BREAKING GROUND

Homegrown tomatoes ripen on the vine, resulting in flavor far superior to what’s available at the store.
Homegrown tomatoes ripen on the vine, resulting in flavor far superior to what’s available at the store.

It was a much milder May than we are used to, but it is time to start monitoring your garden's water needs, as rainfall typically becomes spotty.

photo

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/

Tomatoes thrive in containers. This one has been contained, staked and caged.

JUNE

• Insects and diseases seem to be thriving, and we have already had plenty of mosquito bites. Make sure that you dump any standing water in your yard. Remove the saucers from under flowerpots and check out toys that can hold water. Keep birdbaths clean. You can get mosquito "dunks" or granules of Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) from your nursery or hardware store. Placed in water, they will keep mosquitoes from breeding.

• Walk your gardens often to scout for problems. The earlier you can catch them, the sooner they can be controlled. We have had reports of aphids, spider mites, potato beetles and scale insects.

• Speaking of scale insects, be sure to check the bark of your crape myrtles. More and more of the white felt scale insects are being reported. Systemic insecticides will work well. Here is a link to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service fact sheet, which describes the problem and options to control it: bit.ly/1TSnAHH.

• Gardeners are harvesting cool-season vegetables and even some early warm-season plantings. As you harvest the cool crops, replant with new vegetables to make sure you are using all the space available. There is still time to plant sweet potatoes, Southern peas, watermelons and winter squash. You can keep planting peppers, eggplant, okra and tomatoes. Be sure to water, mulch and fertilize.

• Be on the lookout for blossom end rot on tomatoes. We typically get our first calls on this in early June, and often right after a heavy

downpour. Blossom end rot starts as a water-soaked spot on the bottom of the tomato, and the spot quickly turns black. While it looks like an awful disease, it is really a calcium deficiency typically caused by fluctuations in moisture levels. Mulch your plants, and try to keep the moisture levels even. Spraying with Stop Rot can help.

• Nurseries are still a sea of color. If you want summer color, annuals and perennials are available, but so are tropical flowers. Tropical plants thrive in heat and humidity, which we have in abundance. From the more common hibiscus and mandevilla to the more unusual tibouchina and bromeliads, more and more tropical plants are making it into our shops, so try them this summer.

• Perennial plants are those that come back for at least two seasons. Right now many are in full bloom, including purple coneflower, daylilies, gaillardia, hardy hibiscus and lilies. Deadheading long-season bloomers encourages more flowers and less seed production. Deadheading simply means to cut off the flowers as they fade so that they don't set seeds. When a plant sets seeds, it puts energy into seed production and not into producing more blooms.

• Fertilize hosta plants two or three times in the growing season, and keep them watered. They are not drought-tolerant. Watch for slugs. If slugs are a problem, consider mulching your plants with sweetgum balls. This spiny mulch works well at deterring slugs and cats.

• Lawns are green and growing well, but so are the weeds. We had a bumper crop this winter, but they should have disappeared with the heat, and now the summer weeds are growing nicely. If you want a weed-free yard, consider using herbicides. Make sure you identify the weeds properly, as different products work on grassy weeds versus broadleaf weeds. Read and follow label directions. Some lawn grasses are very sensitive to chemicals, so use caution. Make sure the lawn is well-watered and healthy before you start applying chemicals or fertilizer, or you could burn the grass. Also, avoid spraying any chemicals on windy days. Regular mowing, watering and proper fertilization will help you have a healthy lawn, which should cut down on weed problems.

VEGETABLE OF THE MONTH

It's that moment we dream about all winter, as we muddle through with mere substitutes.

There is nothing like that first juicy bite of a homegrown tomato. Few vegetables -- or is that fruits? -- elicit more opinions than tomatoes. They are the No. 1 vegetable planted in home gardens, and it seems everyone has a favorite variety. Whether it is the original Arkansas pink tomato -- the Bradley -- or the Arkansas Traveler, Better Boy, roma, Sweet 100, Yellow Pear or the giant Beefsteak, they are truly good eating and can be easily grown in the home garden from transplants.

There are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes on the market, from new cultivars with disease resistance to old-fashioned heirloom varieties. It is important for disease control that you rotate your tomatoes, not planting in the same spot each year. Tomatoes are prone to various diseases and they will hit earlier and earlier each year if your crop is planted in the same spot.

Newer varieties have letters following their names: VFNT stands for resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, nematodes and tobacco mosaic virus. But even resistant varieties can get diseases if you plant in the same soil year after year.

There are two basic types of tomato plants -- determinate and indeterminate. In layman's terms, these are often referred to as bush or tall-growing plants.

Determinate plants are self-topping and typically form a stronger main stem and have a bushier growth. The top buds set fruits, thus stopping the continuation of growth. They are often sold as patio tomatoes.

Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow all season, unless you top them. Plants have grown 12 to 15 feet or longer, and require staking for support. As long as they are healthy, they will continue to produce until a freeze in the fall.

Staking the plants is necessary for indeterminate varieties, but helpful even with the patio varieties, giving the plants more stability while they are fruiting.

Regardless of type, they need six to eight hours of sun and even moisture.

They have "complete" flowers with male and female parts together, so they don't need bees to pollinate them. Regular fertilization will help with production. Normally we broadcast a complete fertilizer at planting and then side-dress every three or four weeks while the plants are producing.

Whether you like red, orange, yellow or even black-fruited varieties, there is a tomato plant to satisfy all gardeners. If you have a surplus, you can always make salsa or tomato sauce or share with friends. If you haven't planted, there is still plenty of time, and if you planted early, you aren't that far from your first harvest.

Janet B. Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

HomeStyle on 05/28/2016

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