Tag: Tomatoes

Spider Mites on Tomatoes

Severe infestation of spider mites will eventually kill the leaves on tomato plants, reducing the vigor of the plant and the number and quality of fruit produced. Can you identify a spider mite on your tomato plant?

For more information watch this Kansas Healthy Yards Video – https://kansashealthyyards.org/all-videos/video/spider-mites-on-tomatoes

By: Cassie Thiessen

Harvesting and Ripening Tomatoes

Everyone looks forward to that first juicy tomato harvested from the garden. Many gardeners wonder if a tomato has to remain on the vine until it is completely ripe to develop that perfect flavor.  It often is surprising to find out that the answer is no.

Learn more about harvesting tomatoes here: https://ckdgardens.com/2023/06/27/harvesting-and-ripening-tomatoes/

By: Cassie Thiessen

Spice Up Snacks and Meals with Salsa

Add taste without adding a lot of calories. A combination of tomatoes, onions, and peppers can add zest to chips. A mixture of fruit, herbs, onions and pepper added to meat or fish can add unique flavors to dishes. There are a variety of salsa options for different preferences and dishes such as spicy, hot, sweet, herbal, and aromatic.

Salsa ingredients and preparation tips:

  • Keep cut fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, and peaches from turning brown by coating them with an acidic juice such as lemon, orange, or pineapple juice. Or use a commercial produce protector and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
  • Cover and refrigerate cut fruit and veggies until ready to serve.
  • Most salsas taste best if refrigerated for about an hour before serving to let the flavors blend.

Serve salsa safely.

  • Perishable foods like dips, salsas, and cut fruit and vegetables should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
  • If you will be serving items such as these for a longer period than this, set out a smaller bowl and then replace it with another one when it is empty.
  • Do not add fresh dip or salsa to dip or salsa that has been sitting out.
  • Refrigerate and use up any dip or salsa that has not been served within three to four days of preparation.

Source: University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension

By: Jamie Rathbun

Tomato Leaf-Spot Diseases

Two common leaf-spot diseases will likely appear on tomatoes once the weather starts to heat up. Septoria leaf spot and early blight are both characterized by brown spots on the leaves.

Septoria leaf spot usually appears earlier in the season than early blight and produces small dark spots. Spots made by early blight are much larger and often have a distorted “target” pattern of concentric circles. Heavily infected leaves eventually turn yellow and drop. Older leaves are more susceptible than younger ones, so these diseases often start at the bottom of the plant and work up. Mulching, caging, or staking keeps plants off the ground, making them less vulnerable. Better air circulation allows foliage to dry quicker than in plants allowed to sprawl.

Mulching also helps prevent water from splashing and carrying disease spores to the plant. In situations where these diseases have been a problem in the past, rotation is a good strategy. Actually, rotation is a good idea even if you have not had problems in the past. But many gardens are too small to make it practical. If you have room, rotate the location of the tomatoes each year to an area that has not had tomatoes or related crops (peppers, potatoes, eggplant) for several years.

If rotation is not feasible, fungicides are often helpful. Be sure to cover both upper and lower leaf surfaces, and reapply fungicide if rainfall removes it. Plants usually become susceptible when the tomato fruit is about the size of a walnut. Chlorothalonil is a good choice for fruiting plants because it has a 0-day waiting period, meaning that fruit can be harvested once the spray is dry.

Chlorothalonil can be found in numerous products including Fertilome Broad-Spectrum Landscape and Garden Fungicide, Ortho Garden Disease Control, GardenTech Daconil, Bonide Fungonil and others. Be sure to start protecting plants before these diseases are first seen if they have been a problem in the past. It is virtually impossible to control these diseases on heavily infected plants.

If chlorothalonil doesn’t seem to be effective, try mancozeb (Bonide Mancozeb Flowable). Note that there is a five-day waiting period between application and when the fruit can be harvested.

By: Cassie Thiessen

Tomatoes Slow to Ripen?

The hot weather we have had recently not only interferes with flower pollination but also can affect how quickly fruit matures. The best temperature for tomato growth and fruit development is 85 to 90F. When temperatures exceed 100 degrees, the plant goes into survival mode and concentrates on moving water. Fruit development slows to a crawl. When temperatures moderate, even to the low to mid 90s, the fruit will ripen more quickly.

Tomato color can also be affected by heat. When temperatures rise above 95 degrees F, red pigments don’t form properly, though the orange and yellow pigments do. This results in orange fruit. This doesn’t affect the edibility of the tomato, but often gardeners want that deep red color back.

Pick tomatoes in the “breaker” stage. Breaker stage tomatoes are those that have started to turn color. At this point, the tomato has cut itself off from the vine and nothing will be gained by keeping it on the plant. If tomatoes are picked at this stage and brought into an air-conditioned house, they will ripen more quickly and develop a good, red color. A temperature of 75 to 85 degrees F will work well.

By: Cassie Homan