tomatoes

Tomatoes:

South America is considered to be the homeland of the tomato. With the discovery of America tomatoes quickly spread to Europe, where they were soon named “love apples”. Such a name was given to the tomato in regards to its external smoothness, beautiful shape and color. From Spain and Portugal tomatoes quickly spread to Italy and France and other European countries such as Russia. However, for a long time tomatoes were grown only as ornamental plants. In Germany tomatoes were considered indoor plants and were grown in pots. In France they decorated arbors, and England and Russia were growing tomatoes in greenhouses among other rare plants.
In 17th century many thought that the tomato fruit was inedible and claimed that it cause nausea and vomiting. In 1811 Germany a botanical dictionary was published which stated that although tomatoes were considered poisonous, Portugal and Bohemia appreciated tomatoes in terms of their pleasant sour taste.

Now, tomatoes are grown and consumed by almost everyone. More than two thousand varieties of tomato culture are created nowadays. In England, France, the Netherlands and some other Western European countries tomatoes are grown only in greenhouses while in Lithuania they are grown both outdoors and in greenhouses.

Tomatoes:

Tomato bears an undeniable importance to human nutrition. The chemical composition of the tomato fruit varies accordingly to its variety and growing conditions. Tomatoes contain 5-9% of dry matter, which makes 3-7% sugar, and 1% malic and citric acid; protein, vitamins Bi, B2, B3, PP, pro-vitamin A, iron, sulphur, iodine and other agents, which increase the body’s resistance to many diseases. The annual rate of tomatoes per person should not be less than 20-25 kg. It was previously believed that the tomato is a source of oxalic acid, which consumed by large quantities affects the metabolism negatively. Therefore, people who have become of age have been advised to avoid tomatoes in their daily diet. Now it is known that amount of the oxalic acid in tomatoes is even lesser than the amount of it in potatoes or beetroots. Tomatoes are now recommended for the people of different age. Tomatoes can be used for food in different ways: fresh, cooked, fried, marinated. It is an important ingredient in making various vinaigrettes, condiments. Juice and paste which were made from the tomato retain all fresh fruit characteristics.

Tomatoes are high in vitamins and potassium salts, thus it is recommended for those with bad metabolism or suffering from heart and vascular diseases. It has been discovered that tomatoes contain phytoncidic properties too. Crushed tomato fruit or its juice can kill some germs which cause the fester of wounds. It has been discovered that fresh tomato paste is more nutritious than the juice.
Tomatoes are very susceptible to growing conditions. Optimal temperature should be 18-30 ° C. Once the temperature falls below 15° C, tomatoes stop blossoming. And once the temperature falls below 9 ° C – they stop growing. The temperature rise above 30-32 ° C results in thinning of the tomato leaves and forks. Blossoms start to fall out. At -0.5 ° C, plants may die. Young and poorly rooted tomatoes are more sensitive to low temperatures. Tomatoes which were gradually bred at lower temperature are more resistant to chilly weather.

Tomatoes are very demanding to light so you shouldn’t plant them among trees. Young sprouts of tomato require especially good lighting. The soil must be fluffy and fertile. In light sandy loams tomatoes will only fit well once they are fertilized with rich organic manure and mineral fertilizers.
When growing tomatoes outdoors you can be assured with a wealthy crop if you spray plants with 1% of Bordeaux liquid 2-3 times a day. When spraying for the first time you should wait until 2 weeks after the sub-planting of seedlings have passed, and then repeat spraying every 10-14 days. Tomatoes mustn’t be sprayed 8 days before the fruit picking.

Growing tomatoes in greenhouses.

Tomatoes should be sown once the soil’s temperature at a depth of 10 cm is higher than 15 ° C. Density depends on the variety and growth time. For early harvest you should plant in higher density and limit the number of inflorescences on a plant. On average, 3-5 tomato sprouts are planted into one square meter. Tall varieties of tomato are planted rarely meanwhile reduced growth (lower) varieties- more frequently. Plant in rows. For tall plants you must leave 0.8 m of space between rows and 0.3-0.4 m between plants, meanwhile for the lower species 0.6-0.7 m of space must be left between rows and 0.3 m between plants. Lower varieties of tomato start to yield a good harvest earlier.

Firstly, let’s make wells in the soil and pour some water in them. Once the water is absorbed you should start planting. Tomato seedlings can be planted slightly deeper than they used to be grown before (it is important not to bury the leaves with soil). Overgrown tomato seedlings should be planted horizontally. Within 4-5 days after planting tomatoes, attach a string to wires that are attached to the top of the greenhouse. After, tomatoes must be rotated around the string at least twice a week. Once the plants are tied up, you should mellow their soil frequently but not deeper than 2-3 cm.

Side shoots should be trimmed off when they are no longer than 4-5 cm. If you start trimming too late, the yield will be not only poorer, but also delayed.
Tall varieties form a single mast. In order for plants to grow and mature faster you should nip off the top above sixth or seventh bunch, leaving 2-3 leaves above the last raceme. To get a greater yield from limited growth tomato varieties, we can shape them either with two peaks or a single-pole. But you should prolong the height of the plant for the upper-leaf lateral sprout to be able to grow freely.

Tomatoes should be watered rarely but abundantly especially on the first half of the day. The temperature of water must not be colder than 20 ° C. Avoid pouring water over leaves. After watering is done, ventilate the greenhouse. Tomatoes are not afraid of draughts, so ventilate intensely. Intense ventilation creates better conditions for tomato flowers to pollinate. Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants and do not require the help of insects. However, if you slightly shake the wires tomatoes are attached to twice a week, you will increase the chance of plants getting impregnated. The best hours to do this procedure are from 11a.m. to 2p.m.

Once the first bunch of fruit starts to ripen, pick off the leaves that touch the ground. In order for tomatoes to be growing normally one plant should have 15-20 leaves on it. Profusely leafy tomato varieties should be stripped off of the lower leaves because it creates better ventilation for the plant. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t pick off more than 2-3 leaves per week. In low-leafed varieties of plants only yellow and diseased leaves should be picked off.

If necessary, put some extra fertilizer. The soil should be watered before fertilization. Different phases of tomato development require different fertilizers. From the beginning of the growth until the establishment of fruit on the first ring beam, tomatoes require less nitrogen fertilizer and more phosphorus fertilizers. Once the fruit starts to grow it needs more nitrogen, and once it starts to ripen – more potassium fertilizers. When putting extra amounts of fertilizer, you must take into account the current climate conditions (weather and soil temperature, lighting, etc.). It has been established that once the soil temperature rises from 12 to 18 ° C, tomatoes tend to absorb phosphorus 8 times better. On misty days when lacking light, tomatoes require fertilization with more potassium. The increased amount of potassium fertilizer during the ripening period results in better growth and improvement in taste.
When adding extra fertilizer, its concentration can be up to 0.5% (50 grams to 10 1 water). Except for nitrogen fertilizer which must not exceed 0.2% (20 g in 10 1) in concentration.
If the root system of a plant is weak, you will achieve better results with fertilizing through leaves. In this case, the concentration of the solution for spraying young plants must be 0.15-0.2% (15-20 g per 10 1). For spraying grown-ups use the solution of 0.25 – 0.30% (25-30 g per 10 1) concentration. Tomatoes should be sprayed with the fertilizer solution on a gloomy day, preferably on the first half of the day so that leaves manage to dry off before the evening. Fruit should not stay on the plant for a long time. Instead, it should be picked off as soon as it begins to ripen and left to finish ripening indoors. Fruit must be picked off 2-3 times a week.
Diseased fruit should be collected and carried away from the  greenhouse. Tomatoes.

]]> http://www.mygardencare.com/tomatoes/feed/ 0 http://www.mygardencare.com/how-to-plant-tomato/ http://www.mygardencare.com/how-to-plant-tomato/#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 22:30:14 +0000 Garden http://mygardencare.com/?p=12 Tomato is the most commonly grown plant in backyard vegetable gardens today. You need at least two tomato plants per family member. Start your tomato patch by purchasing healthy transplants at your local garden center or over the Internet.

Tomato is one of the best plants for container gardening and it thrives with raised bed gardening techniques. For container gardening, patio hybrid, cherry tomato, dwarf or bush varieties are best since they are compact, with hybrid patio variety being the most common. Those grow two-three feet tall. However, container gardening works for any tomato variety – just choose your container size to fit the mature plant’s needs.

First, choose your location to plant and prepare your vegetable garden plot. I recommend composted manure worked into the soil to 6 – 8 inches. You may need to add limestone or sulfur to your soil as well – do a soil test to find out. Tomato plants need at least 6-8 hours of sun daily – full sun is best.

“Hardening off” means to expose plants to the elements in small increments to get them acclimated to new growing conditions. This transition period can be 1 week – 10 days, depending upon climate and weather conditions. Put the transplants in dappled shade, and bring them in at night. Gradually allow full exposure to outside elements. Plant seeds six to eight weeks prior to the last frost date. In hotter climates, plant when temperatures cool in autumn.

Dig a 10-16 inch deep hole.

Gardening Tips:

–Insert the transplant into your hole, and bury the tomato stem (not just the root) up to the second true set of leaves (snip off the others with scissors.) Fill your hole with compost-amended soil and firm down.

–Another method to establish vigorous roots is plant the tomato in a trench on its side. It grows straight up, and dozens of small roots shoot out from the stem’s “hairs” into the soil.

Wire Cages

My favorite vine tomato support is the easiest: wire cages which you buy from any garden supply center. Simply position them over the plant, insert them into the ground and you’re good to go. The tomato vines grow straight up, need no weaving and shade the ground to keep it moist.

Other supports include wood stakes and twine, trellises, teepees, or plant alongside an existing fence …

Wood stakes and twine

Put stakes that are 6 feet, 1 or 2 inches wide, every 3-4 feet between your plants, at both ends of the rows, and down the center. After they grow 1 foot, tie twine to the end post 1 foot above the ground. Wrap the twine around each pole down the row. When you reach the end, come back up the other side. As plants grow, weave through the twine.

Gardening Tips :

• Water plants after transplanting. Water in the mornings daily unless it rains. Blossom-end rot results from under-watering. Keep soil moist but not soggy.

• Feed with 10-10-10 fertilizer (or choose your own brand.)

• Mulch to retain moisture.

• Hoe/cultivate shallowly to avoid disturbing roots.

Tomato Diseases and Pests

Tomato Diseases and Pests

Disease. Phytophthorosis. Caused by potato blight (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.). De baryon). Brown spots appear on the leaves, stems, but most of them appear on the fruit itself turning it into mottled brown. Spots have blurred edges and hard consistency, may vary in their size. The fruit that is infected with phytophtorosis will also be brown on the inside. Spots on leaves are irregular, gray-brown and often with a lighter periphery.
To protect tomatoes from phytophtorosis you should avoid planting tomatoes near potatoes. Once the first symptoms of the disease appear on potatoes, tomatoes must be sprayed with fungicides too.
Leaf Blight of Tomato and Black Fruit Rot.
Disease is caused by early blight (Alternaria solani Sor.; Macrosporium solani (Eli. and Mart).At first small, brown concentrated spots appear on the lower leaves. Spots spread rapidly and converge with one another covering the most part of the leaf while it finally it withers. Fruits can be infected with early blight through the mechanical injury. The rotting part of a fruit collapses and becomes dry. Seeds can get infected from the fruit itself too. For the protection from disease plants should be sprayed with fungicides.
Septoria Leaf Spot of Tomato. The disease is caused by the tomato septoria (Septoria lycopersici Speg.). It usually infests tomatoes which are grown in the field, but occasionally the disease can spread among greenhouse tomatoes too. Signs of the disease: bright spots on the leaves, which cause the leaf to wither fast. To protect tomatoes from Septoria leaf spot you should use fungicides.

Brown Tomato Leaf Mould. The cause of the disease is the fungus Fulvia fulva (Cladosporium fulvum Cooke). Firstly, yellow blurry spots appear on greenhouse tomato’ leaves; then, the bottom half of the leaves where spots are located, starts to develop gray and brown mushroom coat on it. When the disease faces favorable conditions to spread (96% humidity and 22-25 ° C) the number of such spots increases a lot causing leaves to wilt.
During the vegetation greenhouses should be well ventilated so that the relative humidity in them would not exceed 70-75%. When first signs of the disease appear tomatoes should be sprayed with fungicides immediately, in such a way where
chemicals could enter the lower side of leaves.

Tomato Diseases and Pests

Viral Diseases – Mosaic and Stripe. Mosaic is caused by the potato virus X (Solanum virus-1 (Orton) Smith). Infected leaves, especially the upper ones, often become mottled (areas of lighter and darker shade of green and yellow), sometimes even deformed – develop a curved edge, the surface of the leaf becomes uneven.
Stripe pathogen: the tobacco mosaic virus (Nicotiana virus 1 (Mayer) Smith), cucumber mosaic virus (Cucumis virus 1 (Doolitle) Smith), potato virus X (Solanum virus-1 (Orton) Smith). Not only leaves but also stems, leaf-stalks and fruit develop symptoms of it. When infected with stripe, leaf veins often darken. In some cases dark, necrotic and asymmetrical spots will appear on the leaf. Leaf-stalks and stems develop brown, linear streaks. Fruits can be spotted with brown stains too.
Stripe is considered to be one of the most dangerous viral diseases of all which infect the greenhouse tomato. For it may cause a total destruction of the harvest. Tomato Diseases and Pests
Viral pathogens spread with the seed. They are easily transmitted from one plant to another: while looking after tomatoes (by trimming and binding the tomato) and the insects. Pathogens winter in infected crop residues and weeds.
To avoid the tomato virus only healthy seed should be sown. It is advisable to spray tomatoes with skimmed milk, which is diluted with water in a 1: 10 first. Tomatoes should be sprayed three times: before re-planting them into bigger jars, before planting them into soil and 5 – 7 days after.

Tomato Diseases and Pests

Pests. Potato Moth (Hydroecia micacea esp.). Its caterpillars sometimes damage the tomato plants in both greenhouses and fields. Ann average adult moth is usually stout: tank wings are brownish-purple with darker transverse lines, while rear wings are plain, yellow-grayish. Moths fly at night. Caterpillars tend to be 30 – 40 cm long, brownish in color with longitudinal red lines and black dots in rows. Have a reddish brown head, 8 pairs of legs. Caterpillars harm the tomato by gnawing paths on the inside of the stem. Affected plants wither and die. Attacks of caterpillar increase massively on June, when tomato plants are transplanted into fields. Pupal winter in soil. During the year 2 generations develop. Security measures: liming acidic soils, adding fertilizer to plants, blanching tomato seedlings. You should also heap the lower part of the stem with the soil, root out and destroy damaged plants immediately.
Tomato Diseases and Pests

cucumbers

Cucumbers:

India is considered to be the homeland of cucumbers. Even nowadays you can find wild cucumber growing there. It has been estimated that India started growing cucumber as early as 3^rd millennium BC. Both Greeks and Egyptians loved cucumber. Drawings of cucumber and grape remain painted on their sanctuary frescos until nowadays. The ancient Romans would grow cucumbers in their greenhouses all year round and after they would ferment them in barrels in exactly the same way as it is done now. To European countries cucumber spread from Mediterranean coastal states. On the contrary to most European countries, to Russia it was brought from East Asia. In the beginning of the sixteenth century our country’s agricultural literature was already enriched with the knowledge of cultural cucumber. People from different counties all soon came to love cucumbers for their mild flavor and pleasant aroma; therefore, there were no obstacles for the even greater spread of cucumber.

Now cucumber is spread all over the world. People grow cucumbers both in fields and greenhouses which makes it available of consumption all year round. Cucumbers are used fresh or can be mixed with other vegetables (onion, tomato, radish, parsley) when making salad. Stuffed cucumber is often used as a second dish. It is popular among housewives to fermentate, marinate and preserve cucumbers as well as cooking cucumber soup. On summer time Lithuanian Cold-borscht with additions of cucumber is the most favorite soup among all. Cucumbers are not very nutritious. They contain 97% of water, celluloid, nitrogen and nitrogen-free elements, up to 148 mg% of potassium salt and little vitamin D, Bi, B2, PP and pro-vitamin A. Even though they are not very nutritious, cucumbers improve the appetite and help the body to assimilate fat and protein better. Eating marinated cucumbers and pickles result in the increased activity of digestive gland which produces secretion. Therefore, people who are predisposed to obesity should avoid eating cucumber at any cost.

Pickles are not recommended for patients with gastric and intestinal diseases and atherosclerosis, hypertonic illness, liver and kidney diseases and those with a heart defect.

Fresh cucumber is very beneficial for those who suffer from chronic constipation. It also stimulates the bladder, forcing the release of urine and gall; therefore, making the cucumber juice the most recommended treatment for swellings which appear due to heart disease. In folk medicine fresh cucumber juice is used as a sedative and pain-reducing drug.

Cucumbers

is very much appreciated by the beauticians. Its juice can be used to clean the face of the pigmented spots and tan, freckles or acne. For oily skin it is advisable to make a face lotion from one glass of fresh grated cucumbers poured with a glass of vodka. After two weeks have passed, the liquid in the glass should be filtered through gauze and then applied on the face. For dry facial skin you should mix equal parts of boiled water and cucumber juice and then add a teaspoon of glycerin to the mix. Cucumber juice refreshes the skin well too, so during the summer when strong body perspiration is unavoidable, you should rub your skin with some cut cucumber.

Cucumber growing conditions are quite demanding seeing as cucumbers are very receptive to heat and humidity. Cucumber seeds begin to grow at 13-14 ° C degrees, but they are more likely to grow faster at the temperature of 25-30 degree Celsius seeing as it is the best temperature for plants to grow and develop. Once the temperature falls below 15 ° C, cucumbers stop developing at all. If the temperature stays so low for a longer period of time, the womanly blooms of cucumbers start to fall. When the temperature drops down to 10 ° C the late development of cucumber is impaired, while once the temperature falls to 0.5 ° C the plants perish.

Cucumber roots are weak and mainly located on the surface of soil. That is why you must maintain the optimum moisture content. The moisture plays an important role during the flowering and coherence time in particular. At that time, if the soil is parched cucumber blossoms and rudiments of fruit begin to crumble, fruit gets deformed and their quality drops down as cucumbers become bitter, unpalatable. Nevertheless, cucumbers do not like soaked soil either, that is why they need to be watered often but in moderation. The best relative air humidity for cucumbers is around 90%.

Cucumbers should be sown on the second half of May once the soil is warm enough (10 cm deep – about 16 ° C). If sown in cold soil seeds tend to swell and rot.

The holes where seeds are inserted should be 3-4 cm in depth and contain gaps of 4-5 cm between them.

Growing Cucumbers in the Greenhouse

Once the temperature of soil reaches at least 16° C you may begin planting cucumber seedlings in depth of 10 cm in rows from 0.9 to1.2 meters. Gaps between plants should very from 20 to 25 cm. Firstly, the ground should be watered. After small holes are made, they are filled with water. Once the water soaks in the seedlings have to be planted into holes at the same depth that they were grown in pots. Within 2-3 days after planting, cucumbers must be attached to a wire with a string that is stretched at the height of 2.0-2,2 meters. Binding techniques are shown in Figure 16. After some time has passed cucumbers should be rotated around the string once or twice a week, their whiskers and diseased leaves should be removed. Decayed outer leaves must be picked off once the petiole decays completely.

Soil surface should be mellowed no deeper than 2 – 3 cm to prevent the damage of roots. Soil must be watered in the mornings with water of 20 – 25 ° C. Before flowering and once the flowering has begun you should cut down on watering, meanwhile during the period of yield starts you should water the plants more.

Whether or not you should use the additional fertilizer you can decide after agrochemical analysis is done and results are carried out. Unfortunately it is not affordable for everyone so you can try and decide whether you need to use more fertilizer or not judging from the characteristics of a plant.
In the absence of nitrogen fertilizer cucumber leaves tend to lighten and gain a yellowish tinge, especially the leaves which are located below. Fruits are small and scarce, the growth slows down. Cucumber stems are thin, hard and hairy.

In the absence of phosphorus fertilizer, foliage is small, blue-greened. Plants grow slowly, are weak and all fruit rudiments and blossoms fall out.

In the absence of potassium fertilizer, leaves are small even though rich in dark green color. Edges of leaves are pale yellow, later on turning into brown.

In the absence of magnesium fertilizer, leaves become pale meanwhile veins of leaves remain green.

If you notice signs of a lack of fertilizer in cucumbers, you should put some extra manure that contains elements which plants are lacking. The concentration of mineral fertilizer in the solution should not exceed 0.5% (50 grams to 10 liters of water).The concentration of nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate or other) in the solution must not exceed 0.2% (20 g/10 l ). Right before fertilization the soil must be watered.

Cucumbers do not like drafts, thus only windows at the top of the greenhouse should be opened up for ventilation. Ventilation must be done with the condition of air temperature never dropping below 22 ° Celsius.

Cucumbers are cross-pollinating crops, so in order for them to get pollinated they require the help of bees and other insects. With the exception of homogeneous cucumber variety which does not require any outside help for pollination. To attract bees to your greenhouse you should pick some flowers from blooming bird cherry trees and soak them somewhere in the greenhouse. Branches of alder suit too. If bees do not come anyway, female cucumber rings can be pollinated with a help of a hand. It can be acquired by picking men’s ring, tearing away its petals and then touching 2-3 female flowers (those that already have some rudiments of fruit) on their pistil with the stamen. Cucumber yield should be harvested every other day, in the meanwhile picking and removing the diseased fruit from the greenhouse too. Cucumbers.

]]> http://www.mygardencare.com/cucumbers/feed/ 0 http://www.mygardencare.com/tomato-growing-tips-improving-your-tomato-yields/ http://www.mygardencare.com/tomato-growing-tips-improving-your-tomato-yields/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:52:03 +0000 Garden http://www.mygardencare.com/?p=79 Tomato Growing Tips – Improving Your Tomato Yields

Author: Jon Ruppel

Almost anyone can grow tomatoes in their garden, and it’s quite popular. It’s no mystery why, as anyone who has sliced a fresh tomato on a sandwich, or popped a Sweet 100 in their mouth while still standing in the garden knows that the taste of commercially grown tomatoes doesn’t compare to a fresh garden tomato.

Tips for Improving your tomatoes:

Start with where you plant your tomatoes. Are you planning on growing the tomatoes in the garden or in a container. In either setting, a well drained, loamy soil is preferred, with a pH of somewhere between 6 and 7, which is slightly on the acidic side. Work in some well rotted compost, if it is not thoroughly decomposed it will rob nitrogen from the soil, and the tomatoes will suffer. If you going to use the garden, it may be preferable to use a raised bed garden to ensure proper drainage. It will also allow you to create the soil that your tomatoes want.

If you are looking at container grown tomatoes, there are several choices. A large self watering container, like the commercially available Earthbox is a great choice, as it solves one of the biggest problems with container grown plants, which is the tendency for them to quickly dry out.

Supporting your tomatoes is critical to their optimum production. This can be done with stakes or cages. But one other approach is to use hanging planters. By letting the tomato vines hang down from the planter, they are supported on the top end, and the need to stake or cage is eliminated. This is true for the upside down tomato planters as well, which also relieve the stress on the vine as it drapes over the edge of a traditional hanging planter.

Hanging planters have other advantages like eliminating the need for bending or stooping to work on them. And all the container approaches let you put tomatoes in places that normally can’t hold a garden, like and apartment or condo, or just the back patio or deck.

There are many other tips to great tomato gardening, like the proper selection of tomato varieties, the type of fertilizer to use, proper pruning, and plant spacing, when it’s best to plant, and more…

About the Author:

Come visit our website that has dozens of tomato growing tips like hanging tomato planter reviews and tips on things like pruning tomatoes, watering tomatoes, and more information on growing tomatoes at http://tomato-tips.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Tomato Growing Tips – Improving Your Tomato Yields