Take care of the plants (and soil) until the weather cooperates
These two plants were recently transplanted to 1-gallon pots from 4-inch containers. They're big enough to spend a few hours outdoors on a partly covered patio. Kathy Morrison
The sun is out! That’s good news. The bad news, of course, is that thanks to the recent rainstorms the soil is soggier than a sloppy sponge. And the overnight temperatures are stuck in the 30s and low 40s at least until Easter.
None of this is good for putting in young tomato plants. Tomato roots need warm loamy soil with air pockets, not mud. Ideal overnight temps should be 50 degrees. At best any plants outside will just sit there; at worst, they could be killed by cold.
Yet gardeners around here are itching to PLANT. All the nurseries are full of beautiful tomato plants. And those of us who regularly start seeds have baby plants of various sizes in greenhouses or under grow lights or in kitchen windows – and we are running out of room for them.
What to do until planting conditions are better?
– Make sure the tomato plants have enough room for their roots. Repot 6-pack-size plants to something tall like a large Starbucks plastic cup or a 24-ounce yogurt container. (Punch holes in it!) Move a 4-inch nursery plant to a 1-gallon pot. Larger plants in 1-gallon pots can move up to 2-gallon containers. (Try a cloth grow pot so it’s not too heavy to move.) A plant that has become leggy should be planted deep, up to its first set of leaves, so that new roots have the chance to grow along the buried stem.
– Give the plants enough light and warmth. If daytime temps creep up to 60, bring the plants outside for some sunshine. But be careful: Putting tender plants in direct sun could bleach the leaves, so some filtered sun is better until they’re a little hardier. Eventually they can stay out all day. I set up a temporary “greenhouse” (stacked shelves and a zipped plastic cover) at this point on a back porch so I can move the plants undercover in the evening and avoid dragging them back into the house. I also can run old Christmas lights in there if I think they need it.
– If your tomatoes are already in the ground, and have survived all the rain, wind and cold so far, congrats and go buy some lottery tickets – it’s your year! We’re not out of the woods, yet, though, so watch the weather forecasts closely thIs next week – Tuesday morning (April 4) could be frosty, for example. I know some people swear by commercial plant protection devices like the Wall O Water but I’ve never tried them. Improvised devices can include milk jugs with the bottom cut off, assuming the plants are that small, or row covers.
– If you haven’t done so yet, use some of that pent-up planting energy to prep your garden, rather than do it right before planting next month or in early May. After the soil dries somewhat, work in some poultry manure or whatever organic/natural product you prefer. (Worm castings are great if you have access to them.) Or just scatter the product on top if things are too wet. Soil health should be your primary concern. Artificial fertilizers do help plants grow but do nothing for the soil.
-- Also, this bears repeating: Don't walk on wet soil! At least where you intend to plant anything. Compacted soil loses its natural air pockets, and the essential organisms in the soil could be squeezed out.
-- Now, patience! We'll all have our tomatoes eventually.
For more on growing tomatoes and other vegetables, visit the Sacramento County master gardeners’ site for UC garden notes and other guides. I also like this 2017 post on tomato growing from the Farmer Fred Rant: https://farmerfredrant.blogspot.com/2017/03/tips-for-great-tomato-garden.html
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Food in My Back Yard Series
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of June 22
Mornings this first week of summer will remain comfortably cool – just right for gardening!
* Water early in the morning to cut down on evaporation. Check soil moisture and deep water trees and shrubs. Keep new transplants and veggies evenly moist. Deep water tomatoes to encourage deep roots.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.
* Avoid pot “hot feet.” Place a 1-inch-thick board under container plants sitting on pavement. This little cushion helps insulate them from radiated heat.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.