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Hi Everyone! I’m back! I had to go run some errands.

The information on TOMATOES from the handout compiled by Darrell Berry continues:

13. SWEET AND SOUR
Some people prefer a low-acid tomato. Researchers at Mississippi Stat U have found that most tomato fruits have a pH of between 4.3 and 4.6. The yellow or pink “Low Acid” tomatoes are not any lower in acid, but they ARE higher in sugar. As with fine wine grapes, it’s the ratio of sugar to acid that determines the flavor characteristics. For sweeter tomatoes, leave them on the vine as long as possible to ripen. Just watch out for birds, squirrels, and other creatures that are fond of the fruit.

14. INSECT CONTROL
Insects and mites can ruin a tomato crop before we know it. Perhaps the worst pest is the red spider mite. It is a tiny, eight legged creature that multiplies rapidly, spinning tiny silken webs while sucking vital fluids from the plant. Heavily damaged leaves are pale or bronze in appearance. The best controls are to use either insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to control the mites. This is not the same as dormant oil. It is highly refined and ideal for summertime pest control of sucking pests. Good control has been achieved by spraying for mites beginning in late June. Mite season ends when temperatures cool down.

Two other pests are caterpillars that drill holes in the fruit. The tomato pinworm is a tiny larva that tunnels right down the core. The tomato fruitworm, same critter as the corn earworm, will bore into the sides of fruit, leaving a mess. Both can be controlled with products containing BT, known as Bacillus thuringiensis. This biological control will not harm other insects and is very low in toxicity.

15. HARVESTING THE CROP
Tomatoes are ready for harvest anytime after they turn a light pink. However, flavor increases as they ripen on the vine. Dead ripe tomatoes, however, will be more vulnerable to birds, turtles and other creatures. Consider a rubber snake coiled near the plants, moving it every few days. Or, try the new bird scare tape. It flaps in the breeze, spooking birds.

16. STORING
Store tomatoes in a cool dark place that is above 55 degrees Farhrenheit. Refrigerators will ruin the flavor. Also, they will not ripen any faster on a windowsill as light has nothing to do with ripening. Store them in a dark location and they’ll ripen just fine. We can speed ripening a bit by placing them in a paper sack with an apple, which emits ethylene gas.

DETERMINATE AND INDETERMINATE

Determinate:
including the bush varieties, reach a certain plant height and then stop growing. The majority of their fruit matures within a month or two and appears at the ends of the branches. These are popular with gardeners who like to can, make sauce, or have another reason for wanting most of their tomatoes at once. It might even be that you’d prefer to harvest early and leave late summer for a long vacation.

Most determinate varieties need a cage, but there are some very stocky varieties, such as Better Bush, that have a very sturdy main stem; they don’t need much support, just a stake to keep them from toppling in wind and rain. Varieties especially suited to growing in pots, such as Patio and Better Bush, are determinate. Little or no pruning is needed.

Indeterminate:
varieties continue to grow and produce tomatoes all along the stems throughout the growing season. Indeterminate plants need extra-tall supports of at least 5 feet. Because indeterminate varieties throw out so many shoots, gardeners often prune them for optimum-sized fruit or train them on a very tall trellis. However, if you don’t prune, no harm done! You may have seen photos of 10 or 15 foot tomato vines. These are definitely indeterminate types.

Most gardeners grow both types, determinate for large harvests for canning and freezing and indeterminates for salads and sandwiches throughout growing season.

SYMBOLS FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE
Tomato names are often followed by capital letters that stand for resistance to certain diseases. This is very important because these diseases can wipe out a tomato crop. Bonnie Plan Farm offers varieties that have proven to be most productive with disease resistance a major consideration in our selection. Resistance to disease is indicated by the following letters:

V- Verticillium Wilt
F- Fusarium Wilt (Two F’s indicate resistance to both races 1 and 2)

N- Nematodes
ASC- Alternaria Stem Canker
TMV- Tobacco Mosaic Virus
St- Stemphylium (gray leaf spot)
SWV- Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
LB- Late Blight

OTHER TERMS
Heirloom tomato - Any tomato that is at least 50 years old and is not a hybrid

Hybrid tomato - A tomato bred by crossing varieties. Hybrids offer better disease resistance, higher yield, and other improved traits. Our* hybrids are not genetically engineered. [texokie note: I’m not sure who the “Our” refers to]

Early variety - A tomato that matures in 50-60 days. These are prized for early harvests and late summer planting for a fall crop. Sometimes we refer to tomatoes that mature in more than 60 days as ‘early’ but only in comparison to their peers. For example, the earliest beefsteak type compared to other beefsteaks. Beefsteaks are typically longer maturing because they are so big!

So ends the handout written by Darrell Berry one of our Oklahoma Master gardeners!

As time allows I hope to also share info on the legumes handout soon.