Tomato growing in nw florida

Bright, juicy red ones

Fried green ones

We use themIn our art

With seafoodWarm off the vine

The tomato is as much a part of the Southern culture as beaches, festivals in

the park and hot humid days. Anyone who gardens strives to grow perfect tomatoes. Only to be thwarted, year

after year, by bad soil, bad weather and bad bugs and diseases. Often the

gardener In the northwest part of Florida is lucky to harvest ten tomatoes a year!

This course seeks to provide the information needed to succeed in

Growing Tomatoes in Northwest Florida.

We even write books and make

movies about them

Everyone knows that Southerners

love their tomatoes!

Navigating the Course

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Growing Tomatoes in NW FloridaOverview

Land and & training room has been provided by Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce.

This class is part of the future Building a Community Garden course.

The first of several modules on different topics of interest to the gardeners

Hybrid class: basic learning occurs

in the classroom and in the garden and

online in a Wiki.

Learner support and interactions occur online in a blog in the Wiki and in the garden.

The course will cover:

weather and soil issues

pests and other ongoing care

best cultivars

planting (seeds vs. plants).

Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives/Outcomes: The student learning outcomes for this class are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy with learning outcomes as described by Yeh (2003). For this course the learner will:

be able to identify at least three cultivars of tomatoes that grow in the Panhandle

area of northwest Florida.

be able to identify soil issues and the amendments needed.

be able to identify common pests and describe solutions for each.

explain the rationale for the specific cultivars and amendments they have chosen to plant.

demonstrate planting and caring for the tomatoes in the garden then utilize the blog to discuss with other learners.

analyze the progress of each cultivar and its chosen amendments, any pests or other growing issues that occurred and solutions tried.

reflect on their choices of plants and amendments and determine

which produced the most and best tomatoes for them individually and

write a synopsis on the blog.

Participate in a group evaluation and make recommendations for the next season.

What are the Issues?

The Soil is Sand and Clay

The Weather is Often too Rainy and Too Hot and Humid

Pests Decimate the Plants or Fruit Before Harvest

“The Southern Coast covers coastal regions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. Sandy soil, tidal marshes and a climate influenced by the

Gulf of Mexico affect gardeners in the Southern Coast region. ”. (Home Depot Garden Club Editor, 2011).

Natural habitat is sandy/clay soil with no nutrients

Tomatoes will only grow in soil that is thick, rich and enhanced with compost and natural fertilizers.

1 part compost, 1 part sand to 1 part vermiculite1 part compost, 1 part sand to 1 part redwood or pine bark1 part compost, 1 part sand to 1 part peat moss

Amending the soil is hard work but worth the effort

An alternative to growing in ground is growing in pots or raised beds with added soil that is rich in nutrients.

(Stephens, 2010)

What are the Issues?The Soil is Sand and Clay

What are the Issues?Weather Conditions

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The weather is cloudy and rainy in spring. During the months of March – June the area receives an average of 2 inches of rain per week.

Along with the rain, comes the loss of sunlight causing problems for tomatoes which need at least six hours of sun per day ( Florida State University 2011).

The weather is too hot in June, July and August when the average temperatures stay in the high 90⁰ range with high humidity and little rainfall day and night.

(Florida State University, 2000)

What are the Issues?Pests Decimate the Plants or Fruit Before Harvest

Tomato Hornworm

3” long, ½ “ wide

Greedily eat leaves for about a month killing plant

Handpick & drop them into a jar of soapy water

After harvest, till soil to kill 90% of larvae

Nematodes

Microscopic predators in ground

Feed on the leaves & roots

Plants become stunted, yellow and die

Plant nematode-resistant varieties of tomatoesGardener's Supply Company (n.d.)

General Considerations

View this video for a discussion of seeds vs. plants, sun requirements, feeding and general growing of tomatoes. (Clean Air Gardening, 2010)

(Clean Air Gardening, 2010)

Best CultivarsDeterminate vs. Indeterminate

Determinate cultivars are compact, produce fruit all at once and need no staking. These are best for this area.Indeterminate cultivars produce fruit on a vine for a season, need staking, are subject to diseases in this area. Cultivars may be grown in this area with extra care.

Some indeterminate cultivars that might grow here are Floradel, Bragger and Manalucie.

Be sure all tags include the letters TSWV.

Three best cultivars for NW Florida gardens All resistant to wilt diseases All determinate varieties

Amelia Bella RossaTalladega

(Williams, 2010) and (Friday, 2011)

Indeterminate

Determinate

Ongoing Care Weeding, Fertilizing and Watering

The conditions that are unfavorable for tomatoes are quite favorable for weeds.

Weeding must be done regularly so tomatoes have room to grow.Mulching can decrease the need for weeding.

Use 20-20-20 fertilizer in 6 gallons of water once a month -- Substitute calcium nitrate for the fertilizer every two weeks

Tomatoes require approximately 1 inch of water per week from rain or irrigation.

(Stephens, 2010)

Fertilizers and supplements

Three Soil Borne Diseases Bacterial Wilt

Plant wilts completely Caused by high temperatures and wet soil at 85-95⁰

Fusarium Wilt Older leaves and stems wilt Caused by soil an air temperature at 82-86⁰

Fusarium Crown and Root RotStunted growth, lower leaf yellowing, cankers

Solutions

Choose disease-resistant varieties

Watch moisture levels

Remove and dispose of any diseased or infested plants(Gardener's Supply Company, n.d.)

Ongoing Care Diseases

Ongoing care Supporting, and Suckering Tomatoes and Pinching Suckers

Watch this video to get step by step instructions about how to support and sucker indeterminate/trellis variety tomato plants..

Interactive Garden Planning Exercise

Right click on link below and choose open hyperlink to design your own garden or use a predesigned garden. (Gardener's Supply Company, n.d.)http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KGPJS

Take a Test

Right click on link below and choose open hyperlink. (ClassMarker Pty Ltd. , 2005)

http://www.classmarker.com/embedded_quizzes/?quiz=a494f54e8b87f2e957ae53d112a0b68f

References1

ClassMarker Pty Ltd. (2005). Quiz maker for professional online testing. Retrieved March 3, 2011 from http://www.classmarker.com/

Clean Air Gardening, (Producer). (2010). Growing tomatoes: try these gardening tips. [Web]. Retrieved February

12, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuTyh7kZV8g Florida State University, (2000). Florida climate center pensacola regional airport. Retrieved February 22, 2011

from http://coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/data/1971-2000normals_pensacola.shtml Florida State University, (2011). Precipitation data: pensacola. Retrieved February 22, 2011 from

http://coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/data/precip_pensacola.shtml Florida State University, (2011). weather planner. Retrieved February 22, 2011 from

http://coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/data/weatherplanner_pensacola.shtml Friday, Theresa, (2011). Lecture, Growing Tomatoes in Santa Rosa County, Fl, at Gulf Breeze Community

Gardens. Front Porch Farm, (Producer). (2010). How to step by step instructions about how to string and sucker

indeterminate/trellis variety tomato plants. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJgA4n-sCE8&feature=related

Gardener's Supply Company (n.d.). Kitchen garden designer. Retrieved February 12, 2011 from http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KGPPreplanned#printbed

References

2Gardener's Supply Company, (n.d.). Troubleshooting tomato problems. Retrieved February 27, 2011

from http://www.gardeners.com/Troubleshooting-Tomato-Problems/5086,default,pg.html Home Depot Garden Club Editor, (2011, March 2). Choosing garden center plants. Retrieved from

http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/Dimensions/Article.aspx?contentid=3849&cm_mmc=hd_email-_-030211_GC_30D-_-030211_GC_1-_-Read+More-CTA&et_rid=28301029

Momol, T, Perenzny, K, Ji, P, McGovern, R, & Olson, S. (2009). Three soilborne tomato diseases caused by

ralstonia and fusarium species and their field diagnostics. Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp127 What is a tomato trellis? (2010). [Web]. Retrieved March 1, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMhSXMcndEU&feature=related

Stephens, J. (2003, May). Tomatoes in the florida garden. Retrieved March 2, 2011 from

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh028 Stephens, J. (2010, March). * | stephens, james m | container gardening minigardening (growing

vegetables in containers). Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh032 Williams, L. (2010, March 28). Keys to growing tasty tomatoes in florida. Retrieved from

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/varieties-27280-florida-tomatoes.html