By Michelle Fabio

If your tomato plants aren’t forming fruit, you may be inclined to think it’s because you haven’t seen bees or butterflies around to pollinate them.

But don’t blame the bees, according to David Goforth, horticulture and forestry agent with the Cabarrus Center of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.

“Tomatoes are wind pollinated and outdoor tomatoes don’t need pollinators,” he wrote in a recent Master Gardeners Q & A column in the Charlotte Observer.

Instead, advised Goforth, factors that can affect the setting of tomato fruit include Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

A world free of tomato-growing problems would be perfect indeed, but Tomato Casual has found a fabulous online tool for when your leaves show brown spots with yellow halos or the blossom ends of your tomatoes turn black.

The Tomato Problem Solver from the Aggie Horticulture team at Texas A & M can help you diagnose and treat your tomato growing difficulties.

From the home page of the user-friendly Tomato Problem Solver, you can choose a general tomato Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

I know what you’re thinking: I don’t need chickens.

I can’t keep chickens where I live. My spouse would not be pleased. My neighbors would not be pleased. I have enough to take care of.

Well, you’re going to have to do better than that.

Tomatoes may love carrots, or basil, or garlic, or whatever, but tomato gardeners love chickens. If you have tomatoes, then you have tomato pests, and chickens are just the ticket to organic pest removal.

Furthermore, chickens love to eat tomatoes. Although this means that you’ll have to keep yours staked off the ground if you get chickens, it also means that they’ll turn overripe or fallen fruits into fabulous organic fertilizer for you.

So let’s deal with these objections in order:

I don’t need chickens. Oh, but of course you do! Chickens provide Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

A chat with my father the other day reminded me that I am almost 36 (August 22nd, if you are curious).

That means that I’ve been growing tomatoes for over 25 years!

Okay, so in the grand scheme of things that isn’t all that long – especially if you consider the case of Tomato Casual’s favorite Dad – but still, I’ve been doing this for well over half of my life. For the record, I am well aware that some of you probably have underwear that is older than I am, but to me that’s a big deal.

Over the years people have asked me why Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

Growing tomato plants need about 2 inches of water each week to thrive.

In an ideal world, this would be provided by Mother Nature in the form of rainfall, and indeed it sometimes is.

But what happens when it’s not?

When your tomatoes are thirsty and Mama doesn’t deliver, you’ll probably need to provide each plant with several gallons of water every few days. The simplest way to do this is with a good, Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

Early Blight
Looks like: Darkened spots on the older leaves, with rings. The area around the spot will often turn yellow.

Treatment: The fungus that causes Early Blight can survive through the coldest of winter months in the soil. The only way to avoid Early Blight is to completely remove any affected plants and clean all of the garden debris in the area. Some experts say that copper or sulfur spray will stop the fungus from spreading.

Late Blight
Looks like: Late Blight is what caused the infamous Irish Potato famine. It presents as a gray spot on the leaves that looks almost like a grease spatter, and will often be surrounded by white mold - especially in wet weather.

Treatment: This fungus is Read the rest of this entry »