{"id":12999,"date":"2024-03-28T12:00:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T19:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/?p=12999"},"modified":"2024-03-29T12:42:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-29T19:42:06","slug":"home-garden-lets-talk-tomatoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2024\/03\/28\/home-garden-lets-talk-tomatoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Home &#038; Garden: Let\u2019s Talk Tomatoes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #999999;\"><strong>Anyone who knows me knows I won\u2019t shut up about my tomato plants.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In my defense, can you imagine a world without marinara, salsa, and so much more? Tomatoes aren\u2019t just easy on the plate, either \u2014 they\u2019re fairly straightforward to grow, thriving in pots or in the ground. So, if you\u2019re ready to try your hand at gardening but aren\u2019t sure where to start, let\u2019s talk tomato to get a handle on the basics.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Know Before You Grow<br \/>\n<\/strong>Though there are over 10,000 tomato varieties, there are two main types of tomato plant: determinate and indeterminate. They don\u2019t refer to the kind of fruit the plants produce (that\u2019s what \u201cvariety\u201d means) but instead indicate how the plant grows. Determinate plants are bush-like and produce all their fruit in one big crop before dying. On the other hand, indeterminates grow like vines and can reach up to eight feet tall, producing their fruit all summer long.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re gardening in pots, I recommend planting a determinate variety due to their smaller size. For in-ground beds, you have your pick of the litter. Whatever type you choose, be sure to grow a variety suited for Southern California (zone 9A), which usually means one that tolerates dry heat. My favorites include San Diego for a standard tomato and Super Sweet 100 for a cherry. However, if you\u2019d like a few more options, check out the selection at Sunset Boulevard Nursery or Orange County Farm Supply.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>To Seed or Not to Seed?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong>Since we\u2019re already in April, it\u2019s a little too late to start tomatoes from seed. I recommend purchasing seedlings from one of the nurseries above \u2014 not a big box store \u2014 since they\u2019re more likely to have varieties suited for our area.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re at the nursery ready to pick a seedling, bigger is not better. Bigger plants will have been in their pots for longer, meaning they\u2019re more likely to be stressed. If you see roots coming out of the bottom of the pot, that\u2019s a sign it should have been planted already. Choose small, stocky plants that are a deep green with little to no roots poking through.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pick a Spot, Like a Pot<br \/>\n<\/strong>It\u2019s critical that tomatoes get eight hours of sunlight per day, but otherwise, they\u2019re not picky about whether they\u2019re grown in-ground or in pots. An indeterminate tomato will need a pot at least two feet deep and two feet wide (about 35 gallons). A determinate variety can tolerate a smaller pot but no smaller than 18 inches in diameter. Make sure the pot has holes in the bottom for drainage, and use a large tomato cage to support your plants as they grow. For tomatoes grown in-ground, a supported plant needs 15 inches of space from its nearest neighbor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bedtime for Young Plants<br \/>\n<\/strong>If you\u2019re growing your plants in-ground, see last month\u2019s article on soil to learn how to prepare your bed for planting. If you\u2019re gardening in pots, try the lasagna method. Fill the first six inches of your pot with compost, then add three to four handfuls of dry fertilizer, and finally, add a six-inch layer of potting soil. Repeat until you hit the top of the pot. Then, dig a hole and bury your seedling (leaves included) until only the top three inches of the plant remain above the soil. Apply a two- to three-inch layer of mulch, and water it well afterward. For the next three weeks, water the plant only when the first inch of soil becomes dry.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, be patient \u2014 and happy gardening!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #999999;\">spt<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anyone who knows me knows I won\u2019t shut up about my tomato plants.\u00a0 In my defense, can you imagine a world without marinara, salsa, and so much more? Tomatoes aren\u2019t just easy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":13035,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Home &amp; Garden: Let\u2019s Talk Tomatoes - San Pedro Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2024\/03\/28\/home-garden-lets-talk-tomatoes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Home &amp; Garden: Let\u2019s Talk Tomatoes - San Pedro Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Anyone who knows me knows I won\u2019t shut up about my tomato plants.\u00a0 In my defense, can you imagine a world without marinara, salsa, and so much more? 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