Homegrown Tomatoes & Peppers: Grow Your Best Crop Yet
Hello, again!
During our long Saturday morning radio careers, Jeremy and I made a habit of having our studio engineer play a song that would go along with a caller's question. We’d play Jerry Hahn’s ‘Captain Bobby Stout', when the retired Sedgwick County Sheriff frequently called in with a gardening question. Tomato questions were common in the spring, and Guy Clark's ‘Homegrown Tomatoes' was always cued up and ready to play.
As we were transplanting the tomato seedlings, the aroma of the tomato plants took me back to my teenage years working at the garden center. We sold maybe 30 varieties then. We kept the hybrid varieties on the east side of the greenhouse and the non-hybrids on the west — I’m still not sure why. Glamour, Sioux, beefsteak, and Large Red Cherry were a few of the varieties. There was something about that aroma that was indescribable. It’s something all gardeners have experienced. I googled it in an attempt to find a description, but found out something interesting instead:
"Tomato plants emit an aroma to ward off bacterial attacks. This volatile compound is hexenyl butyrate (HB), and according to testing by researchers at the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, it has great potential for protecting crops from infections, drought, etc."
That explains everything now!!
There are a couple of questions I am frequently asked about growing tomatoes: "What variety do I recommend?" and "What fertilizer do I use?"
First off, I ALWAYS plant the variety Jet Star. It outproduces anything else I’ve ever grown. With an indeterminate growth habit, it grows best in a tall cage and produces 4-5” fruit that is perfect for slicing. I always plant several varieties, though. The heirloom variety, Cherokee Purple, has flavor like no other. Italian varieties such as Roma are great for cooking. And cherries are great in salads. You can’t go wrong with planting several options. We've put together a Tomato Variety List to help with your selection. If you are interested in growing tomatoes in containers, select a determinate type. They will grow up to 3’ with no caging needed.
I always fertilize with a starter plant food such as ferti·lome Blooming and Rooting Plant Food. I also use FoxFarm Tiger Bloom, which is formulated to build buds and blooms. Decades ago, my dad always had us water the plants with a liquid starter fertilizer to get them off to a fast start. For that, I'll use ferti·lome Gardener’s Special Plant Food monthly during the growing season.
For more tips, here is a link to our handout on growing great tomatoes:
Now is a great time to plant all of the summer vegetables outside, whether it's in containers or in the ground. Peppers, from mild to extreme heat, are ready to go. I’ll always plant a Jalapeno-type pepper. I like Mucho Nacho or Jalapeno Gigantum because of their larger size, which makes them perfect for stuffing. Shishito is a variety I refer to as "pepper roulette". About 1-10 have some heat, and they are delicious grilled in EVOO with a dash of salt. Everyone loves sweet bell peppers. I suggest planting several varieties for a colorful salad.
"Ain't nothin' in the world that I like better than bacon & lettuce & homegrown tomatoes" — Guy Clark
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
