Tomatoes Like it Hot!


Are you looking for tomatoes?  You've come to the right place.  We have some tips and tricks to help you grow a bountiful harvest this year!

Brandywine Tomato

The difference comes into question when talking to scientists and cooks.  Tomatoes, botanically is a fruit since tomatoes are the result of the pollination of a tomato flower.  Tomatoes also hold the seeds which can be used to grow more tomatoes.

However, culinary uses of tomatoes are found in savoury (not sweet) cooking.  Many of us are guilty in thinking it's a vegetable as most grocery stores sell the tomatoes with other vegetables that we associate with them.

- Start with short stocky seedlings with dark green leaves 
- prepare the garden with lots of compost as tomatoes are heavy feeders
- choose a sunny spot to grow your tomatoes, they need lots of warm sunshine (7 hours or more)
- plant the tomato seedling up the second set of leaves, firmly pat the soil around the plant...it's okay to bury these leaves, new roots will emerge along the buried stem
- add mulch under the plants to keep the soil moist during hot weather and prevents the soil splashing up on the plants
- water deeply 2-3 times a week and feed your tomatoes with a vegetable fertilizer for stimulating fruit (Off the Vine Fertilizer by Turf Revolution, see coupon below, available at Dufferin Garden Centre), high calcium levels will help to combat blossom-end rot
- use a cage or stake for support and to make harvest easier, this also reduces the risk of diseases and insects by getting them off the ground
- once tomato is 3' tall, remove the leaves within the bottom 2" of stem as they are usually the first leaves to develop fungus problems
- pinch and remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches (they won't bear fruit and will take energy away from the plant).  Prune some of the leaves to allow sunlight to reach the fruit but not too much as it's these leaves that are processing the food and energy for the rest of the plant
- in order to improve flavour, promote growth, increase harvest and protect from insects, consider using companion plants such as chives, onions, garlic, basil or marigolds


- bush tomatoes fall into this category as they grow to a compact height
- they stop growing when fruit sets and ripen at the same time (usually within 2 weeks!)
- perfect for container gardening as there is limited amount of caging or staking needed
- Look for:  Better Bush, Caribe, Empire, Green Zebra, Patio, Roma, Tiny Tim

- vining tomatoes include heirlooms and can grow up to a large (6') heavy plant
- these tomatoes will continue to grow, set fruit and ripen throughout the growing season until frost
- some pruning will be required (removing the suckers) as well as caging or staking to keep your tomatoes in check
- Look for:  Beefsteak, Brandywine, Celebrity, Early Girl

- comes from a cross breeding two or more different varieties in order to obtain a specific set of characteristics
- if the seeds were saved, they would not have the same traits as your original plants
- the seeds cannot be saved and planted next year
- Varieties include: Early Girl, Sweet 100

- these varieties hold onto the parents' characteristics generation after generation
- important if you want to save the seeds from  year to year

- an open-pollinated variety that is capable of breeding true from seed
- save the seeds and next year, when planted, the same tomato will grow (just as generations before us)
- usually a variety that has been passed down through several generations and valued for specific characteristics


- the plant can't get enough nutrients to the end of the fruit
- the soil is on the acidic side and prevents the plant from absorbing the necessary nutrients therefore turning the end of the tomato black
- solution :  add dolomite lime or chicken manure to the soil before and when planting to neutralize the acidicity

- fungi causing leaf spots to form on the tomato leaves
- avoid watering the leaves
- mulch after planting to retain soil moisture
- prune off the lower leaves to increase air flow

- these pesky worms are green with a white v-shaped marks along it's side...and a black 'horn' projecting from it's last abdominal section
- they are 3.5" - 4" long when mature and become the hummingbird moth when adult
- Hornworm Tomato Caterpillars look fierce but can be easily caught in the still of the night
- try going out with a flashlight at night and they will be out in the open ready to plucking into a bucket with soapy water


Companion Gardening is all about plants helping plants.  By planting certain plants in proximity to each other, it is believed that they will benefit in increasing taste, and deterring many insects and pests.  The following list are plants that are suggested companions to tomatoes.

Chives, onions and garlic - odour helps to deter many insects and pests
Borage - help to deter Tomato Hornworm Caterpillar
Marigolds - help deter harmful nematodes from attacking tomatoes
Basil - increases vigor and flavour of both crops
Spinach, lettuce, arugula - stays small and grows better during the heat of the summer when shaded by growing tomatoes
Carrots, Lemon Balm, Mint, Parsley

Corn, Fennel, Kohlrabi, Potatoes, Cabbage, Eggplant and Peppers


All products mentioned are available at Dufferin Garden Centre

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