THE BACKYARD SERIES W 346-H BACKYARD VEGETABLES THE TENNESSEE VEGETABLE GARDEN GROWING TOMATOES Natalie Bumgarner, Assistant Professor and UT Extension Residential and Consumer Horticulture Specialist Department of Plant Sciences Anthony Carver, Extension Agent III and County Director, Grainger County Vegetable production is increasingly a vegetable. Tomatoes are a great popular for Tennessee residents. TOMATOES — THE source of vitamins C and A, as well as Home vegetable gardening benefits HEART OF THE HOME lycopene, which has been shown to be include financial and nutritional GARDEN beneficial to cardiovascular health. value resulting from providing fresh There is both art and science in vegetables as well as enhancing As the most popular crop grown by producing the home-grown tomato. personal health and well-being home gardeners in the United States, In this factsheet, we will focus on the through gardening activities. tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) science and detail some of the most However, a basic understanding are certainly king of the garden. This common and useful practices for of soils, site selection, and crop is definitely because of the number of growing tomatoes in the home garden. participating gardeners, but it is also maintenance is required before a due to gardeners’ passion about their Figure 1 (above). Tomatoes come in an gardener can take full advantage home-grown tomatoes. The number amazing and beautiful variety of shapes and of the many benefits of home and variety of tomatoes currently on colors. vegetable production. To meet these the market and maintained through needs, this series of fact sheets has personal seed saving is a testament been prepared by UT Extension to the importance of this botanical to inform home gardeners and fruit that is most often referred to as propel them to success in growing vegetables. BACKYARD VEGETABLES | THE TENNESSEE VEGETABLE GARDEN - Growing Tomatoes 1 over a concentrated harvest interval for fresh eating. Also consider the time SELECTING TOMATO (often four to five weeks). available to invest in plant support, TYPES AND PLANTS training, disease and pest control, and Indeterminate varieties continue to picking throughout the season. TOMATO TYPES AND grow and produce both new leaves and new flowers from their primary growing The second decision important in CULTIVARS point. This continued growth means selecting tomatoes for the home they will be taller and continue to set garden is the specific tomato cultivar. Gardeners must make two important and mature fruit through the summer Hundreds of tomato cultivars are decisions related to the types and and fall. Unless damaged by insects, commercially available to home cultivars of tomatoes for the home disease or environmental stress, gardeners with many more saved by garden. The first is related to the indeterminate tomatoes will produce residents for personal production. The determinate or indeterminate habit of until killed by low temperatures in the most important considerations are the the plant. Determinate tomatoes are fall. So, they will require taller stakes to disease resistance and the gardener’s those that will “top themselves.” This provide good support. preference in terms of fruit color, size, means that the primary growing tip shape, taste and days to harvest. is genetically programmed to form a When choosing between determinate Table 1 provides some examples of flower at a certain point, and the plant and indeterminate tomato plants, tomatoes that have performed well does not grow any taller. Determinate consider your intended use. in trials in the region (courtesy of tomatoes are typically shorter and can Determinate plants may be best for University of Kentucky). Another good be easier to manage in the garden. more concentrated yield for canning source of information is the All-America Tomato fruit are set over a relatively while indeterminate plants may Selections website. This site details short period of time and then ripen produce over a longer period of time vegetable cultivars that have been Growth habit Cultivar** Days to harvest Fruit type, color, estimated size Disease resistances*** Determinate Early Girl F1 58 Slicer, red (4-5 oz.) V, F1, F2 Determinate Celebrity F1 75 Slicer, red (7-8 oz.) F1, F2, V, N, TMV Determinate Plum Dandy F1 76 Paste, red F1, V, EB Determinate Plum Crimson F1 80 Paste, red (4 oz.) VI, F1, F2, F3, EB Determinate Mountain Fresh F1 77 Slicer, red (8-16 oz.) VI, F1, F2, EB-tolerant Determinate Plum Regal F1 80 Paste, red (4 oz.) V, F1, F2, TSWV, LB, EB Determinate Carolina Gold F1 71 Slicer, gold (10 oz.) V, F1, F2 Determinate Valley Girl F1 65 Slicer, red (7-8 oz.) V, F1, F2 Indeterminate Big Beef F1 70 Large slicer, red (9-16 oz.) F1, F2, V, N, TMV, LS Indeterminate Cherokee Purple OP 72 Large slicer, purple (10 oz.) Indeterminate Pink Girl F1 72 Slicer, pink (8 oz.) AC, F1, LS, V Indeterminate Better Boy F1 75 Slicer, red (12 oz.) F1, N, V Indeterminate Brandywine OP 78 Large slicer, many colors (10-16 oz.) Indeterminate Mountain Magic F1 72 Cherry, red (2 oz.) EB, V, F1, F2,LB Indeterminate Matt’s Wild Cherry OP 60 Cherry, red (<1 oz.) EB, LB Indeterminate Cupid F1 71 Grape, red (<1 oz.) AC, F1, LS, BS Indeterminate Supersweet 100 F1 65 Cherry, red (<1 oz.) F1, V Indeterminate Sungold F1 65 Cherry, gold (<1 oz.) F1, TMV Indeterminate Juliet F1 60 Grape, red (1-2 oz.) Cracking, EB Indeterminate Jolly F1 75 Pear, pink (1-2 oz.) Table 1. Tomato cultivars* suggested for home garden production * Cultivar information from University of Kentucky Extension publication ID133. ** F1 denotes hybrid cultivars, OP denotes open pollinated cultivars (see discussion below) ***AC=Alternaria stem canker, BS=bacterial speck, EB=early blight, Fx=Fusarium wilt races 1,2,3, LB=late blight, LS=gray leaf spot, N=root knot nematode, TMV=tomato mosaic, TSWV=tomato spotted wilt virus, V=Verticullium wilt, VI=viruses BACKYARD VEGETABLES | THE TENNESSEE VEGETABLE GARDEN - Growing Tomatoes 2 should be stocky with strong root home gardeners or farmers. Heirlooms systems. Plants that have been grown are able to be maintained by seed with suboptimum light or improper collection. This means that they are temperature conditions will often be open-pollinated or non-hybrid cultivars “leggy” or have thin stems with larger that produce plants from seed that are distances between leaves. Also look for identical to the parent. Hybrid refers to transplants that have a healthy green a tomato cultivar produced specifically color and are free from damaged or to combine traits from two parents. yellowed leaves that indicate insects Most of the new cultivars released or plant stress. Inspect leaves for any are hybrids because the crossing of sign of disease. Avoid purchasing specific parents enables cultivars to transplants grown out of state, as these have distinct and desirable disease have been a major source of disease resistance, taste, shape, color and other problems in Tennessee gardens. traits. However, a cross of two distinct Purchase locally grown transplants, if lines means seeds from a hybrid possible. Transplant-borne diseases tomato fruit will not produce a plant such as bacterial spot are difficult or that is genetically similar to the parent. impossible to control once introduced Therefore, hybrid seeds or plants into the garden. Tomato plants are must be purchased each year rather commonly 6 to 8 weeks old when than grown from seeds saved from a ready for garden planting. previous crop. Figure 2. ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry’ tomatoes. All transplants should be “hardened GRAFTED TOMATOES off” before planting. This term refers tested at many sites across the country to slowly subjecting plants to outdoor Grafting refers to the shoot (called a and found to be good performers conditions to lessen their stress at scion) of one cultivar being placed on in home garden-like conditions (all- transplant and help them to better the lower stem and roots of another americaselections.org/winners/index. handle the sun, wind and temperatures (rootstock) (Figure 3). They then cfm). they will experience in the garden. Many garden centers will have PLANT SELECTION plants that have been through these conditions to enable them to have the Tomato cultivar selection is important, best chance of transitioning well to but the selection or production of high- your garden environment, but it can quality plants is also crucial. Tomato be a good idea to ask what the recent fruit yield and garden performance conditions have been when buying begin with high quality plants. plants. Tomatoes can be direct seeded, but due to the 90-120 days from seeding HEIRLOOM TOMATOES to harvest, transplants are common for garden tomatoes to reduce the Heirloom is a term that commonly time to harvest. Because of this is used to describe cultivars that are convention in both commercial and expected to deliver characteristic garden production, the time to harvest homegrown tomato flavor. Many listed in cultivar information (such as in heirloom tomatoes have qualities that Table 1) will be estimates of time from may not be present in commercial transplant to harvest of ripe fruit. cultivars, such as softer texture or thinner skin. These traits may make Tomato plants can be produced by fruit preferable for home eating. the gardener or purchased. Starting However, issues in handling and your own transplants can enable the lack of disease resistance are the largest selection of cultivars, but drawbacks of heirloom tomatoes, such it can be a challenge to maintain Figure 3. A recently grafted tomato with as Cherokee Purple and Brandywine. appropriate conditions (see W 346-B the scion seen above the clear clip and the In more precise terms, commercial rootstock below the clip. A clear plastic “The Tennessee Vegetable Garden: heirloom cultivars are those that clip tightly holds the scion and rootstock Garden Planning, Plant Preparation and were introduced by seed companies together as plant tissue grows and connects Planting,” for additional information on before 1940 while family heirlooms the two plants.