Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

Height: 2 4–6 0 "

Width: 18– 2 4"

Depth: 18"

Tomato

Perennial/Annual
Wat e r : 1–2 inches per week (light to moderate
consistent drip irrigation)
Sun : Full (6 hours minimum)
Companion Planting :
pro: Basil, cabbage family, garlic, onions
con: Corn, dill, potatoes
Pests : Aphids, whiteflies, slugs, snails
Diseases : Alternaria, early blight; look out for resis­
tance codes on seed packages or starts: V, Verticillium
wilt; F, Fusarium wilt; N, nematodes; and/or T, tobacco
virus
Soil: Light, loose, and with good drainage; add bone­
meal to each planting hole
Fertilizer: High phosphorus, potassium; moderate
nitrogen; fish emulsion every 3–4 weeks

pH: 5.5–6.8

Varieties : My picks for the home garden include Sun

Gold (cherry tomato), Early Girl (for early harvest), Rus­

sian Paste (very dense flesh, few seeds good to make a

paste), Viva Italia (blight-resistant hybrid, great for bot­

tling and sauce making ), and Brandywine (heirloom)

Zone: 3 and warmer

Planting : Seed ½ inch deep, indoors, allowing at least

12 inches for roots and around stem, 6–7 weeks before

last frost, 18 inches apart; thin to 36 inches

Germinates : 5–7 days (best at 85ºF)

Harvest: From seed, 50–90 days

Rotation: Don’t follow potato, eggplant, pepper

Edible: Fruit

TOMATO • 253