With the weather warming up, it's time to plant tomatoes

By Rennie Phillips

On Tuesday, I checked the 10-day forecast, and the weather is looking good. It showed the low temperatures were to stay in the mid 40's or higher, so it looks like we have had our last frost here in Scott City.

I have been hesitant about putting out our big bunch of tomatoes, but I believe we will go ahead and plant tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers.

I have had a few tomatoes out for some time, but not that many. I like to put out a few for early tomatoes. If these end up frosting or freezing, I haven't lost a whole lot. But if by chance they make it, we will be eating early tomatoes.

Pretty darn awesome when you notice something red on your tomato plants, and it's in May! Once you find that first one that's turning, you begin checking in earnest.

Usually, there are several turning red. Those first few just taste awesome.

I usually cut or trim off the bottom few leaves or branches when I plant my tomatoes. And honestly, I'm not into planting the tomato deep. Some of the fungus we fight on our tomato plants comes from the soil.

I want to keep my leaves on the tomato off or away from the ground. So I may put some of the stem in the ground, but I make sure the leaves and branches are not close to the ground.

I'd also be careful with the snips you use. If you use snips, make sure they are clean. Every now and then, dip them in rubbing alcohol. Also, watch how much dirt you get on your hands and then on the tomato plant.

I wear rubber gloves, so I just put on a new pair now and then. If you aren't opposed to using a fungicide, I'd spray them with something like Daconil after transplanting.

Try to be as clean as you can when planting your tomatoes.

We start almost all the plants we transplant into our garden.

Once the new little plant pops out of the soil, I begin to water them with a 9-45-15 fertilizer that I order from Greenhouse Megastore. Then I also water in my tomatoes and all my plants as I transplant them with a fertilizer with a high middle number like Jack's Fertilizer, 9-45-15.

I may use this fertilizer a couple times, but no more than that.

I then start using a balanced fertilizer. When the vines start putting on fruit, I water them with calcium nitrate and 4-18-38, which is a special tomato fertilizer.

I've done this for a number of years, and it seems to work. The calcium nitrate adds nitrogen and calcium.

If you are planting your tomatoes into a nitrogen-rich soil, this may not work for you. Too much nitrogen and you will end up with tomato trees and almost no fruit.

What I like to do is cover the soil under the tomato with paper.

This can be newspaper or even rolls of paper from the paint store. I buy grain in paper sacks, so I use these sacks to cover the soil. I then cover the paper with something.

I've used cypress mulch, and it did a really good job. I prefer good, clean straw that isn't moldy.

Once I have the paper down and have it covered with straw, I go ahead and use a hand wand and water in the paper and straw. This helps settle the paper and straw so it won't blow away.

I normally prune all the suckers off my tomato plants.

Down through the years, I have come to the conclusion determinates, such as Celebrity, don't need pruning.

I'd work at supporting the vines with a stake or cage or from above. Determinates will produce a lot of tomatoes in a short time. Indeterminates keep cranking out tomatoes from spring until frost unless disease kills them.

Indeterminates will probably need some pruning. Through the years, I have faithfully pruned all the suckers on my tomato plants.

This year, my intention is to prune the second or third sucker from the bottom and leave the rest. Around the end of June or first part of July, allow a couple of the suckers close to the ground to grow.

Hopefully, 60 to 70 days later, you just might get a tomato off them. Once this sucker is growing well, you can even cut the old plant off, especially if disease has ruined the plant. It seems as if this sucker has more disease resistance than the original plant.

We don't ever put our tomatoes in the refrigerator. I know some do, but we don't. Actually, I set them in the kitchen window with the stem end down. It seems like this was how my parents did it.

The bottom of the tomato tends to be the most tender, so the most prone to bruise. The stem end always seems to be more firm.

Don't forget to fertilize your tomatoes on a regular basis with a balanced fertilizer.

The easiest way is to buy a soluble fertilizer, such as Miracle Grow, and water in the fertilizer. There should be mixing information on the container as well as recommendations on frequency.

I wouldn't water the tomatoes with the fertilizer solution if the tomato plants are extra dry, nor if they are really wet. Kind of in the middle is best, in my opinion.

I'm thinking about starting a small group of tomato growers with the goal of picking our first tomato in May next spring. I think it would be fun. These would be outside-grown tomatoes.

Well, happy gardening, especially when it comes to tomatoes.