Checking in on your tomatoes!

[Marian Worley]

Very soon we will begin the summer harvesting of tomatoes and I cannot wait. Wilth the cool wet summer in the south the tomatoes took a while to make, and I have experienced a bit of blossom drop and lack of blossoms, but the tips I have received, calcium, fish emulsions, have helped and I have a nice crop coming. How are yours coming?

[PennyG]

Hi everyone,

My tomatoes are finally getting there, i had almost given up, we are now getting cherrie tomatoes off one of the plants and the rest are loaded with babies.
Even my peppers are coming around...thankfully.

[Marian Worley]

Hey penny,
Where are you located? Just curious.

[PennyG]

Hi Marian,

I am up on Georgian Bay .
And you??

[Marian Worley]

I am in Nashville Tennessee. Right now we are having a very cool and glorious July. It is in the high 50's to low 60's at night and only low 80's in the day. Unheard of for here. This has boosted my squash, basil, and peppers production but has slowed the ripening of tomatoes and beans. But that is fine. As it looks now, I should have tomatoes a plenty until the first hard frost.
Can you tell me anything about when is a good time to pick butternuts?

[Rose Keppler Moradian]

Butternut squash; stop watering and let the vine die with the squash attached.

[Rose Keppler Moradian]

This time of year I thin out the foliage and check for horned tomato worms. They are HUGE but they are camouflaged so well its actually hard to spot them. Usually you'll see their droppings and leaf damage before you know their a presence.
I ended up with 3 garbage cans full of foliage thinnings and a pile of rotten unripe tomatoes and one large horned tomato worm! I cut back on water at this point, reduce it to once a week deep water. I fed them once last week and that will be it except for fish emulsion foliarly. Its important to create air circulation and avoid dampness of any sort, and cutting off the water helps improve the flavor. Tomatoes are native to arid Mexico, not damp areas.

[Marian Worley]

Hmm tell me more about this culprit. When you say leak damage and droppings, what exactly am I looking for. I am also glad to know about the trimming as my plantas look like shrubs.

[Rose Keppler Moradian]

Yes, do thin out the leaves, esp the bottom leaves.
Sunlight needs to come in and air need to circulate!
This is a hilarious account of a gardeners experience with the dreaded worm:

http://www.gardensnob.com/archives/2008/08/yuck-tobacco-worm.php

I now know that they turn into a lovely moth.

[PennyG]

Mine are about a week, maybe two weeks off of being ripe, FINALLY!!!!

[Judy Williams]

This is my first year planting tomatoes. We just moved to this house and the front flower garden had the best dirt so I planted ONE plant. I have taken care of it every day like it's my baby. I was SO happy when I saw the first little green 'mators comin on. I looked out the window that the plant is right under yesterday and then about 6 feet away laying on the ground by a tree was my biggest green tomato. I ran out to rescue it and when I picked it up I could see the nibble marks of a squirrel. Grrrrr. I was hot. I went inside and googled squirrels and tomatoes and the best I could find was to get some blood meal and put it around it. I looked out the window again and there he was, with ANOTHER big green tomato munching away on the lower branch of the tree. I grabbed a cane and ran outside like a mad woman, yelling and swinging the cane over my head. He dropped that and was gone so fast it was a blur. I got the blood meal today and put it around the perimeter of the plant. I hope that works. But actually I didn't see anymore activity since my scare tactic yesterday. There are loads of flowers and small fruits on the plant and I have had to add 4 stakes now to hold it up. l I used Miricle Grow once a week but watered it every day.

[PennyG]

That looked good, i know eh, I've had a few maters that have been munched on by squirrels....i just make sure that the bird feeders are full, and they seem to leave them alone now.....darn things!

[Marian Worley]

So you can cut off the damaged part, slice and fry in corn meal and have fried green tomatoes. Add bacon and mayo and have a fried green tomato sandwich or eat as is.