Tomatoe Tricks from My Dad

It will soon be time in the Ozarks for me to plant tomatoes in the Celtic Ozark Garden. We have had them growing in a green house for some time now. Our goal is to get them to around 8 inches tall by the time they hit the ground in May. In the Celtic Ozarks, the weather is not warm enough for tropical tomatoes until early May. We are, in fact, just reaching our last potential frost date. The lettuce may love this hot/cool weather, but the tomatoes will not. So, avoid the temptation to run to Wal-Mart and grab the tomatoes, unless you can keep them in full sun indoors, or in a green house. Once your nights can stay above 50 degrees, the tomaotes will be happier. That's a trick my dad taught me early.

Another trick my dad taught me was how to grow big tomatoe plants, and I have to say that the secret is getting a big root system. When my plants get to be 8 inches or so tall, I have enough plant to turn them into big roots. Once it is time to plant, I dig a trench around 5-6 inches deep. I strip off any branches on the tomatoe plant that are not part of the top most leaves. Then, the whole plant gets put into the ground, except for 1-2 inches of the top. Now all that plant will start a root system like none other. That's another trick my dad taught me early.

I will blog about more soon. If you would like to read more of these tricks, though, you can check out this article on Food Supply Gardening.com. It will take you further into the plan. Here is to having big tomatoes come from your Celtic Ozark Garden.

Tomato Time

It is tomato time in the Celtic Ozark Garden, and indeed all across the Ozarks. So, I wanted to take a moment and talk about getting good tomatos. It is worth the effort.

It is time to add a little fertilizer to the tomaotes, that has a nice bit of calcium. I like to use a liquid at this point, to help make sure that I don't add too much fertilizer. This could burn the plant. Miracle Gro is a good one, if you are not sure how much to add.

I have a spray connector, that came with Miracle Gro at one point. I just add my dry fertilizer to the same level marked on the container. Make sure you do not spray the fruit. Keep the watering low on the plant.

Proper watering is also important now. Too little or too much can mess up the plant. I have very loose soil, that drains well. So, I figure 1 cup of water per plant twice a week. Too much water can cause blossom rot, and can cause the plant to start making more leaves.

Remember that tomatoes, like any other fruit, will only produce so much. If you want bigger tomatoes, you may want to remove some of the tomatoes. That's what I do.

Enjoy them. There is nothing like a vine ripened tomato.