OCR Text |
Show ANNUAL FARM. GARDEN RANCH Section iiff 1 i Gain savisvaciion in grownincj (omafoes Like to grow your own tomatoes? You are not alone. By far the most popular garden vegetable grown is the tomato. So says Gallup Organization, Inc. A national garden survey conducted con-ducted by them indicated that about 87 percent of all respondents grow tomatoes in the garden. Utah gardeners register the same or " perhaps an even greater preference for tomatoes. Almost everyone who grows vegetables in Utah seems to be interested in-terested in tomatoes, according to questions and comments received by Extension specialists and county agents over the state. Alvin R. Hamson, Utah State University Extension horticulture specialist, said the questions received regarding which varieties will grow where, sparked the varietal testing program conducted at the USU Far-mington Far-mington Horticulture Farm by the Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station. It is no wonder tomatoes, one of the most versatile of vegetables, are so popular with Utah growers. The varietal tests at Farmington have singled out varietites suitable for most locations in the state. Gardeners in those areas with a relatively short growing season and cool temperatures can select the varieties with the shorter maturity periods. For the higher areas, tomatoes in the 65 day period would be about maximum. Gardeners in other areas can enjoy an extended season of sun-ripened tomatoes fresh from the garden by selecting several different maturing varieties. Tomatoes Hamson suggests for different maturity periods are: cherry type tomatoes Persto and Toy Boy (60 days) producing a profusion of uniform deep red fruits 1 to IVi inches in diameter on small vines, excellent for salads and eaten whole; Early Girl (55 days) and Early Cascade Hybrids (65 days) with medium size, smooth, pink or red fruits, resistant to cracking, suited will for slicing, in salads and home canning; Moreton Hybrid (65 days) producing a strong, vigorous, indeterminate vine with large, firm smooth fruit, excellent for fresh slicing, salads and canning; the open pollinated DX 52-12 (70 days), determinate but with sufficient foliage to protect fruits from sun scalding in late summer, large, firm, smooth, deep red fruits with high solid content, outstanding quality for canning, natural resistance to Blossom End Rot and Verticillum Wilt. For an unusually sweet, flavorful tomato that is well adapted for growing in tomato cages or on trellis, Hamson suggest the variety Sweet 100. Hundreds Hun-dreds of small, smooth, firm, unusually sweet and flavorful fruits are developed on the cascading vines. Choice vegetable varieties suited to Utah are indicated in Extension Circular Cir-cular 313 available from each County Extension office. Not all seedsmen have all varieties, but Hamson says they are available if you seek out the sources early. Those who are anxious for extra early production might start some tomatoes in a greenhouse, a bay window win-dow or such place where there is good light, then transplant them in the garden when the temperature has warmed sufficiently. Plants grown in gallon size containers can have fruits about one inch in diameter when they are put in the garden. The plants growing in the house will need to be vibrated each day when they are flowering to achieve pollination. When transplanting, be careful not to disturbe the soil around the roots. Place the plants a little deeper than they were in the transplanting container. Put about a pint per plant of highly soluable phosphorous starter fertilizer in the hole with the plant. Hamson says this will cause the roots to generate quickly. To enhance growth, he suggests also adding a handful of 1-2 ration (twice as much phosphorous as nitrogen) fertilizer fer-tilizer about 4-6 inches deep and about that same distance to the side of each plant the day they are transplanted. A little more foliage cover can be stimulated by spreading Ammonium nitrate, about one handful per five foot of row, along the irrigation furrow and let the water move it into the soil. Apply when tomatoes are 1 inch diameter. Diseases and insects should not be too much of a problem with the tomatoes. Hamson says the varieties suggested here are resistant to Verticillum Wilt. A systemic mildew disease new to Utah does threaten. Sherman Thomson, Extension plant pathologist, suggests starting protection with a spray of wetable sulfur a couple weeks after transplanting the tomatoes. More information in-formation on this disease will be provided through the county Extension offices. Tomato hornworms, the most fearsome looking of the insects bothering tomatoes, can be picked off and destroyed or sprayed with a bacterial bac-terial type insectidice, such as Thuricide or Dipel. Hamson says this is a perfectly safe insecticide also used for controlling cabbage worms and loopers in cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Hamson assures that people who seek enjoyment with plants can gain much satisfaction growing tomatoes. They , and their families can enjoy the fruits of their labors both fresh and bottled. |