T H E D I S H O N D I R T | L E S L I E C R AW F O R D
June in the Garden J
une is a great time to plant tomatoes. The days are longer and the weather is warming, so plants can get a good start in preparation for hotter weather. There are thousands of varieties of tomatoes, but it’s important to plant tomatoes suited to our climate on the coast. Plant tags yield a lot of information including days until harvest. Local nurseries can help and typically only stock what grows well in our area. The coast has fewer hot days than inland areas, so choosing a plant with less days until harvest will be a key to success. Determinate tomato varieties have a limited growth pattern, typically staying bushier, which is good for container gardening. They usually produce all their fruit at one time. Indeterminate tomatoes will continue growing and producing fruit until killed by frost. They can grow to be huge plants. I’ve had a few take over my yard in the past. (Cherry tomatoes are a good example of an indeterminate tomato variety.) Tomatoes need full sun and love being next to a south-facing wall for heat reflection. Stake them for support when you plant. People who have a south-facing stucco wall have great success with year-round producing plants. Tomatoes don’t need as much water as you think, but they do need to be watered deeply and consistently. The droopiness of the plant is a good indicator whether it’s time to water. If your plant is wilting in the morning or late afternoon, it needs water. Don’t
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CROWN CITY MAGAZINE
judge it by midday droop. I typically water once a week after the plant is established, deep-watering in the morning so it can dry off the rest of the day. Watering consistently is even more important as the fruit matures. Overwatering leads to the fruit splitting, so your tomatoes will be tastier if they aren’t overwatered. |
JUNE 2019
Tomatoes are easy to grow, but there can be problems. One giant horn worm, which is the caterpillar of a sphinx moth, can eat an entire tomato plant in one day! These guys are hard to spot, blending in with the plant until they are monsters, getting as round and long as your index finger. To get and keep the upper hand use Bacillus
