Some Insight into Buying and Planting Tomatoes

Tomatoes are by far our most popular vegetable in the Garden Center. And I certainly understand why. Tomatoes are (and you can even confirm this on my Facebook profile) one of my all-time favorite foods; I eat them like candy. Whether you are slicing them for a sandwich, using them in Spaghetti sauce, or simply eating them like you would an apple (believe me, it’s good), tomatoes are an easy source of nutrition. And considering the price of growing your own, an invaluable vegetable. At Swindlers we sell a four-pack of tomatoes for $1.79. Considering that each plant will produce (on average) about fifteen to twenty pounds of fruit throughout the summer, you will have an abundance of fresh, home-grown tomatoes for less than two dollars. Now think back to that sale at Kroger’s; $1.99 per pound (and a four pack for over two dollars) is starting to look a little pricey. And honestly, the quality (and taste) of a home-grown (and locally bought) tomato is hard to beat. It is by far a more reliable fruit.

The first thing to consider when buying a tomato plant is—which one? Usually when a customer comes into the Garden Center I ask them what they want from their tomatoes. Do you want something you can slice up for a sandwich? Or do you want an Italian-style tomato for sauces and salsa? Are you canning your harvest? When we refer a tomato we usually go by five different groups: standard, beefsteak, cherry, plum, and heirloom.

A standard tomato is your typical slicing tomato. The fruits are usually between 8 and 12 oz. (except in the case of Early Girl, in which case you should expect about a 4-6 oz. fruit) and can be red, orange, or striped (the common variety for this type is Mr. Stripey). These are our biggest sellers because they are the most common. As with all tomatoes you can get a determinate or indeterminate tomato, which, contrary to popular belief, does not indicate the height of the stem. Determinate means simply that the plant will reach maturation and the fruits will be produced at about the same time in the season (so that they can be mechanically harvested). Indeterminate will provide fruit all throughout the season. If you are looking for the height of the stem you should ask whether it has a restricted or unrestricted growth pattern. Common varieties of standard tomatoes are:

• Better Boy (indeterminate hybrid, more disease resistant than its predecessor Big Boy)
• Heartland (indeterminate, bush—restricted growth)
• Jet Star (indeterminate)
• Mr. Stripey (indeterminate)
• Early Girl (indeterminate)
• Celebrity (determinate)
• Golden Jubilee (indeterminate, orange fruit)

A beefsteak tomato can also be used for slicing, but is known for its “meaty” thick fruit. It typically has a large core and can reach 1-2 lbs. These have a great flavor, and are usually requested specifically by those who want a bigger fruit. Common varieties are:

• Beefmaster (indeterminate)
• Ponderosa Pink (indeterminate, heirloom)
• Supersteak (indeterminate)
• A cherry tomato has, as you can assume, a small fruit that is comparable in size to a large cherry. Fruits are typically only 1-2 in. in diameter. Common varieties are:
• Sun Gold (indeterminate)
• Sweet 100 (indeterminate)
• Yellow Pear (indeterminate, heirloom, yellow fruit)
• Tumbling Tom Red/Yellow (indeterminate)

A plum tomato is also known as an Italian tomato. These aren’t your typical round tomato—they are typically longer and more oval shaped. Plum tomatoes are usually used in salsa and in Italian-style sauces. Common varieties are:

• La Roma (determinate)
• Italian Gold (determinate, yellow fruit)

Heirlooms are an over-arching category. You probably noticed that some of the varieties listed above are described as being “heirloom” tomatoes. This simply means that they are older (some sources require they be in circulation over 50 years) and less disease-resistant than their hybrid counterparts. Based on this description you might wonder why we bother with them at all. The answer—they are delicious. These fruits have been around a while, just ask your grandmother, and are often requested specifically by name. Common varieties are:

• Brandywine (indeterminate)
• Yellow Pear (indeterminate)
• Ponderosa (indeterminate)
• Champion (indeterminate, often requested for canning)
• Marglobe (indeterminate)
• Mr. Stripey (indeterminate)
• Valencia (indeterminate, orange fruit)

After choosing a tomato plant the rest is pretty easy (I promise). Plan on planting your tomato so that half of the existing plant is underground (the ground level should be around the first set of true leaves). Believe it or not, tomatoes will root all along the buried stem, so this will help stabilize your plant and will give it a wider root system.

Caged and staked tomatoes in our personal garden at Swindlers

Now for stakes and cages (sounds intense, I know). It is often tricky for those new to tomato plants to tell when/if a stake or cage is necessary. You typically stake tomato plants with indeterminate growth. This helps keep them upright and gives them some more stability. Simply buy a four to six foot stake, stick it in next to the plant, and (now this is optional) tie the plant, carefully, to the stake. For cages, just simply buy a metal cage that can surround the plant (it will have long stakes at the bottom to keep it firmly in place). This keeps your tomato within the cage and controls it a bit (tomato plants can get pretty crazy).

Now, for truth about the acclaimed upside-down tomato pots. You have probably seen the commercials: brands like Topsy Turvy advertise up to 30 lbs of fruit and claim that the pots funnel water and nutrients straight to the plant because, of couse, they grow down out of the pot and not up. All the hype surrounding these cool infomercial pots inspired many avid customers to scramble into the Garden Center looking for such pots. So, of course, we tried it out. And my own personal advice—don’t do it to yourself. And I say this for several reasons. First of all, as my Uncle Gerry says, you can’t trick Mother Nature. A plant’s natural instinct is to grow toward sunlight, meaning that although the plant originally grows down out of the pot, it will vine back up toward the sun (creating a plant that is nearly impossible to move, as its weight increases exponentially throughout the season). And then, to keep up with the growth you will be watering two to three times a day. A third pointer—these pots typically do not have enough soil to support a healthy plant. And finally, the idea that hanging pots keep tomatoes away from ground insects is misleading. The insects that usually go after tomatoes, aphids for example, are airborne. Honestly, at close to fifty dollars a pot, it’s just not worth it. Porch pots are great—the ground is free—but be wary of upside-down hangers.

I hope that this quick buyers’ guide will help you not only as you select your tomatoes this year, but as you plan your garden in future years. As always, let me know if you have any further questions!

A New Voice in the ECC Garden Project

My name is Kelsey Swindler, and you will be hearing a lot from me as we continue to follow the ECC vegetable garden. I am (as many from my small town know) a lifelong resident of Wilmington. Usually when I introduce myself, the first question I get is “so which one do you belong to?”—referring, of course, to any of the (many) Swindler men and women that have lived and worked in Wilmington for generations. When I answer that I am, in fact, Phil’s daughter, I usually get a knowing nod, a couple of stories, and a question about how deep to plant a Beefsteak tomato plant.

I am the first to admit I don’t have all the answers. But, having grown up under the umbrella of the Swindler and Sons Florists and Greenhouse, I have naturally picked up some useful knowledge along the way. While still an “amateur” by family standards, many May days toiling in the greenhouses have taught me not only the basics of planting, maintaining, and harvesting vegetables, but also the many benefits that can be reaped from having a personal garden. My grandparents’ generation knew it all along—vegetable gardening is not only practical, but fulfilling. To see a plant from its seedling days to its fruition is remarkable, and guarantees the grower a vegetable that is safe, fresh, and cheap.

By continuing to follow the ECC vegetable garden, and the many others cropping up around town, I hope to learn more about the art to keeping a successful vegetable garden. And by passing along what I have learned, I hope you are inspired to try it out yourself.

As you start your own backyard garden, whether it is your first time or fiftieth, feel free to email any questions you may have to kmswindler@gmail.com. I will research your questions (running them through the Swindler family and other local resources) so that you get a knowledgeable response, and will post useful questions/answers here. And of course, let us know how your own vegetable garden is doing! This is your chance to contribute to the project—whether it is a few tricks you have learned throughout your years of gardening, or pictures of your own harvest.

Garden Update

Except for that near frost on the 17th the weather has been very favorable this week. With the spring crops nearing their harvest time the garden has been getting updated with some warmer weather plants.

Below is an updated picture of the garden with the spring crops. This is the first time I’ve tried using the ‘square foot garden’ approach. All in all I like the layout of the square foot method and think for the small, backyard garden it’s a great way to pack in many different plants into smaller space.

I have planted a dozen ‘4th of July’ tomatoes, an early bloomer, and a load of more basil, of which I cannot get enough.

More Basil...

Ground Broken for Denver Park Demonstration Garden

This past Thursday, May 7^th, a group of nine Clinton County residents broke ground on a demonstration garden planned for the memorial site at J.W. Denver Williams Memorial Park. The group included: Guy, Sandy, Maggie, and Nellie Ashmore, Cynthia Hannah, Ceel Wathen, Dana Williams, Angela Simonson, and Taylor Stuckert.

The proposal for the demonstration garden was approved by the Parks Board on April 13^th. The total area for the plot is 12’x14’ and will feature a rotation of four beds, which includes one raised-bed plot.  

The demonstration garden is in conjunction with the greater community gardens initiative partnered by Energize Clinton County and Wilmington College.

 

The garden will be a way of illustrating both the nutritional and economical benefits of having a small-plot garden. The demonstration garden serves as a way to increase public awareness and provide a valuable educational tool for people of all ages.

The goal is to have a place for teachers to bring students or public workshops to be given that provide a hands-on experience throughout various stages of the process.

The public is encouraged to visit the garden site which will continue to develop over the coming months. The garden is located in the memorial square (with the flag pole) by the volleyball courts.

Home Garden Update

This past weekend we purchased some organic mulch from Swindler and Sons in Wilmington and Purple Ruffle Basil from McCarty Gardens in Sabina. 

We laid the mulch around more developed plants--mostly, the garlic, onions, shallots, turnips, beets, broccoli, and some spinach. The mulch will help mitigate some tedious weeding, and retain moisture in the soil. 

With our last frost date approaching, we have been mending beds on either side of the current Spring bed to prepare for our summer plants. In addition to the obvious tomatoes (and lots of them) that all gardeners grow, we are currently planning on spicy peppers, melons, beans, egg plant, squash, cucumbers, and more. 

Below are some updated pictures of the garden. Stay tuned for more. 

Mulched Garden

Basil and Rhubarb

Demonstration Garden Approved

A proposed plan demonstration garden was approved on Monday, April 30th by the Wilmington City Parks Board.

The purpose of this garden is for public awareness of the accessibility to the nutritional and economical benefits of small-plot gardens. The garden will also serve as an educational tool for various organizations and local school districts.

The proposed plot is to be in the southwest corner of the fenced memorial site that is directly across from the Park Offices. The total area of the site is 51'x50'. The proposed area for the garden is 12'x14'.

The garden is currently being led by a group of the following individuals: Taylor Stuckert, Mark Rembert, Sandy & Guy Ashmore, Ceel Wathen, Chip Tabor, Angela Simonson, Tammy Reed and Hazel Niles.

The garden is in conjunction with the community gardens initiative which involves the following groups: Wilmington College, Energize Clinton County, Clinton County OSU Extension, Swindler & Sons Florist, McCarty Gardens, That Guys Family Farm, Clinton County Master Gardeners, No Child Left Indoors, Sugartree Ministries, Clinton County Regional Planning Commission, Wilmington FFA, among others.

Why people garden

By Mark

Yesterday we attended the first of two Gardening 101 class (the next is on April 21 @ Swindler & Sons) hosted by Phil Swindler (Swindler & Sons), Monty Anderson (Wilmington College) and Tony Nye (Clinton County Extension) had more then 30 people signed up for each class. Its pretty exciting to hear from someone like Phil--who has been in the gardening business his whole life--that there is a new energy building around gardening in Clinton County.

And as Taylor mentioned, gardening is growing nationwide. A recent report from the National Gardening Association found that the number of households planning on growing their own food has increased by 7 million over 2008, an astounding 19% increase.

Without a doubt, saving money is a great reason to garden. The same report found that the average American garden (600 sq ft)–when well maintained–will yield $600 worth of produce on a $70 investment. So while it is no surprise that we are seeing a bump in gardening in corresponding with the economic recession, it may not be as correlated as we think. In fact, only about a third of respondents in the survey said they were motivated to garden because of the recession.

The numbers actually suggest a deeper seeded shift in the way people are looking at the food system. The main reasons given for gardening were:

• 58% – better-tasting food
• 54% – save money on food bills
• 51% – better quality food
• 48% – grow food they know is safe

Looking at these numbers it, appears that gardening may not just be a trend, but may be part of a shift in the people are approaching their relationship to food.

At ECC, we have yet to find any practice that teaches us more lessons about sustainability than gardening. We often find ourselves marveling at all of the important things gardening produces in our lives beyond food and savings: it gives us a reason to spend time outside, it provides time for contemplation, it forces us to appreciate the luxury of having easily accessible food, it keeps us “rooted” in our home and community, it stimulates our senses and our intellects, it helps us understand how we fit into a larger system.

What do you find gardening teaches you about sustainability?