By Will Bonsall Probably no single food has entrenched itself in the many cuisines of the world as much as the tomato. Before Europeans discovered the New World (that is, it was a first for THEM), this vegetable-fruit was restricted to the frost-free regions of Central America, where it can still be found growing wild. It was slow
Tomatoes are often considered an essential crop to grow for both new and experienced gardeners. No supermarket specimen can compare with a garden-fresh tomato. Growing tomatoes in your organic garden also allows for a much wider fruit selection: from cherry, pear and grape tomatoes, to plum and paste varieties, to heirlooms, slicers and beefsteak tomatoes,
Leaf mold (Fulvia fulva) is a common problem in high tunnels due to high humidity and warm temperatures. Eric Sideman photos. By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Now and then MOFGA organizes “Growers’ Meetings,” and this year we had a meeting about growing tomatoes in high tunnels. These meetings differ from most other educational events that MOFGA
A caterpillar tunnel. By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Photos by the author. As you read this in December, you are probably already looking forward to next year’s tomatoes, but as I write this in mid-October, I am looking out my window at very dead tomato plants in my garden. Sadly, most tomato plants in gardens across
Toki Oshima drawing By Roberta Bailey Another fall has come, time to give up the quest to keep the garden watered and weeded. Many of the plants have faded to golden hues already. The brown of skin fades. We welcome a sweater and jeans. It is a time of surrender, yet it can be the
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D., Director of Technical Services, MOFGA Tunnels and greenhouses are now being used widely to produce early and often blemish free tomatoes. However, high humidity is difficult to avoid under plastic, and it creates an ideal environment for fungal diseases that can spread very quickly and cause widespread damage. Two common diseases
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D., MOFGA’s Director of Technical Services Some farmers and gardeners like to use the same ground year after year for their tomatoes. Often this works, but often it doesn’t – most commonly because of a few tomato diseases that overwinter on crop debris. The most common disease in the Northeast that leads
Welded wire “cattle panels” make great tomato trellises. They stand up well; clean easily; and the openings are big enough that tomatoes don’t get stuck growing into them. Tomash photos. © 2008 Adam Tomash In my 35 years of serious gardening, I have tried most of the common trellising techniques for tomatoes, including stakes and
An array of tasty, colorful, locally grown tomatoes served with various types of basil is one specialty of Swan’s Way Catering. Sean Carnell photo. by Kay Stephens Each tomato has its own fascinating shape – mottled, bumpy, smooth – with harmonizing colors every hue of red, brown, orange and yellow. With names like ‘Striped Stuffer,’
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