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Tomato Time
Red ripe and juicy tomatoes are only 90 days away if you start the plantings during early September.  Don’t delay your fall crop any longer due to cooler and shorter days ahead that delay production.  At this time of the year tomatoes need a little extra time.

Get tomatoes off to a quick start with transplants available at garden centers.   By selecting the bigger plants you can reduce the time needed to ripen the first fruits by several weeks.   Give the tomato plants room to grow in an area where they receive 6 to 8 hours of full sun.		 tomatoes.jpg (26187 bytes)

Gardeners can pick from two major types of tomatoes.  The determinate varieties including Celebrity, Floramerica and Sun Coast   are often the quicker producers growing small plants that ripen their fruits all about the same time.  The indeterminate varieties including Better Boy, Champion and Whopper   grow over a longer period of time and give months of continuous production.  These varieties grow tall and usually need some support.

Here are a few more tips to help with the fall crop.
Keep the soil moist by watering when the surface dries to the touch.
Feed monthly with a granular or liquid garden fertilizer
Maintain a 3 to 4 inch mulch of old hay, compost or similar material.
Tie taller growing varieties to stakes or grow in wire cages.
Check for caterpillars and mites; hand pick or control with natural sprays if needed.