Garden Answers
Vegetables and Tomatoes
When should I start seeds for my vegetable
garden?
Can I plant tomatoes yet?
Are there any vegetables I can plant in March?
What's the difference between cool season and
warm season vegetables?
Will we have the same diseases with our tomatoes
this year?
My tomatoes are turning black at the bottoms.
What do I need to do?
Why are my tomatoes mushy?
Why is my tomato bowl empty?
Should I spray to prevent these ugly, black
patches on my tomatoes?
Should I prune my tomatoes to increase yield?
Why can't I get zucchini to grow here in Palisade?
Do you have a pesticide called Sabadilla for killing squash bugs?
When and how do I plant potatoes?
Question: When should I start seeds
for my vegetable garden? What do I need to begin?
Answer: The trick is not to start too early. Lots of
folks get excited, start early, and then are disappointed with
the resulting plants. Usually you want to start seeds about
six weeks before you plan to plant them outside. Keep in mind
the types of vegetables you want to use, and whether or not
they're cool season or warm season plants. For example, I wouldn't
begin tomatoes (a warm season vegetable) until the middle or
end of March which would make them ready around the beginning
of May.
To begin your planting you will need:
- A good quality potting mix specifically for SEEDLINGS. Seedling
mixes are specifically formulated to make seed germination easier
and more successful.
- Use clean and sterile containers. Whether you use pots or
plastic planting trays, be sure they are clean and decontaminated.
It's best to begin with new containers, but if you're recycling
old ones, be sure to clean them out, removing all old soil and
then soak them in a bleach solution to get rid of all the pathogens.
- Fill your containers with your media, and sow the seeds shallowly.
A good rule of thumb is to sow them no more than three times
the diameter of the seed. Just a thin coating over the top,
firmed down, is fine.
- Water well, soak the soil and drain the remaining water off.
- Keeping the seedlings warm is extremely important. Put them
in the toastiest, warmest place in your house. They don't need
a lot of light at this point, but the warmth is a must.
- Once the seedlings emerge, light becomes the most important
need. Place them in a sunny picture window where they will receive
bright, indirect sunlight. Improper lighting at this stage often
leads to long, leggy seedlings.
- Water delicately. As they develop their roots, they need
to be kept moist, but too much moisture will cause them to rot.
- Fertilize! A water soluble fertilizer like Miracle Gro or
Peters works very well. Adding it two to four times a month
when you water will help them grow. Don't start fertilizing
until the seedlings are a couple of inches tall.
- Harden them off before putting them outside. Don't forget
they've been protected in your warm home! They haven't had to
contend with fluctuating temperatures, wind or the intense sun.
Three to four days before you want to plant, put them outside
in a protected spot during the day and bring them inside each
night. This will "season" them a bit before they're
added to your garden.
Following these steps should ensure your seedlings are off
to a good start and ready to be planted when you're ready!
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Question: Can I plant tomatoes yet? Please!
Answer: We recommend waiting until late April or early
May. Traditionally, Grand Valley gardeners wait until Mother's
Day weekend just to be safe. But no fair having mom do all the
work! This recommendation goes for all warm season crops, including
vegetables, flowers, and summer-blooming bulbs.
For those of you who CAN'T wait, I have just the tool. A Wall
o' Water will increase you chances of successful tomato planting
in April. Water-filled baffles create an insulating ring of
water to protect tender tomato seedlings. They really work!
Of course, we carry Walls o' Water at Bookcliff Gardens.
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Question: These warm days are making
me anxious to get started on a vegetable garden. Are there any
vegetables I can plant in March?
Answer: We're still likely to have some cool weather
before spring settles in for a long stay, but don't let that
discourage you. There are many cool season crops that thrive
in the cooler days of late winter and early spring. You can
plant peas, leaf vegetables (lettuce, spinach, chard), root
crops (carrots, potatoes, radishes, onions) and cole crops (broccoli,
cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts).
These plants are incredibly hardy, so you don't have to wait
until frost danger is past. A hard freeze my turn the color
of their leaves, but they bounce back in a remarkable short
time. Just don't touch them when they're frozen. Your touch
will damage the plant.
We have seeds for all the cool season plants I mentioned. For
those who want a quicker start, we have bedding plants for most
cool season crops.
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Question: I've heard people in the valley
talk about cool season and warm season vegetables, but I'm not
sure what the big deal is. Is there a reason I need to know
the difference?
Answer: It's only important if you want to plant vegetables.
We have a pretty long growing season, but different plants like
different climates. Right now's a good time to be planting cool
season crops. They like the cooler temperatures and tend to
bolt and go to seed or just do poorly once our hot summer weather
arrives. Cool season crops come in four groups: Leaf crops (lettuce,
spinach and kale), Cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower,
and brussel sprouts), Root crops (carrots, onion, radish, and
potato) and Peas. The first of March is a good time to begin
any of these in either seed or plant form. They're suprisingly
hardy and will tolerate the frost. If you're worried about space,
you can plant and harvest these cool season crops by mid May,
clean them up, and start the warm season crops in the same bed!
Warm season crops are those that thrive in the warmer (hot)
climate we have later on in our growing season. Beans, cucumbers,
melons, peppers, squash, corn and tomatoes all fall into this
category. These crops will NOT tolerate frost, so wait to plant
them until around the first of May.
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Question: Do you foresee having the
same disease with our tomatoes this coming season as we did
last year? We lost over half of our tomato plants last year.
And if so, is there anything we can do in advance to circumvent
the problem?
Answer: Our HOPE is that with our cold winter we won't
have quite the problems with tomato viruses that we've had the
past couple of years. The reason for that is that the primary
vector of these viruses, the beet leafhopper, is not terribly
hardy and can't survive really cold winters. Having said that,
he will make his way into the valley eventually from warmer
areas, but at least we shouldn't be starting with the big numbers
like we've had, and hopefully, that will result in fewer problems
with virus on our tomatoes this summer.
There are a couple of things you can do to help minimize the
chance of infection. First, make sure that you've cleaned out
any plant debris in your garden from last year. If there is
any, throw it away, don't compost it. Second, work on controlling
any weeds in the vicinity of your tomatoes The leafhopper feeds
on a number of common weeds here, and eliminating the weeds
will help minimize the leafhoppers in your garden. The final
thing you can do is to plant your tomatoes a little closer to
one another and allow them to stay dense and bushy. Don't thin
the plan or train it up on a trellis or stake. The leafhopper
likes warm, sunny exposures and the more shade in the plant,
the less they like it. Some people even stretch a piece of shade
cloth over their plants to give them a little shade, making
them less desirable to the leafhopper. Good luck and I hope
you have a bumper crop.
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Question: My tomato plants look great,
but the tomatoes are turning black at the bottoms. What do I
need to do?
Answer: Sounds like you've got blossom end rot. While
it can result from a lack of calcium in the soil, our soils
here tend to have adequate calcium, so adding more really doesn't
correct the problem. More likely your plants got dry at sometime
(maybe you left town for a few days, or someone took over watering
while you were on vacation) and needed a bit more water than
they had at the time. Once your fruit sets, the tomato plant
will take any moisture it needs from the extremities of the
plant, in this case, your newly grown tomatoes. Tomatoes with
blossom end rot are fine to eat; just cut off the discolored
part and enjoy what's there! The good news is that it's an easy
problem to remedy. Use mulch around the base of the plants to
help maintain more moisture, and check that your plants get
consistent watering. The combination of the mulch and a consistent
watering schedule will usually eliminate the problem.
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Question: We are growing Husky Gold
tomatoes and they are pretty mushy. Are they supposed to be
that way? They do have the golden look but don't really taste
good. Should they only be used for canning?
Answer: Boy, you have me stumped. Husky Gold (as all
of the yellow tomatoes) is generally firm and sweet. The common
reason for mushy, tasteless tomatoes is cool, wet weather. Though
our summer here has been cooler than what we've had the past
couple of years, it's still been plenty warm enough for good
tomatoes. Another suggestion that I"ve heard is that as
your tomatoes ripen, cut back slightly on the water to avoid
mushy fruit. I'd be careful about getting too aggressive about
that because you can create lots of problems with blossom end
rot. In general, tomatoes will be firmer and more flavorful
(and smaller) if the plants are kept a little on the dry side
and are not fertilized that lavishly. It makes sense if you
think about it. The plant concentrates more "tomato goodness"
into a smaller package. Wish I could give you more.
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Question: Why did I plant tomatoes this
year? They look terrible and my tomato bowl is empty. Help!
Answer: I'm sorry to hear you're having so much trouble
with your tomatoes, but you're not alone. Many people have come
in to get help with their tomatoes. I'm seeing a lot of blossom
end rot. It's an inconsistent watering issue. The tomatoes are
okay to eat, and the problem can be corrected by watering before
the plant dries out too much. I'm also seeing more disease this
summer. There's a fungal disease called 'early blight' and a
virus disease called 'curly top.' Bring a sample of the affected
plant in a closed baggie to Bookcliff Gardens. We'll be happy
to diagnose the problem and recommend a course of treatment.
If your plant looks good, flowers, but doesn't set any fruit,
the problem is-it's to hot! Some varieties won't set fruit well
when it's too hot. You can stretch shade cloth over (not on)
your tomatoes to cool them, or just be patient. Cooler weather
is coming!!
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Question: Help! I have ugly, black patches
on the ends of my tomatoes. Are my tomatoes ruined? Should I
spray?
Answer: Don't fret! Your bacon, lettuce, and tomato
sandwiches are safe. Those black patches are a condition called
blossom end rot. It's caused by a water imbalance in the tomato
plant. If the plant is water stressed, the plant will pull water
out of the fruit, which is expendable, because it can always
make more. The water is pulled from the far end of the fruit-the
blossom end. The area turns black because the tissue dies from
a lack of water. But the fruit is still edible. Just cut out
the black spot and enjoy the rest.
A generous covering of mulch around the base of the plant is
the sure-fire cure for blossom end rot. The loose organic matter
cuts down evaporation of water from the soil and keeps the soil
cooler. Moisture levels will remain more constant, helping you
to avoid the moisture swings that stress tomato plants. Also,
you won't have to water as often.
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Question: Should I prune my tomatoes
to increase yield?
Answer: I'm happy to excuse you from this garden task.
In fact, it's a bad idea to prune your tomato plants in the
Grand Valley. Pruning opens the plant up to our intense summer
sun, making fruit susceptible to sunburn. Pruning also exposes
the soil to more direct sunlight, which means more watering
and possible blossom end rot from fluctuations in the moisture
content of soil. Tomato lovers in cooler climates prune their
plants to get more ripening heat to the fruit.
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Question: How come I can't get zucchini
to grow here in Palisade? The leaves grow real well and the
zucchini starts to grow, but then either turns yellow or just
dies. I have the plant in a really large pot. I am able to move
it to adjust he amount of sun to help it to grow but no matter
where I have it, it tends to start dying. Any help would be
appreciated.
Answer: Is the whole plant dying or just the fruit?
If it's the plant, my first guess would be Squash Bugs. If it's
the fruit, there are a couple of possibilities. The first is
that this is pretty normal when the plant first starts to flower.
There are male flower and female flowers, and both need to be
present to have pollination and fruit set. Most plants start
blooming by producing only one type of flower, and no fruit
sets. Be patient, the plant will eventually "get its act
together," produce both types of flowers and start producing
fruit. The other possibility would be stress on the plant, especially
water stress. I mention this because your plant is in a pot,
and this is where I most often see this. If the plant becomes
water stressed, it can "steal" water from the fruit
to meet the needs of the plant, resulting in the withering of
the fruit. The water stress may not be due to any mistakes that
you're making in watering the plant, it may be due to heat stress
on the roots. You see, roots don't like to get really hot and
then cold. They like moderate conditions which they usually
get in the ground. In a pot, the soil mix can get much warmer
than if the plant was in the ground and sometimes that can affect
the roots adversely. I'd move the pot around to the east side
where the plant can get a good half day's sunlight but be shaded
during the hot afternoon hours.
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Question: Each year I lose my zucchini
plants to squash bugs. I've heard of a pesticide called Sabadilla
that will kill them. Do you have this or can you get it?
Answer: Sabadilla does work WONDERFULLY on Squash bugs,
but we've been unable to get any for the past five or six years.
I'm really not sure why that is. It's a botanical insecticide,
derived from the seeds of a South American Lily. Don't know
if there's a supply problem or what. You might try searching
on the internet for some. As an alternative, we've been using
Permethrin with good results the past couple of years.
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Question: I'd like to plant potatoes
this year but really don't know much about the process. Can
I plant now? Is there anything special I need to do?
Answer: You want to plant potatoes as soon as the soil
can be worked. Around here that's usually in March and April,
so now's a good time. Depending upon the type of soil you have,
you may need to amend it first. If your soil is heavy clay like
mine, adding peat moss, compost, soil pep is a good idea. Make
sure you till whatever you use into the top 4-6 inches of your
soil.
When you're ready to plant, cut your seed pieces to the size
of a medium egg. Make sure you have at least two eyes per piece.
Some folks prefer to dust their seed pieces with Captan fungicide,
but this usually isn't necessary if the soil temperature is
at least 50° and moist. Be sure to dry the cut pieces overnight
before planting them. When you plant, keep the seed pieces with
the eye facing up, 3-4" deep and about 12" apart if
planting in rows. If you're planting in separate hills, leave
2.5 to 3 feet between each plant. Potatoes actually grow off
the plant stem, not on the roots, so when plants are 3-4"
high, gradually start hilling up some light garden soil around
the growing stems. Keep doing this to a total depth of 8-10".
Because potatoes enjoy cool roots, be sure to mulch with 2-4"
of loose material.
Pay special attention to watering your potatoes, as that is
one of the most important factors is helping you have a good
harvest. From the time you plant them until maturity, you need
to maintain a uniform soil moisture. Don't allow the foliage
to wilt! Dry soil will result in misshapen, split or hollow
tubers. On the other hand, don't keep the soil wet all of the
time either. The potatoes will rot. As the tubers mature, you'll
notice that they require less water. Just keep an eye on them.
Hope this helps.
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(970) 242-7766
755 26 Road (North 1st at I-70) • Grand Junction, Colorado 81506
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