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For better tomatoes, go deep

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED APR 28, 2020

When this tomato seedling goes in the ground (very soon), those lower leaves will be stripped

off and the tomato planted with only the top leaves and branches exposed. Thanks for the
planting advice, Fred, and Happy Birthday! (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Plant seedlings deeply; water deeply, too

Happy Tomato Planting Day!

Yes, we have radio host Farmer Fred Hoffman to thank for this unofficial Sacramento holiday. His birthday is April 28 and coincidentally that day meshes nicely with the perfect planting date in our climate for our favorite crop.

With the current high heat, you may want to wait a few days if you don’t already have your transplants in the ground. Temperatures are supposed to cool way down this weekend with highs in the low 70s – still warm enough for tomatoes, but a lot more comfortable for gardeners.

Fred offers tons of valuable tips on growing great tomatoes on his website, www.farmerfred.com . Among his most useful for planting day: Plant deeply.

Unlike most other plants, tomatoes are not transplanted with the same soil level as they grew in the pot.

Says Fred, “Place the tomato deep into the soil, clipping off the lower leaves and leaving only the top leaves and branches exposed. This will cause more roots to develop along the stem, speeding development.”

It also allows the tomato plant to develop a bigger root system, capable of pulling up more nutrients from the soil and more water.

Pete Frichette, Sacramento's home-grown Tomato King,

already has a few Early Girls and Better Boys

growing in his garden. (Photo courtesy Pete Frichette)

Speaking of water, Pete Frichette – Sacramento’s Tomato King – trains his transplants to go deep. He does this by thoroughly soaking the planting area in advance.

Here’s his explanation:

First, he dug out a “pan” about 3 inches deep running the length of the planting bed. In addition, he dug big holes, each another 18 inches deep.

“This area has been filled about five times and the water then allowed to soak into the surrounding soil,” Pete explained. “Next, I will fill just the holes with my planting mix, one-third existing soil, one-third commercial potting mix and one-third my own compost mix. This I will then soak, then plant my tomato, which I will also water well in. Then, I will bring the top soil back into the pan and wet it in, also. That will be the last water the transplants will see for eight to 12 days, depending on the weather.”

If it gets too hot, he’ll give the new transplants a drink. “The leaves will generate the required signal,” he said, referring to drooping foliage. “Meanwhile, the concept is that the roots will follow the moisture downwards, thereby forming a deeper root ball and a healthier overall plant.”

Another trick that Pete uses for bigger, more bountiful plants: He places a 5-gallon bottomless bucket around each seedling. When he feeds his plants, he uses diluted liquid fertilizer, poured inside the bucket. It’s also handy for deep watering.

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Keywords:

tomatoes gardening Sacramento roots Sacratomato summer vegetables Farmer Fred Hoffman irrigation fertilizer weather

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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