Everybody loves tomatoes! In fact, some people love them so much that they struggle to grow them each year, because they give their plants too much love. The calls have started to come into the Extension office: “My tomato plant leaves are yellowing or browning, curling, spotting, wilting … “ I hear it every year, beginning right about now.
As I talk to the gardener, I learn that they have watered the plants every day, fertilized them dutifully, and planted them in the same spot year after year. Often, their well-intentioned care has resulted in the problems they are desperately trying to solve.
Follow these basic rules and you will produce a great crop of tomatoes this summer:
Water correctly:
Don’t over water. The first week tomato plants are in the ground, they need water every day, but back off watering after the first week, slowly weaning the plants down to 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week. Watering tomato plants everyday will prevent them from developing a strong root system and sitting in wet soil every day is an invitation to root rot and other soil borne diseases.
When you water, do not wet the plant leaves. Wet leaves invite infections that can cause your plant leaves to spot, yellow and wilt before the plant has a chance to produce any of the tasty tomatoes that you are so anxiously anticipating.
Water in the early part of the day. Early watering gives the plant time to take up the water before the heat of the sun increases evaporation of the water, making your water application more effective.
Mulch around your tomato plants to help conserve soil moisture, keep the root system cool and help reduce the chance of diseases infecting your tomato plants. A 2-3 inch layer of mulch will suffice and can help protect your plants from weed competition. It can also reduce the splashing of water that transfers soil borne diseases to the leaves and stems of the plants.
Rotate your tomato crop each year. Try to plant tomatoes in a different spot every year, rotating through your garden space every 3-4 years. Planting them in the same place allows disease pathogens that are specific to tomatoes to build up in the soil. By moving them around in the garden each year, you can break up the disease cycle.
Be careful with fertilizer. Young tomato plants are sensitive to nitrogen and can be easily burned if over fertilized. Have you had your soil tested? Follow test results carefully and don’t apply all of the recommended fertilizer at the time you plant tomatoes. Wait until they have established a good root system and started to grow before you fertilize. Overfertilization of mature plants can result in lush green plants, that never flower and therefore, will not produce tomatoes!
The author of this article, Mary Carol Sheffield, is the Paulding County UGA Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources. University of Georgia Extension can help answer questions about home horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia. For more information contact the Paulding County UGA Extension Office at 770-443-7616 or look for us online at www.ugaextension.org/paulding.
