All About Growing Tomatoes
Growing tomatoes can be a fun and rewarding activity. As seedlings are planted in the spring, gardeners are often already dreaming of those plump, juicy tomatoes fresh from the garden all summer long.
Safer® Brand provides the know-how and great tips for growing delicious tomatoes. Growing tomatoes organically with these instructions and tips means your family can enjoy them without worry in sandwiches, sauces and all kinds of great recipes! Happy growing!
Read more about growing tomatoes and watch a video by Master Gardener William Moss on "How to Grow Tomatoes". More»
Pest and Disease Control of Tomatoes
What's Bugging your Tomatoes?
Are there holes in the leaves of your plants or tiny little creatures on the leaves and stem? Maybe you can even see big beetles resting on the leaves and eating them? For insect troubles, use Safer® Brand Tomato & Vegetable Insect Killer. It is the only OMRI listed® pesticide with the dual action of soap and organic pyrethrin.
If you fear your trouble is with leaf feeding worms or caterpillars, try a more targeted approach… Garden Dust and Caterpillar Killer (liquid concentrate) are Safer® Brand’s OMRI listed products with Bt. (Bacillus thuringensis var. Kurstaki) which targets these species and will not harm beneficial insects including earth worms.
Common Tomato Diseases
Blossom End Rot - Irregular watering or not enough calcium or nutrients in the soil can lead to blossom end rot which is the brown spots at the bottom of the tomato plants which leaves them inedible. Also tomatoes that touch or grow in the soil will likely develop this issue. It is not a disease, rather a physiological disorder. Mulching, regular watering, and fertilization will eliminate or at least reduce this issue. Have your soil tested for calcium deficiency if it continues to be a problem.
Leaf Spot – (Early Blight, Late Blight and Septoria Leaf Spot) Leaf Spot diseases for tomatoes show as dark brown spots with dark concentric rings on the leaves.
Fruit Rot – (Anthracnose, Early Blight and Late Blight) Fruit rot shows on the fruit of the plant and develop as early rotting fruit on the vine. They typically occur when the fruit touches the soil.
Management of Diseases - Follow the watering practices and select a well location with good air circulation to help prevent these diseases but if they occur, use Safer® Brand Garden Fungicide. It is an OMRI listed® sulfur based fungicide that can be used up to the day of harvest on tomatoes and other vegetables. (Just wash your veggies as you normally would before eating) It will kill the disease on contact and prevent additional outbreaks of the disease for about 30 days by changing the pH of the plant so the disease can not thrive.
When leaf spot is present, remove the damaged leaves from the plants but do not remove more than 30% of the plants leaves at a time. If the problem is attacking more than 30% of the leaves, remove only up to 30% of the worst affect leaves, spray garden fungicide and repeat the process in about 10 days.
Important! When using any pesticide products test the plant for sensitivity in a small area and wait 24 hours to make sure the plant is unharmed before using the product on the full plant.
Why Organic?
The benefits of going organic in your lawn and garden are exponential! In addition to helping improve the environment and decreasing the chances of accelerated disease in your family, going organic can provide mental and physical benefits, long-term money-savings, and increased vitamin and mineral content in your soil, among other things.
Learn more:
Benefits of Going Organic
Organic gardening provides for intense, realistic flavors in your food, and higher vitamin and mineral content than in conventionally produced foods. Organic Gardening: It's good for the environment and healthier for you and your family!
Organic vs. Natural - How to Read Labels
In the world of pesticides and repellents the words "organic" and "natural" are often mistakenly used to replace one another. Understanding product labels and certifications can help clear up the confusion.
Organic Pest Control - Different Ingredients Work for Different Insects
Nature has strategies to deal with insect pests without the use of synthetic chemicals. These strategies include organic pesticides as well as mechanical methods such as using traps, using beneficial bugs, and simply handpicking the pests, etc.
Expert Tips for a Beautiful Garden Full of Tomatoes!
Gardening can be a very rewarding and healthy undertaking. By using organic products and methods, plants grow better, insect pests can be controlled, plant diseases can be eliminated, and lush harvests can be enjoyed!
Learn More:
Tomato Maintenance
Mulch & Weed Control
Add mulch to the area around your planted tomatoes to reduce weeds, and keep moisture and nutrients in the soil. Adding Concern® Weed Prevention Plus® to the soil when planting will further prevent weeds from germinating.
Preventing weeds is important because weeds can rob the tomatoes of moisture, light and nutrients. Weeds can also harbor insect pests and disease. If weeds are a problem in your garden, try Safer® Brand Fast Acting Weed & Grass Killer. It is an organic herbicidal soap that knocks down weeds within hours and only kills what you spray it on. It won’t move through the soil to the plant and it can be used up to the day of harvest around tomato plants and other vegetables.
Watering
Water tomato plants very regularly and keep the soil moist. Irregular watering can lead to cat facing which is when a tomato has a crack down the center of it. A cat-faced tomato can still be eaten but isn’t as attractive.
Water tomato plants in the morning so the moisture can dry during the day. If you must water in the evening, make sure to water at least 2 hours before the sun goes down to prevent very damp conditions during the night hours. Damp conditions overnight can lead to fungal issues.
Water tomatoes at the stem and in the surrounding soil. Do not water the full plant and leaves as only the roots need the water to thrive. Watering the leaves may also lead to fungal disease problems.
Harvesting
Harvest Tomatoes when they are fully ripe for best flavor and nutrition. If there is a great concern about critters eating the fruit of your labor before you get a chance to, try our sister product – Havahart® Critter Ridder® to keep the animals away. It is also OMRI Listed® and won’t harm the animals….
Also, harvesting a tomato just before it is fully red can keep critters away too. Let the tomato ripen fully on your window sill inside before eating.
FAQs About Insects in Your Tomato Garden
Q: My plant leaves look chewed! Do you know what type of insect might do that?
A: Insects that have the ability to chew plants must have special cutters in their mouths
for this purpose. Such insects may include caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers,
for example.
Q: If I use a floating row cover, how will bees and other pollinating insects reach the plants?
A: They won’t be able to so you will need to pollinate them yourself by hand. Check with your local
garden center or farm supply store to find out how to hand pollinate them. You may want to
remove the row covers during times of insect pollination.
Q: How do I know if my plant is being attacked by an insect or a disease?
A: If it’s an insect, the plant may have holes in its leaves. Turn the leaves over and you may see the
insects themselves clustered on the underside of the leaves. You may also see and feel a sticky
substance if it’s an insect because the insect will leave a secretion on the plant.
Q: I have really big larvae in my garden, and my neighbor says they are Tomato
Hornworms. They are attacking my tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. How do
I get rid of them?
A: B.t. (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is an excellent way to get rid of them without harming
beneficial bugs. It actually works on most caterpillars. When the worm ingests the
B.t., it works as a gut rot poison that makes the worm stop feeding. The tomato
hornworm will stop feeding immediately and die within days.
Images courtesy of Oklahoma State University and Forestry Images.
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