A Bumper Tomato Harvest in Inverness This Year
Gini Havel
Bright red, firm succulent tomatoes are piling up in bowls all over my kitchen counter, and in my garden the vines are overloaded. I can’t pick them fast enough. Early Girl did not fruit early, but she certainly outdid her performance from last year. Simply delicious, tiny, orange Sungold Cherry tomatoes are popping off the vines as they ripen too fast. Stupice is a Czech variety with small fruits that have their own special flavor. What a bonanza this crop has been compared to last year’s disaster! I analyzed the factors that could cause tomato problems in an article I wrote for the Point Reyes Light last year, “A Bad Year for Tomatoes”, and made a number of adjustments that I credit for success this year.
Weather. We can’t control it, but we can modify the site, which we did by trimming a huge passion fruit vine hanging over the planting area, providing more sun. I believe, and others have supported my impression, that we had warmer weather this year than last. Probably the most important factor in growing tomatoes is the number of hours of sun received. At least six to eight hours daily is recommended. My son also raised the same Early Girl variety, as prolific but twice the size of ours (but less flavorful) on his sunny San Rafael yard against a rocky cliff that reflects heat.
Varieties. We live in a marginal region for tomatoes, so I planted only the three varieties from Master Gardeners recommendations for coastal climates, in contrast to last year’s choices of several heirloom types in addition to Early Girl.
Planting Time. Planting tomatoes outdoors before the temperatures are at least 50 degrees at night and in at least mid 60’s daytime will not speed up the harvest time. They grow but set little fruit. Usually in our area it is best to wait until about the end of May. My plants were kept in a greenhouse in one-gallon containers until ready for outdoors.
Containers, Soil, Watering, Fertilizer, Spacing, Staking. My plants are grown in a planter box in a south-facing area. The soil was amended with chicken manure and long-acting fertilizer, and then covered with red mulch cloth for warmth and moisture retention. The plants were spaced at 3 feet and caged in wire baskets. Watering was by hand, usually once a week.
Fruit Setting. The tomatoes grew rapidly with thick, dark green foliage and began blooming, but I did not observe any set fruit or see any pollinators on the plants. Night temperatures often fell below the 50-degree minimum required. In past years I had success spraying with “Tomato Bloom” a product no longer available in California. My sister sent a bottle from Oregon and I sprayed the flowers twice at a two-week interval. I began finding set fruits and stopped spraying. Perhaps because night temperatures were higher, further treatment was unnecessary. I suspect that the treatment may yield some earlier tomatoes in good weather years and a reasonable crop in cooler years.
Extending the Harvest into December. Don’t leave your tomatoes on the vine too long. Frequent picking seems to stimulate production. Green tomatoes will ripen inside and yield good flavor. When the plants turn brown at season’s end, you can bring the vines inside, and the fruit will gradually turn red and taste good. Remember to store tomatoes on the counter or in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator.
Conclusions. With so many variables, it is difficult to determine the relative importance of the determinants of harvest success.
Dealing with too Many Tomatoes. After you have given tomatoes to friends and family and still have too many, you might try preserving them. Here are some possibilities.
- Drying. Sun drying takes a long time. Drying in the oven at 200 degrees is easy. Cut the tomatoes in pieces and spread out on a tray. Check often and remove before they become too dry and hard. Store in tight lidded jars in refrigerator. If you have a dehydrator, slice them in halves or quarters depending on size, and place skin side up on dehydrator shelves. Remove before they get hard.
- Freezing. Salsa: Many recipes are available. Make a mild cooked sauce and freeze it. Season further after defrosting for different recipes. Frozen whole tomatoes: Place tomatoes in a cupcake pan and freeze. After defrosting, the skins pop off, and the fruit can be used in many dishes.