| With a well drained soil, tomatoes can be grown very simply, without any fancy techniques or materials.
Do not feel bound by family or farm rules about tomatoes -- grow them your way! As example... to support toms, gardeners'guild encourages the use of 3 or 4 bamboo stakes, tied
securely together at the top into a teepee, for the most
convenient and affordable method of support. wire cages can make it
difficult to harvest the tomatoes, and can be subjected to winds that
will damage the plant more if caged. the following info addresses using
wire cages and is the grower's more traditional approach. This method of support also makes better use of space. For an urban gardener who prefers step-by-step help, we enlisted Green Basket Farm in Corrales to provide detailed tips, honed to help those in the ABQ area. Transplant: Select stocky transplants about six to ten inches tall. In large holes, add several inches of sifted compost mixed with a handful of bonemeal and one teaspoon of Epsom salts. Transplant 6-10 inch stock plants deeply with only two or three sets of true leaves exposed. Plant leggy ones horizontally in a shallow trench. Remember to strip off all leaves along the stem that will be buried. Roots will grow along the stem providing better growth and healthier plants. Press the soil firmly around the transplant so that a slight depression is formed for holding water. Pour approximately one pint of a starter solution (choose wormcastings to dissolve in water or fish emulsion) for absolute best results, to wash the soil around the roots. Early May planting has some exposure to killing frosts. "Wall of Water" or covering plants at night can protect your tomatoes from commonly late frosts. Support: Tomatoes benefit from either staking or using wire cages. [gardeners'guild encourages the use of 3 or 4 bamboo stakes, tied securely together at the top into a teepee form, for the most convenient and affordable method of support. wire cages can make it difficult to harvest the tomatoes, and can be subjected to winds that will damage the plant more if caged. the following info addresses using wire cages and is the grower's more traditional approach.] Wire cages, while more expensive, generally require less work and allows the plant to grow more naturally. If tomato plants in wire cages are pruned at all, once is enough; prune to three or four main stems. Wire-cage tomatoes develop a heavy foliage cover, reducing sunscald on fruits and giving more leeway when bottom leaves become blighted and have to be removed. Cages should have at least 6" spacing between wires and can be re-used for many years. If staking, the 5-7 feet tall and 1 1/2 or 2 inch wide stakes should be driven one foot into the soil at 4-6 inches from the plant. Attach heavy twine to stakes every ten inches. As the plant grows, tie it loosely to the stake. Prune staked tomatoes to one or two main stems and remove all suckers weekly. When the vines reach the top of the stake, pinch back to encourage flowering and fruit. Staked plants can be spaced closer together (18-24 inches) while caged plants should be spaced 3 feet apart. Weeds: Cultivate until the soil is warm, then use a 4" mulch of crunched leaves, old hay or aged sawdust to smother weeds and conserve water. Water: Tomatoes require uniform moisture after setting fruit. Alternate wet and dry spells invite stunting and blossom-end rot. Water at least one inch per week. When harvest time is near, cut back just a little to get fruit that is flavorful but not watery. Early morning watering is best (4am to 10am) to allow foliage to dry before nightfall. Fertilization: Tomatoes are 'heavy feeders'. In addition to the initial application of a starter solution, side-dress with another solution when first fruits are about the size of a quarter and again two weeks after the first ripe tomato. Green Basket Farms recommends a fertilizer very high in nitrogen, and then one month later, switching to a fertilizer that is higher in Phosphorous and Potassium. Don't over fertilize! Preventive Practices: To reduce disease, rotate the crop on a two-, preferable three-, year cycle. Since peppers, eggplant and potatoes are in the same family, do not plant tomatoes where these crops were grown in the previous season. Be sure to remove any diseased or dead plants. Problems: - Curly Top Virus is the scourge of New Mexico tomatoes. Infected plants develop curled yellow leaves and plant growth slows and stops. The plant eventually dies. There are mixed opinions about the necessity of removing infected plants. Given positive identification of CTV, removal is probably best. Infected plants can be composted. The virus is spread by leafhoppers and so far there are no known resistant varieties. [Yellow Pear tomatoes have been rumored to be much more resistent though there may be other variables at work. GG] Spraying is generally not effective because it only takes on infected leafhopper bite to infect the plant. Some have had success planting in several different areas, especially in areas where some shade is available or in areas surrounded by grass. Leafhoppers thrive in the local mustard weed/green that grows wild and removal of that mustard is thought to be helpful. For most, that is not practical. Covering the plants carefully with floating row cover material may provide some protection but then pollination may have to be manually assisted by 'tweaking' the blossoms.
- Blossom Drop - caused by poor nutrition, nighttime temperatures below 55 degrees or damage from insects and diseases
- Blossom-end Rot - caused by fluctuating soil moisture during rapid growth, over-fertilization and/or calcium deficiency. Appears as a small water-soaded spot at or near the blossom end of the tomato that enlarges to a brown or black leathery scar. Prevention is the best cure here, but, calcium chloride or calcum nitrate spray can be applied during the growing season. However, foliar sprays of calcium won't correct blossom-end rot once it has occurred on fruit. Remove affected fruit when symptoms are first observed.
- Sunscald - caused by exposure to direct sun and temperatures exceeding 86 degrees. Choose cultivars with dense foliage.
- Fruit cracks - caused by excessively rainy periods when the temperature is high. The fruit actually grows more quickly than the skins. Maintain consisten watering.
| Be sure of your supplies! Chemical fertilizers can have short term benefits, but cause long-term damage in arid vegetable gardens. Check out these simple and sustainable solutions available at GG: Wormcastings $2/lb 
this fertilizer has many trace nutrients in a form that is highly to plants and will not burn roots in any application. use transplanting, dissolved in a watering can or top-dressed
Yum Yum Mix $3/lb 
recommended use is 1-4lbs per every 100sq ft of garden space, depending on the current condition of soil.
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