Use These Tomato Care Ideas for the Greatest Homegrown Tomatoes

Have you ever ever purchased a tomato plant at your native nursery, solely to have it go right into a tailspin because the summer time warmth cranks up? Possibly the leaves begin to yellow, or look dried out and develop spots. So many issues can go awry if you happen to aren’t conversant in pruning and feeding your plant—however how and when must you step in with shears and fertilizer? Whereas tomato rising might seem to be a cakewalk if you’ve bought a starter plant, the summer time produce staple may be tough to take care of till you grasp a number of finest practices.

So, to discover ways to develop the very best tomato crops at residence, I visited Brooklyn Grange, New York Metropolis’s largest community of rooftop farms. Seen from my desk, Brooklyn Grange’s farm within the Brooklyn Navy Yard is the envy of our workplace, and seeing it in individual momentarily made me take into account altering professions in favor of being one with the crops (as if I might deal with the unrelenting solar!).

Head of Horticulture and Upkeep Junior Schouten gave a number of members of the Food52 crew a tour, exhibiting us the varied produce that the farm donates to meals pantries, sells at farmers markets (you’ll find them each Saturday at McGolrick Park), and makes use of for its CSA.

Junior and his crew are on observe to finish 30 new or revitalized inexperienced areas this yr, together with shoppers which have been with Brooklyn Grange for nearly 9 years, so he is aware of a factor or two about organising tomato crops for a profitable harvest.

Right here, he shares his high ideas and methods to maintain tomato crops glad and wholesome.

Learn how to Develop Wholesome Tomato Crops at Dwelling

Mulch To Lock In (& Maintain Out) Moisture

Relating to rising tomatoes, moisture—not an excessive amount of, not too little—is vital. In each the leaves and the fruit, sustaining steady water ranges is essential to your plant’s success. Even one heavy rainfall can have disastrous results on the well being of your tomatoes. Mulching your plant with straw, wooden, or a plastic masking helps hold your soil moist regardless of the ceaseless summer time rays and protects it from overwatering. Simply add it on high of your soil and go away a gap close to the bottom of the plant for watering and fertilizing and also you’re all set!

Prune Your Plant From the Very Starting

In the event you’ve carried out any prior analysis on tomato rising, chances are high you’re conversant in pruning– a care technique meant to redirect vitality to producing top quality fruit by clipping extra leaves and stalks off your tomato plant. It’s one of the crucial dependable strategies for making certain tomato plant longevity. With my knees within the filth, Junior confirmed me the fundamentals. (You probably have a trellised plant, like most residence gardens do, you’ll be spared from post-gardening laundry.)

First, pruning ought to begin as quickly as you buy your tomato plant by clipping off the plant’s flowers. Whenever you convey residence your tomato plant, it is not prepared to provide fruit but—so by clipping the flowers your plant can refocus its vitality on producing leaves and subsequently increased high quality fruit.

Your tomato plant should not have any greater than three stalks, says Junior. Not solely will this assist guarantee satisfactory vitality reaches the leaves and fruit, nevertheless it additionally makes it a lot simpler to stake your tomato crops up (this helps be sure that the tomatoes don’t overwhelm the plant). So if you obtain your tomato plant, find the three healthiest stalks and clip the remaining.

Pruning additionally helps keep steady moisture ranges. By slicing off any leaves about one foot under your plant, airflow across the plant will increase, which makes it simpler on your plant to dry off from the rain. Eradicating extra moisture in the end prevents fungi and micro organism progress.

For a extra detailed information, check out this tomato pruning how-to.

Feed Your Tomatoes Fish (Emulsion!)

Together with pruning, fertilizing your tomato plant is crucial to its continued, yummy-fruit manufacturing. The one draw back: your yard would possibly scent a little bit fishy afterwards. Actually.

Junior put down the shears and picked up a big bottle that took me proper again to getting hit with a whiff of marsh on the way in which to the seaside. Fish emulsion, a byproduct of the fish business, is nutrient-rich and best for tomato fertilizing, Junior tells me. Add a little bit to a full watering can and pour it over the roots and/or the leaves each three weeks to revive vitamins to the soil.

Decide (& Retailer) Your Tomatoes Properly

In spite of everything that effort put into rising your tomatoes, the very last thing you need is for them to go unhealthy on the countertop. Listed here are some harvesting and storing tricks to profit from your tomato haul.

Bear in mind once I stated that moisture is the secret? That features harvesting. First, be certain your fruit is smooth and ripe on the vine earlier than choosing them (vine-ripened tomatoes maintain probably the most taste). Then, when harvesting, you wish to hold the star-shaped leaves intact by slicing your tomatoes simply above the calyx; this ensures that no extra moisture will enter/exit your tomato whereas it’s sitting in your countertop.

One other professional tip: If there’s a rainstorm coming, harvest your tomatoes earlier than the rain begins to fall so the sudden inflow of moisture doesn’t make your tomatoes burst.

When you’ve harvested your tomatoes, Junior stresses that you simply don’t wish to wash your tomatoes till you’re able to eat them. The micro organism that naturally happens in water ruins the pure steadiness of micro organism within the tomatoes, resulting in much less flavorful and short-lasting fruit.

And as a card-carrying tomato lover you most likely already know the golden rule: Don’t refrigerate your tomatoes! Refrigerating your tomatoes zaps the flavour proper out of them. As an alternative, hold your home-grown tomatoes unwashed in your countertop till you’re able to eat them.

Make the Most of Your Tomato Haul

Now that you simply’re geared up with an arsenal of tomato-care ideas, it’s time to take pleasure in all these ripe, juicy tomatoes! And what higher strategy to profit from your harvest than by taking part in Food52’s Tomato-thon? We’re that includes our favourite tomatoey recipes all all through August to encourage you to strive one thing new. Submit the recipes you make—or simply your fairly tomato pics—with the hashtag #f52tomatothon.

A particular because of all the parents at Brooklyn Grange for being so welcoming to your Food52 neighbors—we’ll be waving from our desks!

---

Do you’ve got any rising ideas we did not cowl? Share yours within the feedback!