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What’s Spring Got To Do
With It?
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by
Carol Seminara, HCMG |
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According to my
calendar, spring isn’t
sprung until March 21.
That’s the official date
of the vernal equinox
when night and day are
nearly equal in length
signaling the return of
warmth and new
beginnings. |
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If we were ancient
pagans, we’d dance
clockwise in a circle
holding violets and
chanting, and then feast
on eggs and early
ripening vegetables like
asparagus. |
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But we’re Hill Country
Texans and so to herald
the end of winter’s
lethargy we plant
tomatoes. Tomatoes are
the most popular garden
vegetable crop in Texas
and grow well in most
areas. |
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Our pals at Texas A&M
University (TAMU)
recommend several
varieties of tomatoes
for planting,
including: Bing,
Carnival, Celebrity,
Florida 47, Porter, Red
Cherry, Small Fry, Roma,
Sun Pride, Sun Leaper,
Sweet 100, and Tomato
444. |
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My personal experience
last year with the
hybrid 444 tomato was a
stunning quantity of
delicious, well-formed
fruit on large, sturdy
plants. Tomato 444 was
named a Texas Superstar
in 2004 for its natural
resistance to Tomato
Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV)
and its productivity.
I’ve already got a
six-pack of 444s sitting
in the green house,
awaiting transplant. |
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And wait my little
plants will, for
although last Friday
(2/27/09) we had record
highs in the low 90s
(yes, it was still
February last Friday,
that’s what that 2 in
the date above means) by
Saturday night (2/28/09)
it was below freezing. I
used to call this kind
of fluctuation the
vagaries of Texas
weather, now I just view
it as another lesson in
humility. |
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Tomatoes are classified
as a “warm season” crop,
which means they can
tolerate warm to hot
temperatures but are
injured by cool
temperatures (usually
below 50°F). AgriLife
Extension guidelines
recommend planting
tomatoes “on to 8 weeks
after” the last freeze
date. According to the
Average Date of Last
Spring Frost map that
means March 16 or 31 is
the appropriate time to
plant tomatoes depending
on where you live in
Kerr or Gillespie
counties. You can
consult this
Frost Map at Aggie
Horticulture. |
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Old-timers recommend
waiting to plant
tomatoes until Good
Friday, which falls on
April 10 this year. That
might seem too late for
some brave garden
gamblers, so a good
compromise might be to
plant half of your
tomato plants in mid- to
late-March and save the
remainder for planting
until April. You might
even want to hold back a
couple of plants for
early May, in case of
further weather
wackiness. |
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Tomatoes are suitable
for small and large
gardens and need a
minimum of 6 hours of
bright, full sunlight a
day. A little partial
shade can be welcomed in
the middle of late
summer’s blazing heat.
Cherry tomatoes are
considered a moderate
maturity rate crop
taking 69-80 days for
the fruit to ripen.
Larger variety tomatoes
have fruit that is slow
to mature, 80 days or
more. |
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Like just about
everything that grows in
the garden, tomatoes
prefer fertile,
well-drained soil.
Routinely adding organic
matter such as compost,
leaves or rotted hay to
your garden site will
improve the texture and
quality of our uber-alkaline
soil. Work the top 4 to
6 inches of your garden
soil and never try to
work soil that’s too wet
(a moot point these
days). |
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Generally, the rule for
transplants is to plant
them so the garden soil
level is the same as the
soil level of the
container. Tomatoes,
however, are able to
develop roots all along
their stems so the
popular wisdom is to
plant them deep to
generate a larger,
stronger root system.
Transplant tomatoes in
the evening or on a
cloudy day to help keep
them from wilting. |
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Tomatoes require deep,
regular watering while
they are developing.
Irregular, inconsistent
watering (no water one
week, too much water the
next) can lead to
blossom end rot and/or
cracking. Conversely do
not allow your tomato
plants to wilt severely
or you can negatively
impact your fruit yield. |
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Mulch helps stop weed
growth and conserves
water (particularly
important in this
continuing drought) but
wait to apply mulch
until the ground is
warm. If you mulch too
early, it will shade the
roots and thereby cool
the soil. Tomatoes like
warm toes. |
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Tomatoes can grow on the
ground, but most people
prefer to cage or stake
their plants for
aesthetics, air
circulation, sunlight
penetration and better
access to the fruit. If
you plan to install
support for your
tomatoes, then do so
shortly after
transplanting to prevent
root damage. Set stakes
at least 10 inches into
the ground. Use thin
strips of rag or thick
twine for ties being
careful not to damage
the stems. Cages should
be securely fastened to
the ground (by staking
or other means) to avoid
being blown over by the
wind and/or toppled by
heavy plants. |
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This year husband Joe is
experimenting with an
upside-down hanging
tomato planter. Because
this growing chandelier
is portable, he’s been
able to carry it outside
on sunny days and whisk
it safely inside on
those chilly Hill
Country nights. The
jury’s still out on
this, but I’ll keep you
apprised of our progress
with so-called Topsy
Turvy Tomatoes. |
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Carol Seminara is a
certified Hill Country
Master Gardener. Her
column appears every
other week in the
Kerrville Daily Times.
If you have questions
about gardening, contact
Hill Country Master
Gardeners in the Kerr
AgriLife Extension
Office at 257-6568. Or,
email
kerr@ag.tamu.edu |
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© 2009 Carol Seminara
Photographs by Joe Houde
Studio, Fredericksburg,
Texas except where
otherwise noted |
