The Tomatoes are Ready!
This time of year is always fun at my farm because there’s so much to harvest in the vegetable garden.
It's important to check the garden frequently - one never knows what will be ready for picking. Our most recent harvest included carrots, peppers, lettuce, beans, cabbage, and trays of delicious, juicy, ripe tomatoes. Tomatoes have a long growing season - 60 days to more than 100 days to harvest. And finally they're ready!
Enjoy these photos.
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- At long last, our tomatoes are ripe for picking. We grow about 100 tomato plants every year.
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- We start preparing the garden for planting in late May. For tomatoes, we first roll out thick weed cloth over the designated raised beds. We do this to make them neat, tidy, and free from weeds. Tomatoes should be planted in an area with full sun and well-drained soil.
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- All our tomato plants are started from seed in my greenhouse and then transplanted into the ground when they are several inches to a foot tall.
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- By the end of May, all the tomatoes are planted. Most tomato plant varieties need about 100-days to mature, but there are some that only need 50-60 days. And it’s a good idea to always practice crop rotation – planting vegetables in a different location each growing season to help prevent soil diseases, insect pests, weeds, and to reduce reliance on one set of nutrients.
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- By the middle of June, smaller two to three foot stakes are replaced with taller bamboo poles to help support the growing tomato plants.
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- The plants are still pretty small, but the time goes quickly. I am always trying new methods for staking our tomato plants. Every year we try something new and better. I like using bamboo canes. They are easy to buy in bulk, and can be found in a variety of sizes. These canes are about eight to nine feet tall. This year, I came up with the idea to make straight supports down each aisle – with no netting, just bamboo.
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- Horizontal bamboo pieces are secured across all the bamboo stakes – four rows about a foot apart going up the bamboo. All of the canes are secured with natural jute twine.
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- Here are the plants in early July – taller than knee high.
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- Tomato leaves have serrated, or wavy and pointed, edging along the entire perimeter. Tomato leaves are compound with multiple leaflets growing along a common stem, called a rachis. These leaves are also slightly fuzzy to the touch, which is caused by the trichomes, or multi-cellular hairs, on the plant. Never use chemically treated wood or other material for staking climbers, as the chemicals would likely run off and go into the soil.
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- Remember, it’s the yellow flowers produced by tomato plants that must be fertilized before fruit can form. Once fertilized, the flowers develop into tomatoes – small green globes that become visible at the base of the blossoms and then eventually become mature fruits.
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- By the third week of July, many fruits are already growing so well. Tomatoes grow best when the daytime temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This summer has been particularly warm and dry with many days in the 90s, which slows down development.
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- These plants are drooping because of the weight of the vines.
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- When the vines are weighed down, it is important to support them, so they do not hit the ground. Here, the twine is looped gently around the vine.
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- And then tied to the crossbars. With the crossbars, there is plenty of space to tie and support every tomato vine. This is the best method we have used yet.
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- A couple weeks later, some of the tomatoes are already beautiful and red. It’s a good idea to grow several varieties, including at least one or two disease-resistant types, since, of all veggies, tomatoes tend to be the most susceptible to disease.
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- There are several types of tomatoes available, including globe tomatoes used in processing, and for fresh eating. Beefsteak are large, often used for sandwiches. Oxheart tomatoes vary in size and are shaped like large strawberries. Plum tomatoes are usually oblong, and used in tomato sauces. Campari tomatoes are sweet and juicy and of small to medium size. And cherries – which are so good eaten whole and fresh off the vine. Many of our tomatoes are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds – a source I’ve been using for many years for both seeds and supplies.
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- Planting can also be staggered to produce early, mid, and late-season tomato harvests.
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- These plants look so much better when kept upright and neat. The tomato plants have a lot of room to climb, keeping delicious fruits looking their best.
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- Just a few rows down, the kale is still looking so great this year.
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- And so is the lettuce. We have lots of lettuce heads for our summer salads and sandwiches.
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- This past weekend, we harvested many bright orange carrots.
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- And more than three boxes of our beautiful, ripe red tomatoes. This was our first picking. We’ll be harvesting tomatoes for a couple of weeks – a little bit every few days.
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- There are many, many more! Many of the tomatoes are eaten fresh, but every summer, I also save lots of tomatoes to make homemade juice and sauce. Not only are they delicious and nutritious, but they can be stored in containers in the freezer for any time the craving hits. How did your tomatoes do this year?
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