Tomatoes in Desert Gardens Part II
Desert Tomatoes Plants Need Physical Support and TLC
As tomato plants grow, they will need something to support the stems. Though reasonable strong and fibrous, the stems cannot support heavy tomatoes and foliage. Some gardeners use stakes, others use cages, or other types of support.
Stakes
Stakes could be 1 X 1 inch pieces of wood about eight feet long and pointed at one end (a hatchet does a great job of pointing them). Or they could be stout bamboo or other stiff material or even 1 X 2 surveyor stakes. Metal or plastic rods also make good stakes, as do rebar. Do not use treated wood, as the chemicals can leach into the plant’s roots. You can make your own, or you can buy stakes from nurseries, gardening supplies, mail order catalogues
Drive the stake in about four inches from the base of the plant. Make sure the stake is in deep enough to support the plant as it matures and puts on fruit. A stake driven about a foot into the ground should suffice, but you can go deeper if you would like.
Tie the plant to the stake using cloth strips, string, baling string, plastic tape or plastic-coated wire. Make sure they are tied loosely, because as the plant grows and the stem gets bigger, the tie can cut into the plant and girdle it.
Wire cages
Wire cages have one major advantage over stakes. As the tomato vine grows over the cage, the fruit hangs down below the foliage. The foliage shades the fruit and protects it from sun scald or sun burn.
Cages free the gardener from tying and pruning chores. You can either buy ready-made cages or build your own from concrete reinforcing wire or hog wire.
Watering Tomatoes
Not watered enough, or if watered unevenly, tomatoes will contract a lot of diseases.
Blossom-end rot is a physiological disorder caused by lack of calcium, and may be brought on by not enough or too much water. Look for leathery scars on the blossom end of the tomato fruit itself. The scar will be slightly sunken.
Solve this problem by mulching your plants with good organic mulch. This will help keep a more even distribution of water to the roots.
Best Temperatures for Tomatoes
Tomato plants will not set fruit well if night temperatures drop below 55 degrees F or if day temperatures rise above 95 degrees.
Cool nights inhibit pollen germination. There are early maturing varieties that will set fruit at cooler temperatures, as well as heat-tolerant varieties that will withstand very hot weather.
Shake ‘Em
As your tomato plants are flowering, wait until midday, when things have warmed up, and shake the plants. This will help scatter pollen and help to provide a good fruit set. Simply hit the stake or cage several times gently with a stick.
Pick ‘Em
When temperatures reach 85 degrees, and the tomatoes begin to ripen, pick them. Don’t wait until they are completely red. When they start turning from pink to red on the outside, cut or break them from the vine and bring them indoors.
In the fall, before first frost, pick all green tomatoes left on the vine. You can use the smaller ones to pickle. The larger ones, placed on a countertop in the kitchen will ripen. Or, you can slice and batter them and have fried green tomatoes.
Finally, pull out all tomato plants. Plants that are diseased, discard in the trash. Healthy but spent plants can go in the compost.
Remove the stakes and cages too, and clean up any debris in the bed.
Related articles:
- Care of Tomatoes in Desert Gardens Part I
- When to Pick Desert Garden Vegetables Part I
- When to Pick Desert Garden Vegetables Part II
