Now that the dry season is upon us, it’s a great time to plant and harvest those delicious home-garden tomatoes. Hot, dry days are optimal for growing tomatoes in Costa Rica. That’s because these plants are very susceptible to leaf diseases in the rainy season. Since there’s no rain now, you can plant tomatoes and water the soil, rather than the plants, to get a bumper crop of tomatoes.
Try to get your tomato seeds planted now in flats; within a month or so, they’ll be ready for planting in the garden or in large containers around the house. During the dry season almost any variety of tomato will do well, but we prefer cherry tomatoes, which are hardy and resistant to bug attacks. These varieties also do well in large pots, which can be placed on porches and eaves in attractive macramé hangers, to produce a cascade of ripe, delicious tomatoes at a hand’s reach from the kitchen. “Florida Basket” and “Gardener’s Delight” are two excellent varieties.
In the garden, plant your tomatoes in garden beds well-fortified with compost or aged manure. A small amount of limestone, ashes and rock phosphate will also help boost production. It’s important to have a trellis or support for your tomatoes, so the leaves stay dry and clean when watering. As already mentioned, it’s best to water the soil around your tomatoes rather than the leaves. This ensures your plants will grow vigorously, without leaf diseases.
You can, however, spray your tomatoes with foliar fertilizers. For example, you can use a simple plant-enhancer spray made as follows: Add one cup of sugar to one cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide (dilute 10% pharmacy solution three times), then mix with three liters of water, stir until dissolved, and apply. Spraying your tomato plants once a week with this mixture will help them grow better and produce better tomatoes and will protect them from disease. Another useful product is seaweed extract, which is now available in most agricultural supply centers. The extract provides the plants with trace minerals.
During the summer, you may have to keep an eye open for caterpillars, such as the horned tomato worm. Handpicking is usually the best way to treat this problem, although you can protect the plants with a biological control known as Javelin, made from a bacterium harmless to humans and animals but fatal to most butterfly and moth larvae.
Pruning is another important aspect of growing tomatoes. It’s important to prune the young vegetative shoots that emerge from the main stem and base of each leaf stem. These are called “suckers” and, as their name implies, they suck energy from the plant to make more foliage instead of tomatoes. It’s best to pinch them with your fingernails when they are less than one inch long. Cherry tomatoes are vining plants and must be tied to a trellis or support for the continuing growth of the plant. Mulching around your tomatoes will help keep their roots from drying out and save on water.
With these tips, chances are you’ll have a good crop of summer tomatoes for your salads and meals. Until next time, happy gardening.
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Ed Bernhardt
