Growing Fall Tomatoes
By Dianne Norman for Wabash Antiques & Feed
Presentation Outline
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Materials
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Location
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Raised Beds
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Containers
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Soil & Compost
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Water
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Varieties of Tomatoes
Initial Materials Needed
Amendments
Tools & Materials
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Humic Acid (granular)
Flower & garden Bed soil
Leaf Mold Compost
Composted manure
MicroLife 6-2-4
Dry Molasses
Super Seaweed
Minerals Plus (once every
3 years)
Shovel
Garden rake
Stirrup hoe for weeds
Wheelbarrow
Hose and or drip line
Gloves
Cinder blocks or other.
Location
• Close to house if possible.
• Availability of water.
• At least 5-6 hours of sunshine.
• Good drainage.
• Check pH of soil.
• Soil test if needed
Benefits of a Raised Bed
• Easier to weed
• No tilling required (no soil compaction from
stepping on the soil
• Easier to work (no bending over)
• Build your own soil
• Warms earlier in the spring and stays
warmer in the fall
Raised Beds
1. Get a soil test
2. Clear area for measuring.
3. Place newspapers.
4. Or remove any grass
5. Apply Humate & Dry Molasses to soil.
Bed Measurements
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Must be a comfortable size
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Easy access from both sides of the bed
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Raised bed 8’’ to 12’’
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Constructed with durable products
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Location with available sunshine
Construction Material
Brick
Wood
Plastic
Hay Bales
Cinder Blocks
Benefits of Cinder Block Bed
• They provide a nice, wide platform that you
can sit on to plant, weed and water.
• No drilling or screwing required, just drop
into place.
• Easily adaptable to form hoop houses,
screen plants,
• Blocks are surprisingly easy to salvage
from random places: vacant lots, behind barns,
and wherever else.
Containers
Earth Box
Modular, self-watering planters, such as The Terrazzo line
of Planters, & earthbox.com have special reservoirs that
help reduce watering chores. Plants can draw moisture
from the reservoir whenever they need it.
Stock Tanks
Galvanized Stock Tanks
Poly Stock Tanks
Stock Tanks
Not just tomatoes,
but also squash, cucumbers, peppers, etc... recommend
container size as big as 15 gal., especially for tomatoes.
Soil & Amendments
COMPOST
Selecting Compost
Thoroughly Composted Material Only
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Kitchen scrapes
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Leaf Mold Compost
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Composted cow manure
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Composted horse manure
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Composted cotton bur
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Composted chicken manure
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Rabbit manure (does not need to be
composted)
Selecting Soil
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Native soil can be amended with
Humic Acid, Dry Molasses and Compost.
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Select soil from reputable companies.
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Do not purchase soils containing raw
Pieces of wood (un-composted material.)
Using this would result in roots
dying from tannic acid as the raw wood
breaks down.
Soil & Compost
“How much soil or amendments you need.
Multiply the length of the area in feet times the width of the
area in feet times the depth (height) of the area in inches,
then divide the total by 324 to find how many cubic yards
of material.
Formula
• # of cubic yards = length x width x depth (height) “ / 324.
• Average soil depth measurements if beds will be higher
in the middle with sloping sides.
Soil Preparation
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Add 1/3 compost to the volume of soil
adds live microbes.
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Add dry molasses to multiply beneficials
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Humic Acid (granular) to break up clay.
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Add Minerals Plus (micro nutrients)
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Organic fertilizers (to feed microbes).
Water
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Well water (can be tested for salinity)
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Chloramines are now added to city water.
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For watering plants, to counter act chloramines.
add Humic Acid to water just
enough to tint the water.
Humic Acid
What does Humic Acid do?
Plant bio-stimulants are materials that promote plant
growth. The importance of bio-stimulants lies in their
ability to promote hormonal activity in plants. Plant
hormones are chemical communicators, or agents, which
help regulate a plants development and its response to its
surrounding environment.
Tomato Varieties
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Indeterminate or Determinate
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For Containers
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Heirlooms
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Heat Resistant
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NEW - Grafted Tomatoes
Determinate Tomatoes
Tomato plants generally fall into two categories:
determinate and indeterminate. Determinate
(bush) tomato plants are bred to stop growing
usually somewhere around 3'-4' feet tall. When
flower blossoms at the tips of the branches, the
plant has reached its full height. The fruit of a
determinate tomato plant ripens all at once. Since
many determinate plants stay on the short side,
they can also be ideal for the small-space
gardener.
Indeterminate Tomatoes
Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow
for what seems like indefinitely.
Depending on the variety, they can grow
from 6'-20' tall. This type continues to
produce tomatoes all growing season
until a hard frost hits and stops them in
their tracks.
Fall Tomatoes For Containers
Bush Beefsteak
A wonderful, compact and prolific,
short bushy plant that grows to 3
feet, yields huge amounts of very
early producing 8 oz. beefsteak
* 62 days
* Determinate
tomatoes in clusters. A very
popular variety for shorter growing
* Early Season
regions.
Fall Tomatoes For Containers
Principe Borghese Heirloom
Italian heirloom. Short determinate plants
that prolifically yield big clusters of 1-2 oz.
red, plum shaped, crack-resistant paste
tomatoes that are a great substitute for
Roma tomatoes. Tomatoes are prized for
Days: 78
Size: Determinate
Color: Red
Season: Mid-Season
Type: Heirloom
drying because they retain more flavor than
most other drying varieties. A great sauce
tomato or eating fresh in salads or canning.
Fall Tomatoes For Containers
Black Sea Man (Heirloom)
Potato-leaf plants that yields 12-16 ounce
tomatoes that are rich mahogany colored
with olive green shoulders when mature.
Inside of tomato is deep, reddish green and
loaded with excellent, full-bodied, complex,
Days: 75
tomato flavors. Outstanding tomato for
Size: Determinate
sandwiches and salads. This heirloom
Color: Purple-Black
tomato does well growing in mid-sized
Season: Mid-Season
Type: Heirloom
containers. A great early black tomato.
Fall Tomatoes For Containers
Better Bush (Hybrid)
These big, luscious, 4-inch fruits
grow very densely on indeterminate
4-foot plants, thanks to shorter
internodes. The central stem rarely
needs staking (except during those
"bumper crop" times!),
Days To Maturity 68
Resistance Fusarium Wilt
Race 1, Verticillium Wilt
Uses Beds, Cuisine, Outdoor, Containers
Fall Tomatoes For Containers
Dwarf Champion (Indeterminate Type)
Absolute perfect balance in the
taste. Rugose leafed, tree-like,
and about 4 feet tall. Slightly
oblate fruits are pink and
averaged about
3 1/2 ozs. 69 days
Fall Tomatoes
HEIRLOOM
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Anna Russian
Black Cherry
Black Krim (black)
Carbon
Oaxacan Jewel
Paul Robeson
Pantano Romanesco
Lollypop (cherry)
Yellow Pear (cherry)
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Hybrid
Celebrity
Early Girl
Homestead 24
Roma (paste)
Sungold (cherry)
NEW – Grafted Tomatoes
MIGHTY MATO’S
Why Grafted Tomatoes ?
These tomatoes are grafted to hardy, disease resistant
rootstock that affords vim and vigor to these tasty fruits.
Stronger, faster and more resiliant, these grafted
tomatoes use food and water more efficiently making for
healthier, tastier, more productive plants!
Grafted Tomatoes
IMPORTANT:
When planting to the garden
DO NOT PLANT GRAFT BELOW THE GROUND.
Otherwise you may lose the rootstock and the
disease resistant qualities.
List of Grafted Tomatoes
1. Big Beef: Red globed-shaped 1 lb. fruits have the perfect balance of
sweetness and acidity DAYS: 70-75
2. Carmello: Red crack-resistance variety with delicious balance of sugar
and acid. Productive even in cooler temps. DAYS: 75
3. Heatwave ll: Round red 7 oz. fruits on disease-resistant, heat tolerant
abundant-yield plant. DAYS: 68
4. Early Girl: Bright red 4 to 6 oz. fruits. Early, dependable and flavorful
fruit. DAYS: 50-60
List of Grafted Tomatoes
5. Homestead: 8 oz. red fruit are very smooth and uniform with good
flavor. Compact and heat tolerant DAYS: 80
6. Ledgend: Round 3” to 4” fruits with good balance of sweet and acid
flavor ripen early on cold tolerant plants. DAYS: 80
7. Black Krim: Violet-red 4” to 5” inch fruit withnear black
shoulders have intense, smoky flavor. DAYS: 70- 80
8. Mortgage Lifter: Violet-red 4” to 5” inch fruit withnear black
shoulders have intense, smoky flavor. DAYS: 85- 95
Shade Cloth Protection
To protect tender seedlings
From bright sun.
Keeps area cooler under
shade cloth.
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
www.cloudtops.com
80%
90%
Choosing Adequate Shade Cloth
30% shade cloth can help the tomatoes produce
longer into the summer and come into the fall production
time much healthier.
INFORMATION
Websites
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www.wabashfeed.com
www.urbanharvest.org
www.texasplantandsoillab.com
www.sanjacorganic.com
www.natureswayresources.com
www.greenmamma.org
www.gardeningknowhow.com
http://www.suite101.com/content/organic-straw-balegardening-a85982
Any Questions?
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