“Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love and home grown tomatoes.”
(from a song by Guy Clark)

‘Aunt Ruby's German Green’, ‘Anana's Noir’, ‘Bloody Butcher’, ‘Cherokee Purple’, ‘Enchantment’, ‘Momotaro’, ‘Pineapple’ and ‘Ugly’. These are the names of a few of the tomatoes I am growing this year in my garden. You won’t find these or hundreds of others, at Ralph’s, Albertson’s, Von’s or even Whole Foods.

The only way to have home grown tomatoes is to grow them at home.

If you followed my advice earlier this spring you’ve already planted your tomatoes and have been enjoying them for some time now. If you’re a novice or are growing these love apples for the first time you may have some questions . . .

My plants are huge and growing everywhere. What should I do?
Grab the children and pets and stand back. Actually, this is the biggest surprise of novice tomato growers. Tomatoes, at least those grown in home gardens, grow large and you’re not going to stop them. Beginners are surprised when the little six inch plant they started with soon rambles through the top of the little $4 cage they put around it, then over the fence, on to the roof and anywhere else that it wants to go. Prepare yourself.

I have worms on my plants. How do I control them?
Veteran growers simply pick off tomato hornworms, finding them by searching near the chewed leaves or looking in the foliage directly above the black frass (worm poop). Conversely, beginners will search for all afternoon and still can hardly find a single caterpillar. When they do find one, they don’t know what to do. Fearing for their lives, they again round up the children and pets, run inside, lock the doors and dial 9-1-1.

My plants are pretty ugly, but they are fruiting.
Sounds about right. The fruit are beautiful, not the plants. At least not by the time we get to the end of July.

Earlier, I got a lot of fruit, now I’m not. Why?
If you are a few miles from the coast or in an especially warm spot, many tomatoes will abort their flowers when the nighttime temperatures get high, usually about 60°f. Varieties vary somewhat in their heat tolerance. If it’s a persistent problem, search for special heat tolerant varieties.

My plants have a lot of yellow leaves and dry foliage near the base and inside.
For most of you, this is the normal and expected appearance by this time of the year. Although soil nematodes, certain viruses, water stress and other factors can contribute to yellowing of the lower and inner leaves, in my experience, it is usually just the normal aging of the plant.

My plants are yellowing irregularly and spreading from branch to branch. They also appear wilted all the time.
A rather sudden wilted look, regardless of water, accompanied by yellowing sections of the plant that gradually spread is the symptom of a common ailment called fusarium wilt. It is difficult to diagnose conclusively and there is no control or remedy. Any nearly mature fruit will continue to ripen. Otherwise, pull the plant out, put a pot in its place, fill with god potting soil and start another late summer-fall variety in its place. Some varieties are more resistant.

 

Whether you are a serious and experienced grower or a beginner you may want to visit an organized tomato tasting. Next Saturday, tomato king Steve Goto and I will conduct our sixth annual Homegrown Tomato Tasting at Roger’s Gardens. Beginning at 9:00 AM dozens of varieties will be sliced and diced, labeled and ready for tasting. Scoresheets will be provided as well.

Tomato tastings are a great way decide which varieties to grow in your own garden; ‘Black From Tula’ or ‘Black Krim’, ‘Elberta Girl’ or ‘German Johnson’s Pink’, ‘Sungold’ or ‘Suncherry’, ‘Reif Redheart’ or ‘Riesentraube’,  ‘Noire Charboneuse’ or ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’. Steve has grown between 600 to 900 tomato varieties, so there’s no telling which ones he might have on hand for this years tasting. Of course, you are all invited to bring your own home grown tomatoes to the tasting as well. We’ll do the slicing.

 

Ron Vanderhoff is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar