Is It Time to Pull Out the Tomato Plants?

The end of August should be prime tomato growing season. This is usually the time of year when the big yellow bowl on my kitchen island overflows with all types of juicy red tomatoes. Usually we are so sick of tomatoes by this time of year that we're blanching, freezing, and processing as many as we can to save for a future date.

But this year was different. The derecho that swept through at the end of June toppled nearly all my tomato plants. Many were knocked flat, stakes and supports uprooted, vines tumbling everywhere. I admit too that with the heat and the drought I sort of gave up on them. I was diligent about taking care of the plants in May.  I was out there weekly pinching off side shoots, tying the branches up with soft cloth, doing all the things you're supposed to do.  But then the derecho knocked them all down and I couldn't get them upright again, and we sort of gave up on them, letting the plants drape this way and that.

Many of the tomatoes were lost but many just didn't come to peak taste, flavor or color this year, either. The cherry tomatoes were all right and at the start of the season we got some nice Beefstake tomatoes. Early Girl and Supersonic were hits. Mortgage Lifter is just too 'meaty' for my family's tastes.  The special heirloom variety seeds I obtained in the Master Gardener class this spring didn't live, so I never did get to taste green striped tomatoes...

We still have some smaller tomatoes coming in, but mostly it's a big tangle of ugly dead vines.  I'm wondering if I shouldn't just pull out the tomato plants or leave them for now?  If I pull them out I can clean up that area of the garden and free up space for the broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage seedings growing in trays on my front porch right now. On the other hand, I might miss out on more tomatoes!

Decisions, decisions...

Biological Control for Tomato Hornworm

Tomato hornworm stung by parasitic wasp. 

Nature provides a very efficient biological control for the tomato hornworm in the form of a parasitic wasp.  Until I moved to Virginia, I had never seen the tomato hornworm. It's also known as the tobacco hornworm, and since this area was planted heavily with tobacco up until about World War II, I'm guessing there's a thriving insect population.

The first year that I planted tomatoes in Virginia, I planted them in pots and kept them near the house. We hadn't created the vegetable garden yet so I tended my little planters and waited for the tomatoes. Then I came out one day to find the plants absolutely stripped bare of leaves...and these big, ugly worms on the bare stems.  I plucked them off and killed them manually, but that forced me to do some research on tomato hornworms.  The next year, I planted marigolds around my tomatoes. It's thought that tomato hornworms hate the smell of marigolds. Among the Master Gardeners in my class this past winter, some said they had good luck with marigolds, others did not.  Those who did have good luck said that they planted old-fashioned varieties of marigolds, those with a very strong scent.  I usually planted marigolds all around the tomato beds, but this year, I forgot.  We have seen some tomato hornworm damage but fortunately not too much.

I stepped outside yesterday to pick tomatoes and saw this fellow. Those white things along his back are biological controls in action....what are are seeing is the nursery of a parasitic wasp.  The parasitic wasp stings the tomato hornworm and lays her eggs inside his body. Like something from a horror movie, the larvae feed on the living hornworm, eventually killling it and emerging to start the cycle anew.   If you see a tomato hornworm with these white spine-like things poking out from its body, what you are seeing is nature's way of keeping the hornworms in check...it's the action of the parasitic wasp.  You can leave it alone, as the worm will be dead soon and more of the helpful insects will emerge to keep the hornworm and other garden pests in check.

For more information on tomato hornworms and parasitic wasps, see:

• Virginia Cooperative Extension

Time to Order Tomato Seeds

It's time to order tomato seeds, and as I began to think about choosing which types of tomatoes to grow in the garden this year, I started thinking about all the tomatoes I have grown over the years. I'm partial to big, juicy beefsteak tomatoes. I like to slice them up and put them in salads. I live on tomato sandwiches for most of the summer, which makes it easy to lose weight. When you put giant, juicy slices of tomatoes between lettuce and sprouted grain bread, you're going to lose weight, although you won't go hungry!

This year, I'm sticking with the tried and true varieties.  The cherry tomatoes will be Sweet 100s.  I am not a huge fan of cherry tomatoes. We always have more than we can eat, even if I sit around snacking on them all day.  But my husband loves them, so I will plant a nice flat of them. Any extra plants will go to the Master Gardener plant sale at the Heart of Virginia Festival in May.  By the way, any of my extra seedlings plus a whole bunch of perennials from the gardens here at Seven Oaks are going to be donated to the plant sale, so stay tuned and check back here in April for the final list.

The other old favorite I'll grow is Early Girl. You really can't go wrong with Early Girl. My dad grew it, Mr. Hoffman next door in Floral Park grew it, we grew it in Huntington and it grows fairly well, although not great, here in Virginia.

I want to try one new variety but I am going to leave that until the last minute.  I plan to choose one of the Virginia recommended varieties from my master gardener manual and test it against Early Girl to see if it healthier, hardier or tastier.

I can hardly believe that it's February.  It's another 60 degree day and I've got heather, pansies and a perennial whose name escapes me blooming merrily along outside. The daffodils are 4" up and growing in the orchard and I have peach trees that look like they're going to bud at any second. I keep hoping they will hold off, since budding now means no fruit (or at least I think so) - the pollinating insects aren't ready, and I'm sure we will get another frost before April!

But I can order those tomato seeds.  Time to log onto my favorite catalog site and get going!