Tomato Ideas, Tips & Guides

Suttons and Dobies

The main trace elements and micronutrients are molybdenum, manganese, zinc, iron, boron and copper plus calcium for tomatoes. These elements are best provided as water-soluble chelate salts rather than granules.

Images to get your thoughts and garden buzzing.

Tomatoes are great fun to grow. They can also be very rewarding; to get a bigger crop follow these simple but effective tips.

Trees, shrubs and all plants have developed methods to procreate and ensure the continuity of their species. ‘Natures Home winter 2018’ looks at trees that use Anemochory, Autochory, Zoochory, Barachory plus other methods. For our purposes we will look in the same order at wind distribution, explosive seed pods, animal dispersion and drop and roll plus other methods.

We all have favourites and when it comes to fertiliser the liquid variety are mine. If the soil is in good heart then simple water is probably as good as anything for disolving nutrients and tranfering them to your plants. However some plants need more help from extra or special fertilisers.

A straightforward and cost-effective net pot from recycled bottles can be an excellent option for your hydroponic plants. Check out the instructions here.

It’s a glorious July Saturday. The sun is showering this corner of the world with warmth and optimism. The earth’s bounty and human toil, and some craic, surrounds us, and you can hear the stream nearby and the birds in the trees. There is abundance and productivity and nature and community and generosity.

From trying cottage cheese ice cream to adding protein powder and bananas to morning coffee, the internet is ablaze with protein hacks lately—but Trader Joe’s just announced a bit of extra protein in its Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup that you may not want to try.

Isn’t it funny how even people who don’t like gardening grow tomatoes? What is it about them? Maybe tomato growing is one of those practices passed down from grandparents that just sticks, evoking childhood memories. Growing tomatoes is also one of those rites of passage to becoming a keen gardener. Ask the keenest gardener that you know and there’s a good chance that one of the plants they started out with was the good old tomato.

Homegrown tomatoes taste heavenly when they are sweet with a hint of tart, acidic flavor. If you want to grow the same, there is a science behind it. Learn the Number One Technique to Produce Sweeter Tomatoes to enjoy a sweet summer harvest!

Instead of flowers and ferns, you can start growing fruits in hanging baskets. It is possible, and there is not just one or two but 6 great-tasting fruit plants perfect for your porch, patio, balcony, or rooftop.

Pruning Tomato Plants correctly not only boosts productivity but also helps them to stay healthy and disease free while making sure it speeds up the ripening process. Let’s learn everything in detail!

The row on the left has succumbed to bacterial wilt. In the row on the right are grafted plants that had bacterial wilt resistance.

We can employ many tricks to grow more fruit in less space. One key strategy that is very useful to understand is growing fruits as cordons in small spaces.

Trader Joe's is recalling two popular packaged cookies because they may contain rocks, according to a July 21 announcement. The popular grocer acted swiftly to recall the products after being informed by the supplier of the possibility that rocks may be present in the cookies.

Growing Squash Vertically is the best way to improve the yeild while saving plenty of space! Let’s have a look at how to do it easily!

St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, is a popular celebration in the United States, due to the number of Americans, 10.5%, with Irish heritage. One million Irish emigrated to North America, Australia, or other parts of Great Britain in the mid-1800s because of the potato disease now known as late blight. Late blight, caused by the water mold, Phytophthora infestans, destroyed the Irish potato crops in 1845 through 1849 and caused the Irish Potato Famine. Another one million people died from hunger or disease.

According to the USDA, the two highest consumed vegetables in the United States are potatoes and tomatoes. 40% of that potato consumption was frozen and 58% of the tomato consumption was canned. We consumed 46.4 pounds of potatoes per person, and 29.6 pounds of tomatoes per person, in 2016. Why? Americans love french fries and pizza sauce.

Choosing to start vegetable plants from seeds allows gardeners the freedom to try varieties that are not readily available as transplants, such as heirloom varieties. It also allows gardeners to get transplants ready and, in the ground, quicker than they might be found in the garden center. Not only does starting transplants from seed save time, it also saves money. For example, ten heirloom tomato plants started from seed is much cheaper than buying those tomato plants from a retail store.

The tomato is a fruit from the nightshade family native to South America. The Spanish first introduced tomatoes to Europe, where they became used in Spanish and Italian food.

Did you Avocados are one of those nutrient dense foods that provide nearly 20 vitamins and minerals with relatively few calories. Archaeologists have found evidence of avocado consumption going back almost 10,000 years in central Mexico. Researchers believe that humans began cultivating avocados about 5,000 years ago. Mesoamerican tribes like the Inca, the Olmec and the Maya grew domesticated avocado trees. AvoSeedo wedsite

Cold Winter days call for warm, comforting soups. This is one of my family’s favorite on a cold Winter’s day! Roasting the vegetables helps to bring out their flavor, allowing for minimal added fat and salt, while not compromising on flavor. This recipe makes a hearty vegetable soup thick with tomatoes, onion, green bell peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, and barley. You can add additional broth if you prefer, and the soup also freezes well. To learn more about the safe handling of vegetables, check out HGIC 3517, Safe Handling of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Enjoy!

Last week I was making a grilled London broil and baked potatoes for dinner (Yum!). I was also planning to grill some seasoned zucchini as our vegetable with dinner. When it came time to prepare dinner, I decided I wanted something a little different from grilled zucchini. I looked at the ingredients that I had on hand and developed this recipe for Italian Zucchini and Tomato Gratin. It was fast and easy to prepare, and my family loved it. I can’t wait to make it again once I have some home-grown tomatoes and zucchini to use! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Fresh South Carolina tomatoes harvested in the summer months are true delicacies. They really are at their best with bare minimum preparation. A Pico de Gallo style salsa combines ingredients that highlight a super fresh summer tomato. The following recipe is simple, easy to prepare, and packed full of flavor.

Blossom end rot is a troubling disorder of tomatoes that affects home gardeners and commercial growers alike. Numerous foliar calcium sprays are available that claim to solve this problem, but are they really the answer?

Peach season is here in South Carolina, adding to the abundance of fresh produce on kitchen counters. A quick and different appetizer is this tasty peach salsa. This sweet alternative to your usual salsa is a nice combination of fresh garden produce and fresh peaches. Feeling creative? Add or omit ingredients to fit your tastes.

What’s for dinner? Instead of getting take out or running to the grocery store, consider “using what you have on hand”. A beauty YouTuber called it ‘shop your stash’ as she described using what you have one hand. With that, I will share a simple dish I recently prepared that my family really enjoyed.

You may be home quarantining or working from home; however, that does not necessarily mean you desire to cook three meals a day with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. August is National Sandwich Month, and sandwiches can be a delicious, nutrient-rich, and quick meal to help save time in the kitchen.

This will be the final update of 2020. We will pick it back up on 1/4/21. Be sure to keep an eye on the upcoming events tab, and give us a call if you need anything. Happy Holidays from the SC Grower team! We hope everyone takes some time to enjoy the season, and may 2021 bring you good health, great family time, and as always…prosperous fields!

Zack Snipes reports, “Everything is progressing nicely in the Lowcountry.  We got some much-needed rain last week.  Temperatures have been cool, so things are somewhat slow from a developmental standpoint.  All the crops look great, especially the tomato crop.  We have a really nice fruit set and very little disease.  I am expecting to see bacterial spot to show up sometime soon and have been getting a few calls about bacterial wilt taking down plants. I’ve also gotten a few calls about blossom end rot. That is typical on the first fruit set and will usually correct itself provided there is ample calcium in the soil AND the soil moisture is consistent.  In our sandy soils, the main cause of blossom end rot is allowing the soil to dry out during the fruiting stage. Folks might want to consider multiple 30 minute to 1-hour irrigation cycles on tomatoes per day.”

Rob Last reports, “Crops in the area continue to develop well, and I expect this to continue after some welcome rainfall over the weekend. Following the rain over the weekend and returning to warm temperatures, keep scouting for diseases in crops and ensure fungicide applications are made promptly. Spider mites show activity in a range of crops from strawberries to peppers, tomatoes, and blackberries. Cucumber beetles are beginning to be found in sticky traps. Currently, no damage is being seen to crops.”

Zack Snipes reports, “We got some needed rain, but we got a lot of it in a short amount of time. Winter peas and spring-planted brassicas are looking good. Tomato and squash are in the ground on some farms, but because of the cooler weather and soil temperatures, they haven’t really taken off yet. I see a lot of brassica fields leftover from the fall. These fields are harboring all of our insects and diseases that we will have to fight this coming season. Mow these fields down and turn them under. Do not leave them. I am seeing lots and lots of diamondback moths and black rot in these leftover fields. Some more sad news this week from the Lowcountry as Mr. Adair McKoy, Sr. passed away this past week. Mr. McKoy was full of wisdom and had years and years of practical farming knowledge that he loved sharing with others. Never did I visit him when I didn’t learn something new. His love and care for the land was truly inspirational.”

Zack Snipes reports, “We had some nice weather last week. The tomato crop is looking great, as are most of our cucurbits and greens. I am seeing increased caterpillar pressure across the area. We had several calls from across the state early last week about sunburned strawberries. We went and visited the farms and tried to rule out disease, frost damage, etc. The only thing we came up with is some sort of sunburn damage. The damage was most prevalent on the southern facing sides of beds where there was poor canopy coverage. I also saw damaged tissue on tender lettuce, in my citrus plots at the CREC and on some new shoots of ornamentals at my house. I checked the solar radiation at the weather station at the CREC, and the units (W/m2) were 300-500 units higher on Monday compared to the prior 4 days. Perhaps we had intense UV levels and higher temperatures that led to this damage? Here is a really great article on the types of sunburn on plants and fruit.”

Rob Last reports, “Following some hail events last week, we find some shredded leaves in cucurbits and some small fruit crops. Strawberries continue to develop well, with isolated incidences of gray mold being seen. Sanitation is one of the critical methods for managing gray mold along with fungicide applications. Thrips are also beginning to be observed. Blueberries in the area are being harvested with good quality fruit. Keep a close eye on scouting for insects. Spider mites are still active in many crops. Cucumber beetles continue to increase as they are migrating from overwintering sites. Many populations are at or very close to the threshold of five adult beetles per plant.”

Rob Last reports, “Given the rainfall and humidity levels, we are seeing increases in foliar and fruit diseases on a range of crops. This includes cottony leak in cucumbers, anthracnose in peppers, tomatoes, and cucurbits. Also, please be aware cucurbit downy mildew is very active now. As a result, it is going to be really important to maintain fungicide programs in both a timely manner and to be robust. That being said, we have some great quality melons, both cantaloupe and watermelons, coming to harvest, as well as good volumes of quality peaches, blackberries, and a host of other vegetable crops.”