CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 06/09/21

Too much love can ruin the chances of growing perfect summer tomatoes

By Mary Carol Sheffield

During the summer growing season, the love many have for a homegrown tomato approaches obsession. In fact, some people love tomatoes so much that they struggle to grow them — because they give their plants too much care.

The calls have started to come in to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices: “My tomato plant leaves are yellowing or browning, curling, spotting or wilting.” I hear it every year, beginning right about now. 

As I talk to gardeners, I learn that they water the plants every day, fertilize them dutifully and plant them in the same spot year after year. This well-intentioned care has resulted in the problems they are desperately trying to solve. 

Follow these basic rules and you will produce a great crop of tomatoes this summer:

  • Water correctly. Do not overwater. The first week tomato plants are in the ground, they need water every day, but back off watering after the first week, slowly weaning the plants down to 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. Watering tomato plants every day will prevent them from developing a strong root system and sitting in wet soil is an invitation to root rot and other soilborne diseases.
  • When you water, do not wet the plant leaves. Wet leaves invite infections that can cause your plant leaves to spot, yellow and wilt before the plant has a chance to produce any of the tasty tomatoes that you are so anxiously anticipating.
  • Water early in the day. Early watering gives the plant time to take up the water before the heat of the sun increases evaporation, making your water application more effective. 
  • Mulch around your tomato plants. To help conserve soil moisture, keep the root system cool. Mulching also helps reduce the chance of diseases infecting your tomato plants. A 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch will suffice and can help protect your plants from weed competition. It can also reduce the splashing of water that can transfer soilborne diseases to the leaves and stems of the plants. 
  • Rotate your crop each year. Try to plant tomatoes in a different spot every year, rotating through your garden space every three to four years. Planting them in the same place allows disease pathogens that are specific to tomatoes to build up in the soil. By moving them around in the garden each year, you can break up the disease cycle.
  • Be careful with fertilizer. Young tomato plants are sensitive to nitrogen and can be easily burned if overfertilized. Also, have your soil tested and follow recommendations based on test results carefully. Don't apply all of the recommended fertilizer at the time you plant tomatoes. Wait until they have established a good root system and started to grow before you fertilize. Overfertilization of mature plants can result in lush green plants that never flower and therefore will not produce tomatoes.

More information is available in UGA Extension Bulletin 1271, "Georgia Homegrown Tomatoes."

UGA Extension can help answer questions about home horticulture, sustainable landscaping and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information. For more information contact your local UGA Extension office.

Mary Carol Sheffield is the UGA Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in Paulding County.

Authors:
Mary Carol Sheffield
Experts/Sources:
Mary Carol Sheffield
Tomato lovers will attest that homegrown always tastes best, even if they don't always win beauty contests.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
4-H'ers listen to planting instructions from a Master Gardener at the new GROWL Fulton County Demonstration and Teaching Garden located at the Camp Fulton-Truitt office in College Park, Georgia. CAES News
Prepare for your spring vegetable garden now 02/22/22 Bob Westerfield
You may still be scraping frost off your windshield in the early morning this time of the year, but it is not too early to begin planning your spring vegetable garden. Completing a few essential steps will ensure that you will have success in your garden when warmer spring temperatures arrive.
In the spring, crape myrtles add color with flowers. In the fall, they add color with brightly colored leaves. CAES News
Avoid 'crape murder,' prep your crape myrtles for success 11/02/21 William G. Tyson
Southern gardeners love crape myrtles, but many don’t know how to care for them to realize the full, gorgeous blooms they expect in the summer.
By focusing on one fruit or vegetable per year, UGA Extension agents and teachers can make sure students absorb how to successfully grow that crop. Sign up to participate at bit.ly/livinlavidaokra. CAES News
Get ready to start Livin’ La Vida Okra for Farm to School Month 10/01/21 Leslie Matos
October is Farm to School Month and this year’s theme is Livin’ La Vida Okra. Farm to School Month, coordinated by Georgia Organics in partnership with UGA Extension, highlights a different fruit or vegetable each year.
Late summer is the right time to prepare soil for September to October plantings of cool-season crops such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale, Swiss chard and Brussels sprouts. CAES News
Cold crops: summer’s end calls for winter gardening prep 08/12/21 Bob Westerfield
The end of summer into early fall tends to be the hottest time of the year in the state of Georgia. Many of us are about tired of laboring in our summer gardens, and the heat, humidity, and disease and insect pressure have certainly taken their toll on our summer crops. However, for those of us who still have the gardening itch, the last weeks of summer are the ideal time to prepare your garden for winter vegetables.
UGA Extension consumer horticulturist Bob Westerfield checks bean plants for signs of disease and insects on the UGA campus in Griffin. Westerfield grows vegetables at work to be prepared to answer home gardener questions. He grows them at home for his dinner table. CAES News
Unusually cool spring temperatures may impede Georgia vegetable gardens 05/28/21 Bob Westerfield
To call this past spring in Georgia normal would be a mischaracterization. Typical springs in Georgia seem to last about three days — and then we hit the hot weather. This spring, the cooler temperatures were most pleasant and hung on through the middle of May. Rainfall has also been feast or famine, and wind patterns have been higher than normal. Together, these conditions have made for a challenging time in the vegetable garden.
Qian Feng, a second-year doctoral candidate in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has mapped additional genes responsible for volatile production in order to offer a more complete picture of the biochemical pathways in tomatoes. She hopes that other researchers can introduce the desirable genes into current or new varieties to breed a tastier tomato. CAES News
UGA student investigates why modern tomatoes have lost their flavor 04/07/21 Austin Clark
Why have tomatoes lost their flavor? Why do some dishes call for ketchup when cooking with tomatoes? These are a couple of the questions that Qian Feng, a second-year University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences doctoral candidate, seeks to answer through her research.