The forecast for the next couple of days shows some pretty cold nights. It would be best to cover up your heirlooms with a bucket, tarp or frost protector during the night time. Friday and Saturday we will be selling frost protectors at all the markets for $5 each or 3 for $12. They are re-usable for years and very helpful when getting an early start on the growing season. Insulating the your plants from the cold and more importantly, the wind is imperative. Again, if you purchased your heirlooms from The Tomato Patch, they have been "hardened off" acclimatized to the outside conditions. But, it is still suggested to cover them up at night. It will keep the soil warm and plant growing throughout this cold snap.
London Ontario Forecast
Good Luck
Mark
TheTomatoPatch.ca
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Cold Snap in SW Ontario... Protect those Heirlooms
Just a reminder that 7 day forecast shows some pretty cold weather over the next couple of days. If you have planted your heirlooms be sure to cover them up with a bucket and maybe even an old towel or blanket. If you purchased your heirlooms from The Tomato Patch, they have been hardened off and acclimatized to outdoor weather so they can take a little punishment. BUT, still cover them up over the next couple days.
Here is the forecast for London ON
Here is the forecast for London ON
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Companion Plants for your Heirloom Tomatoes
Companion Plants
Carrots: Carrots work well tomatoes because they share space well. The carrots can be planted when the tomatoes are still quite small, and can be happily growing and ready to harvest by the time the tomato plants start to take over the space.
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| Carrots |
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| Onions |
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| Borage |
Borage: Improves growth and flavor and is said to help deter tomato hornworm.
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| Asparagus |
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| Marigolds |
Marigold: Helps deter harmful nematodes from attacking tomatoes. The pungent odor can also help confuse other insect pests. To deter nematodes, the best practice is to grow the marigolds, then chop and till them into the soil at the end of the season.
Nasturtium: Help deter whitefly and aphids.
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| Nasturtium |
Basil: Growing tomatoes and basil together increases the vigor and flavor of both crops as well as repelling insects like mosquitos. It is said that basil may sweeten the taste of your heirlooms.
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| Basil |
Spinach, Lettuce, Arugula: These are also "good neighbor" crops for tomatoes. They stay fairly small, and will grow better in the heat of summer when shaded by the growing tomato plants.
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| Parsley |
Mint & Parsley: Improve the health and flavor of tomatoes. Think about container planting Mint as it can aggressively spread if left un-checked.
What Not to Plant with Tomatoes:
Brassicas: Tomatoes and all members of the Brassicas family (Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower) repel each other and will exhibit poor growth when planted together.
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| Brassicas |
Corn: Tomato fruit worm and corn ear worm are nearly identical, and planting these two crops together increases the possibility that you will attract one (or both) of these pests.
Potatoes: Planting tomatoes and potatoes together makes potatoes more susceptible to potato blight.
Dill & Fennel: Inhibits the growth of tomatoes.
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| Dill |
Sunday, May 5, 2013
"Hardening Off" your heirloom
"Harding Off" is the process of acclimatizing your heirloom tomato to outdoor weather. This process should be done gradually over a week or two, so not to stress the plant and have it die. Good News! This has been done for all heirlooms you purchase at TheTomatoPatch.ca The plants you have purchased have been exposed to outdoor temperatures everyday (except for the very cold, windy days). So prior to planting, you can leave your plant outside as long as the temp is not below 10 degrees C at night with wind. Better yet, bring them inside and put them back out during the day.
"I've left my heirlooms in the window for a week or two... are they still hardened off?"
If you have kept your heirlooms inside for a week or so... you will have to re-acclimatize them to the outdoors. Start off with putting them out for a couple of hours out of peak sun or preferably on a cloudy day. Over the following week leave the heirlooms out longer and longer. They may droop a little, especially Siberian Pink Honey (thanks for the feedback on that!) Bring them inside as it is a sign that they are being stressed a little too hard. If you have used a frost protector and already planted your heirloom, you may experience similar problems. Acclimatize the plant by opening up the top of the protector when there is no chance of night frost. You can remove the protector during periods of warmth but be very carful when putting it back on... this should probably be a two person job.
Sun Scald: Sun Scald may occur on sunny days. This is your heirloom getting a sun burn. Like us, some heirlooms are prone to burn more than other. Any potato leaf variety of plant (Prudence Purple) are comparable (in people terms) to having fair skin... they burn very easily. I've also found Mortgage Lifters and Yellow Sub heirlooms to get get sun scald very easily as well. Early on in the re-hardening process, keep them out of peak hour, direct sunlight.
"I've left my heirlooms in the window for a week or two... are they still hardened off?"
If you have kept your heirlooms inside for a week or so... you will have to re-acclimatize them to the outdoors. Start off with putting them out for a couple of hours out of peak sun or preferably on a cloudy day. Over the following week leave the heirlooms out longer and longer. They may droop a little, especially Siberian Pink Honey (thanks for the feedback on that!) Bring them inside as it is a sign that they are being stressed a little too hard. If you have used a frost protector and already planted your heirloom, you may experience similar problems. Acclimatize the plant by opening up the top of the protector when there is no chance of night frost. You can remove the protector during periods of warmth but be very carful when putting it back on... this should probably be a two person job.
Sun Scald: Sun Scald may occur on sunny days. This is your heirloom getting a sun burn. Like us, some heirlooms are prone to burn more than other. Any potato leaf variety of plant (Prudence Purple) are comparable (in people terms) to having fair skin... they burn very easily. I've also found Mortgage Lifters and Yellow Sub heirlooms to get get sun scald very easily as well. Early on in the re-hardening process, keep them out of peak hour, direct sunlight.
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| Tomato Sun Scald |
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| Sunburn |
When can we plant our Heirlooms?
Last Frost
Around here, May 24th weekend is usually considered to be the day we plant annuals. We do this because statistically the threat of frost is lower. Below is a frost map from the Ministry of Agriculture roughly corresponding to Ontario's climate zones.
Around here, May 24th weekend is usually considered to be the day we plant annuals. We do this because statistically the threat of frost is lower. Below is a frost map from the Ministry of Agriculture roughly corresponding to Ontario's climate zones.
Zone
|
Frost-Free Period
(Average in Days)
|
Average Date of
Last Spring Frost
|
Average Date of
First Fall Frost |
|---|---|---|---|
A
| 170-190 | April 25 | October 20 |
B
| 160-170 | April 30 | October 13 |
C
| 150-170 | May 3 | October 8 |
D
| 130-165 | May 11 | October 1 |
E
| 125-145 | May 17 | September 26 |
F
| 115-125 | May 24 | September 22 |
G
| 100-115 | May 27 | September 17 |
H
| 100-110 | June 3 | September 16 |
I
| 90-100 | June 7 | September 9 |
Now these are just averages. The department of Agriculture goes onto explain that there will be 50% chance of frost on the dates stated in the above table. (1 in 2 years there will be frost on that date) It then decreases to a 25% chance 7 days after the list date, dropping again to a 10% chance, 14 days from the date. (full article) So, can we plant our tomatoes on the May 24 weekend... yes, statistically we should be ok. We do need to be carful to watch for a chance of frost for the following 2 weeks after May 24th. I do seem to remember a late frost a few years back on June 4th.
The work around frost: For a small amount of money you can purchase a frost protector for your heirloom. The basic concept is once filled with water, your protector will act as a greenhouse keeping the plant and soil warm and sheltered from the elements. These protectors are said to extend the growing season of your annuals by up to 8 weeks.
Last frost is not the only concern when planting your heirloom.
The work around frost: For a small amount of money you can purchase a frost protector for your heirloom. The basic concept is once filled with water, your protector will act as a greenhouse keeping the plant and soil warm and sheltered from the elements. These protectors are said to extend the growing season of your annuals by up to 8 weeks.
Last frost is not the only concern when planting your heirloom.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Tomatoes 101
Tomato Basics
Heirloom tomatoes: Tomatoes that have been around for many generations. They are great to preserve the biodiversity among garden plants. The adaptation by the tomato plant to many factors such as climate, soil conditions, predators, disease and pollination of other plants.
Open Pollinated: Open pollinated tomatoes are those pollinated by natural means such as bees, flies and wind. Many open pollinated tomatoes are heirloom tomatoes. Open pollinated tomato seeds will produce a consistent plant, similar to its parent. Although genetically identical to its parent plant they can sometimes vary widely in shape, size and color depending on its climate and soil factors.
Indeterminate Tomatoes: Tomatoes that continue to grow and produce fruit until the first frosts. As long as the plant is alive it can produce fruit. These tomatoes should be staked to keep it healthy.
Determinate/ Bush Tomatoes: These tomatoes have a specific set time they will produce then they stop growth. These type of tomatoes generally won’t require extra staking.
Hybrid Tomatoes: A basic explanation of a hybrid tomato variety is a variety that has been purposely created by selectively cross breeding two or more different tomato varieties to take on positive traits of the parent tomato types. Hybrids are usually noted as "hybrid" or by "F1" or "F2". An F1 hybrid is a first generation cross. An F2 is a cross of two F1 hybrid types. If you saved the seeds of most hybrid tomatoes and re-planted them, those seeds would not have the same characteristics as your first planting.
www.londonsfarmersmarket.ca http://www.coventmarket.com/
Heirloom tomatoes: Tomatoes that have been around for many generations. They are great to preserve the biodiversity among garden plants. The adaptation by the tomato plant to many factors such as climate, soil conditions, predators, disease and pollination of other plants.
Open Pollinated: Open pollinated tomatoes are those pollinated by natural means such as bees, flies and wind. Many open pollinated tomatoes are heirloom tomatoes. Open pollinated tomato seeds will produce a consistent plant, similar to its parent. Although genetically identical to its parent plant they can sometimes vary widely in shape, size and color depending on its climate and soil factors.
Indeterminate Tomatoes: Tomatoes that continue to grow and produce fruit until the first frosts. As long as the plant is alive it can produce fruit. These tomatoes should be staked to keep it healthy.
Determinate/ Bush Tomatoes: These tomatoes have a specific set time they will produce then they stop growth. These type of tomatoes generally won’t require extra staking.
Hybrid Tomatoes: A basic explanation of a hybrid tomato variety is a variety that has been purposely created by selectively cross breeding two or more different tomato varieties to take on positive traits of the parent tomato types. Hybrids are usually noted as "hybrid" or by "F1" or "F2". An F1 hybrid is a first generation cross. An F2 is a cross of two F1 hybrid types. If you saved the seeds of most hybrid tomatoes and re-planted them, those seeds would not have the same characteristics as your first planting.
www.londonsfarmersmarket.ca http://www.coventmarket.com/
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