Enjoy the taste benefits of homegrown tomatoes

The beginning of June is time to fill planters and pots with flowers and vegetables.

It’s also time to cut back the tall garden phlox and the sedum “Autumn Joy” so that these two summer-blooming perennials will branch out on shorter stems and not require staking. If you need details on exactly how to cut back or prune plants this month, go to YouTube and enter my name and the name of the plant you want to cut back. I will show how to prune phlox using the stair-step method. This gives you plants with a longer bloom time and sturdier stems. Cutting back sedums this week will give you cuttings that can be easily rooted in potting soil. Just remove the leaves from the bottom third of the stem and poke the cut end into soil. Sedums root quickly in moist potting soil.

June is also the month for tomatoes. Homegrown tomatoes taste superior because the varieties you grow at home do not need to be “easy to ship” so they can be grown for flavor, and the flavor increases when vine-ripened. In Western Washington, the smaller, golden fruit of “Sun Gold” and the abundance and sweet flavor of “Sweet 100” are the most dependable when it comes to ripening in our cool summer climate. These smaller tomatoes do great in containers, so all you need is a hot and sunny spot to enjoy your own tomatoes this summer.

Tomato tips and answers for Western Washington gardeners:

Why do the blossoms drop from my tomato plants?

Cold nights cause blossom drop. (A heat wave in July can also knock blossoms off of tomato plants.) Most traditional tomato varieties need night temps above 55 degrees. In our climate, you need early season tomatoes such as Early Girl, Oregon Spring, Stupice, Santium and Celebrity. These cool-season tomatoes adapt better to our often cool June nights. Tomatoes with small fruit, sometimes called patio tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, also ripen more quickly and do well in Western Washington. Covering young tomatoes on cool nights helps them hold onto their blossoms.

Why do I get all vine and no fruit? Is it because of high nitrogen fertilizer?

No. Cold nights and lack of fruit set is the blame more often than soil with lots of nitrogen. Use an all-purpose, slow-release plant food around your tomatoes at planting time or incorporate lots of compost and organic matter. There is no need to worry about finding special fertilizers made just for tomatoes.

Will rain or overhead sprinkling knock off flowers and fruit of tomatoes?

No, not unless the flowers were going to fall off anyway from cool nights. But try not to let the foliage of tomatoes get wet if you can help it. Wet foliage in Western Washington will encourage a fatal disease called tomato blight that turns the leaves and stems black.

Where is the best place in a home garden for growing tomatoes?

Tomatoes need the hottest spot where the foliage stays dry. This is often against the south- or west-facing wall of a house under the eaves to protect the plants from rain. Extra heat that comes from concrete driveways, cement pathways or other protected areas that act as heat traps also make tomatoes happy in our climate.

Do I need to prune my tomato plants?

No, but removing the bottom leaves so that they don’t touch the damp ground helps to prevent leaf blight. Most tomatoes will need to be staked or supported with a cage. Some pruning will be needed to tie the stem, and in late summer you can top any tomato plant if it grows taller than 5 to 6 feet so it can put energy into ripening the fruit.

Can I improve fruit set?

Yes, pollen is shed most on sunny days between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and the pollen needs to get from one flower to another. If you tap or gently shake or vibrate the blooming tomato plant you have a better chance of sharing the pollen. Some gardeners use an electric toothbrush to shake the plants at midday touching each blossom cluster so the pollen spills out to the flowers below. Adding more flowers to your garden will bring in the bees. The more pollinators you have the more fruit set. Plant flowers, save the world.

How often do I need to water tomatoes?

Watering depends on the soil and container. Plants in good soil with deep roots may only need water twice a month. Plants in five-gallon pots may need watering every day during hot weather. Consistent water is the key to preventing the disease called blossom end rot where the end of the tomato turns black and rots. Using a mulch of wood chips or black plastic on top of the soil will help with consistent soil moisture. Constant moisture without rotting the roots is the goal when it comes to growing tomatoes – but remember to keep the foliage as dry as possible. General rule is to stick your finger into the soil and water when the top few inches is dry to the touch.

This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 11:01 AM.