Growing tomatoes
Already cultivated in the 5th century and then spread by the Spaniards in the 16th century, the tomato, the queen of the vegetable garden, is the most widely cultivated fruit* in the world and is now the subject of a very profitable industry.
The tomato is reputed to be easy to grow, but its maintenance can be daunting for new gardeners: it is a greedy plant that requires some special care. However, the patient and attentive gardener will be generously rewarded with a bountiful harvest.
The taste of a freshly picked tomato from the garden is in no way comparable to that of a tomato bought in the supermarket, that's a fact!
* In botany, the tomato is considered a fruit since it is the product of a flower.
Which tomato to choose?
It is impossible to talk about all the varieties of tomatoes: there are thousands of them for different uses and to suit all tastes. Some cultivars are traditionally produced in Quebec, but new varieties appear every year in Quebec nurseries to broaden the range of flavours offered.
To choose the right tomato variety for you, you need to ask yourself a few questions:
How much space is available?
Some varieties will stay smaller and take up less space. Micro-tomatoes can even be grown inside the house!
What do I want to do with my tomatoes? Is it to eat in salads or to make sauces?
Some tomatoes are juicier while others will be more fleshy and better suited to processing. If your aim is to eat fresh tomatoes in salads, you may be disappointed by an Italian tomato intended for making sauces or by a preserved tomato intended for drying: the texture of these tomatoes, when unprocessed, may be pasty or even floury, and their flavour rather unremarkable.
Do I want all my tomatoes at once or would I like to enjoy them over a longer period?
It may be beneficial to have one large crop (e.g. for making sauces) rather than several small crops until the first frost.
Do I want a traditional tomato, similar to what I find on the grocery shop shelves, or do I want to discover new flavours?
There are countless varieties that are not always available in supermarkets, such as the white tomato. This choice is entirely personal.
Gauges
Redcurrant tomato
They are tiny! Very small (only 3 to 4 grams) and very sweet tomatoes that are borne by an extremely productive plant that is so generous that it will be difficult to harvest them all. They can be eaten fresh as a snack.
Variety to try: Little sparrow (red, on the picture)
Cherry tomato
Intended to be eaten fresh, this small tomato is usually very sweet and is a perfect accompaniment to salads and dips. Round, elongated or pear-shaped, it is particularly popular with children.
Varieties to try: Super sweet 100 (red in the photo), Sugar gloss (red), Cupid (pink).
Cocktail tomato
Larger than the cherry tomato, this tomato is fleshy, juicy and has a sweet, fruity aftertaste. They can be eaten fresh or cooked in a sauce, stuffed or roasted.
Varieties to try: Black cherry (black, pictured), Little Napoli (red)
Italian tomato
They are very fleshy tomatoes with firm, dense flesh that is not very juicy and contains few seeds. They have a strong, tangy taste and are perfect for making sauces. They are usually elongated in shape and have the disadvantage of being susceptible to apical necrosis (also known as black ass) .
Varieties to try: Roma (red, pictured), Gladiator (red), Big Mama (red)
Standard tomato
Available in different shapes and colours, this tomato is fleshy and juicy. These tomatoes usually have a good balance of sweet and sour taste. This is usually the type of tomato that is purchased at the grocery shop.
Varieties to try: Super Fantastique (red), Rose de berne (pink, in the photo).
Beef steak tomato
These are large, juicy, meaty tomatoes with an excellent sweet flavour. They are ideal for salsa, sauce, dip, sandwiches, fresh or grilled. However, they are extremely fertiliser intensive and less productive than other types.
Varieties to try: Coeur de bœuf (red), Marmande (red, on the picture)
The different colours of tomatoes
Red tomatoes
They have a high lycopene content with a good tomato taste. Some varieties are less sweet and can be a bit sour.
Variety to try: Sugar gloss (cherry, on the picture)
Pink tomatoes
They have a sweeter taste and are less acidic than red tomatoes. They are usually juicier and eaten fresh.
Varieties to try: Brandywine pink (beefsteak), Pink girl (standard, pictured).
Black tomatoes
They have an even higher level of lycopene with a very strong taste.
Varieties to try: Chocolate sprinkle (cherry), Paul Robeson (standard, pictured).
Green tomatoes
These are the sweetest tomatoes and are very sweet. They have a good acid-sugar balance.
Varieties to try: Green Zebra (standard, pictured)
Colourful tomatoes
They have a fruitier taste with a good acid-sugar balance. They are a good value as an aperitif and in salads.
Varieties to try: Bumble Bee (cherry), Pineapple (standard, pictured)
Orange tomatoes
They have the highest vitamin A and carotenoid content. They are known to be sweet.
Varieties to try: Chef's Choice Orange (standard), Sungold (Cherry, pictured).
Yellow tomatoes
They are low in lycopene and more acidic than red tomatoes and oranges.
Varieties to try: Yellow pear (cocktail, pictured), Gold Mine (standard), Lemon cherry (cherry).
Plant with a definite or indeterminate habit?
All tomato varieties are classified as determinate or indeterminate. It is important to know which type your tomato plant is, as this will affect its growing condition.
Determined
These are plants with a known maximum height. A determinate plant is ideal for people with limited space, as most plants will be less than one metre high when fully grown. For the production of sauce or other processed products, it can be interesting to have this kind of plant so that the tomatoes are ready all at the same time and in good quantity.
Varieties to try: Little Nappoli (Italian red), Manitoba (standard red).
Undetermined
The most common type. The plant can grow to more than 1.5-2 m high and will produce tomatoes over a longer period (usually until the first frost), but in smaller quantities at a time.
Varieties to try: Marmande (Standard red), Summer cider (Beefsteak apricot).
There are now tomatoes with a semi-determinate habit: they behave like determinates, but can take on the dimensions of an indeterminate tomato, such as the Celebrity variety (red standard).
For growing in the home or even in a hanging basket, there are micro-tomato plants that are 30 cm tall when fully grown. They have a determined habit and usually produce an early harvest. Even though the plant is called "micro", the tomatoes are cherry-sizedand very tasty! Try Red Robin (red), Pinnochio Orange (orange), Birdie Rouge (red), Yellow Canary (yellow) and Rosy Finch (pink). Be careful to protect the foliage from rain if planted outdoors. Since the plant is small, it is close to the ground and more susceptible to fungal diseases caused by excess moisture.
Tomatoes in the garden
Once all risk of frost has passed and the nights are at least 10°C, you can transfer your tomato seedlings to the vegetable garden.
Acclimatization
Your plants left in the house, even under the best grow lights, are not used to the power of the sun. If you take your plants directly out into the strong sun, you risk burning them and losing all your work. Acclimatising plants outdoors usually takes 7 days. Start with a cloudy day, without strong winds, and place your seedlings in the shade before bringing them inside the house for the night. The next day, increase the time to a few hours and, as the days go by, expose your seedlings more and more to the sun until they are in their final location in the garden. If you don't have a shaded area (e.g. under a patio table or near a tree), you can use floating covers that you fold in a few layers to protect your plants.
Planting
Tomatoes can be grown in pots (minimum of 5 gallons, but ideally 20 to 25 gallons for indeterminate tomatoes), but they are even better in the ground. Choose an appropriate potting soil for your type of planting(30 L Urban Vegetable Garden Container Potting Soil for container growing or 30 L Passion Jardin Planting Soil for in-ground growing) and add a generous amount of compost, such as 30 L Peat and Shrimp Compost, to the mix (in pots, compost makes up 1/3 of the final mix). Do not put the compost in direct contact with the roots as this may burn them: mix evenly with the potting soil.
Bury your plant up to the first leaves. You can remove the leaves from the bottom of the plant to bury the plant deeper. Tomatoes have the advantage that they can develop roots on their main stem. By burying them deeper, the plant will develop more roots, be more firmly anchored to the soil, be in a better position to get nutrients from the soil and be more resistant to diseases such as apical necrosis.
Tomatoes are particularly hungry for calcium. To counteract apical necrosis, a disease related to calcium deficiency, add Bionik marine calcium to the bottom of the planting hole (according to the quantities recommended on the package). Finally, add a dose of granular chicken manure such asNatural Flower and Garden Fertilizer 4-5-7, or another good garden fertilizer, around the plant according to the manufacturer's directions to avoid nutrient deficiencies.
Don't forget to stake your plants, especially if they are indeterminate varieties. In nature, tomato plants are a creeping ground cover species that can spread over several metres (in greenhouses, tomato plants can reach over 10 metres!). It is therefore necessary to stake them in order to contain them and facilitate picking. Choose a sturdy tomato cage and install it as soon as the plants are planted so as not to disturb the roots. As your plants grow, guide them to contain them in the tomato cage. It may be necessary to add a bamboo stake during the summer if the plants grow to an unexpected size and need to be kept upright (otherwise they may break under the weight of the fruit!). Use specialised ties and do not overtighten them to allow the stem to grow and to avoid cutting the plant under pressure.
Watering
Watering is the most important element of successful tomato growing. If the plants lack water or, conversely, if they are permanently flooded, the roots will deteriorate and the plant will no longer be able to feed itself properly. The plant will soon develop diseases and deficiencies and will gradually weaken, jeopardising the harvest. Ideally, the soil should be kept moist but not soggy. Before watering, wait until the surface soil is dry for 5 to 10 cm. A hygrometer can be useful to measure the moisture level in your soil. In order to avoid certain deficiencies such as apical necrosis (or black ass of the tomato), it is important to be regular in your watering: the plants must not dry out completely or receive too much water.
If the plants are outside and can be watered by rain, check whether they have received enough water: the surface soil can be deceiving. It is important to plant tomato plants in well-drained soil that does not collect rainwater in a particularly wet summer.
Finally, to avoid thermal shock, do not water with cold water on an afternoon of a 35°C day. It is better to water your plants in the morning: they are then able to assimilate water through photosynthesis. It is also possible to water in the evening, but there is a greater chance that the water will stagnate in the soil and cause root damage.
Fertilisation
As mentioned earlier, tomato plants are very nutrient-intensive plants and draw a lot of energy from the soil. Therefore, they need to be fertilized and fertilizer added regularly.
First, what is the difference between a fertilizer and a fertilizer? Fertiliser is usually sold in liquid or granular form to feed the plant and the soil, and then will gradually disappear. Fertiliser is used on the soil to help improve it; for example, compost helps to aerate the soil and gives it a better texture for the plant to develop. It is therefore necessary to provide the plant with both to meet all its needs.
When planting, it will have been supplied with a granular fertiliser, calcium and a good quantity of compost, so the initial needs are met. Once a month thereafter, add a dose of the fertiliser of your choice (granulated chicken manure works very well). You can supplement with seaweed fertiliser every fortnight.
In midsummer, add a layer of compost around your plants, or on the surface of your pots, and mix it in with the first few inches of soil. This can be combined with a fertiliser application in late July or early August.
The gourmands
Chupons have been the subject of controversy among gardeners since time immemorial: should they be removed or left on the plant? Chupons are secondary branches that form between the branches of the main stem. Although they eventually produce fruit, they also consume the energy of the plant. On the other hand, the leaves of the suckers participate in valuable photosynthesis. A recent scientific study has shown that removing or not removing the chokers does not change the amount of tomatoes the plant will produce. You can therefore remove or not remove the stems according to your preference. Note that it may be a good idea to remove some of the suckers in order to aerate the plant and avoid fungal diseases.
August
In mid-August, cut off the head of your indeterminate tomato plants. This will stop the growth of the plant and allow the plant to concentrate its efforts on ripening fruit.
The main tomato diseasesSeveral diseases and deficiencies can affect tomato plants. Here are the most common ones:
Apical necrosis
Caused by calcium deficiency (due to a lack of calcium in the soil or a lack of regular watering), apical necrosis is the most common blemish on tomatoes. It can be recognised by a brownish spot on the underside of the tomato, which softens and sags. It is not a disease per se, since when calcium is added and watering is monitored, the problem disappears. Fruits with apical necrosis are still edible if the affected part is removed.
Late blight
Downy mildew is a fungal disease that first attacks the foliage and eventually the fruit when the disease is advanced. It is first characterised by yellowish spots that turn brown as they dry on the foliage. Later, the mildew attacks the stems, forming irregular brown spots. At the same time, the fruits will start to show spots similar to apical necrosis . This disease can lead to crop failure. To avoid this disease on your plants, space your plants so that air can circulate between them (fungi love moisture!). Make sure the soil is well drained and never water the foliage. Finally, choose cultivars that are resistant to this disease.
Cat face
It is a physiological disorder that causes malformation of the tomato, particularly at the attachment of the tomato to the stem (the apex). Affected fruits become deformed with brown cracks that extend deep into the flesh. Large-fruited tomato varieties are usually the most susceptible. These deformations often occur when the tomato flowers are exposed to temperatures below 15°C. Excessive nitrogen fertilisation during flowering or the use of herbicides/pesticides can also cause these deformations. However, it is not a disease and other fruits, produced in warmer weather, will not be affected.
In summary, growing tomatoes is not that difficult: give them rich but well-drained soil, add calcium, add fertiliser monthly and water your plants regularly (preferably in the morning). If you follow these tips, you will have a successful harvest this summer.