full solar within the afternoon. The soil needs to be nicely drained and amended with compost.

Plant the tomatoes deep by burying many of the stem. Take away any of the decrease leaves that shall be underground after planting. The vegetation will kind roots alongside the stem. Planting deeply additionally helps stabilize any transplants that occur to be taller and spindly. Present loads of house — not less than 2 toes — for every plant to develop, as many tomatoes will get massive. Set up tomato cages shortly after planting to assist shield the younger vegetation and supply assist for them.

Take into account rotating crops with these which might be unrelated as a way to break the life cycles of bugs and ailments should you can. Peppers, eggplants, potatoes, and different vegetation within the Solanaceae household are associated to tomatoes, so that they shouldn’t be planted in the course of the rotation years. This may be harder when you’ve got a small house, so contemplate your crops fastidiously and experiment with totally different mixtures.

For extra plant recommendation, contact the Plant Info Service on the Chicago Botanic Backyard at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture on the Chicago Botanic Backyard.