It’s safe to say that mid-June is sort of the “honeymoon” phase of gardening. The final cold snaps are behind us. The plants in our landscapes are abundant in foliage. Many of us have just begun to harvest the first fruits of warm-season crops or are, at least, watching fruit develop in eager anticipation of that first ripe taste from our gardens. Yet, it’s early enough that pest and disease issues haven’t left us feeling disheartened. When it comes to growing tomatoes, it’s what we do now – that critical mid-season care – which will keep our plants growing strong through the more challenging times ahead.
Anyone who has gardened a season or two knows trouble is on the horizon, particularly for our problem-prone tomato plants.
I love growing tomatoes. My garden is usually packed to the brim with them, and this season is no exception. I have no fewer than 45 indeterminate varieties in my 2,960 square foot garden space. I’ve already experienced a few surprise issues, and I’m confident more are on the way. That’s just how gardening goes.
Tomato plants can go from full and lush to rife with pest and disease issues seemingly overnight. This episode includes a lot of great wisdom to help you prepare for and manage what comes.
That said, I’m able to keep problems in check by following some good tomato care practices. I want to make sure you’re equipped with them as well, so that you experience more pleasure and less frustration from your garden. That’s why I’m using this week to share an encore presentation of one of the very first episodes of the podcast. My friend and expert on all things tomato, Craig LeHoullier, and I shared a conversation all about mid-season tomato care and troubleshooting.
This is a great time to get a little jump start on the challenges that come as temperatures rise.:
- Which diseases are most common, and how you can manage them.
- How to keep watch for and address the most common tomato pests.
- What to do when the plants begin to outgrow their support.
That’s just a taste of the wealth of knowledge found in this encore episode. Even if you caught this one the first time around, this is a terrific refresher. I hope you enjoy it!
Links & Resources
Episode 005: What’s Wrong With My Tomato? Mid-Season Care With Craig LeHoullier (original episode with notes and links to additional references)
joegardenerTV YouTube: How to Make the Ultimate Tomato Cage
joegardener Online Academy Three popular online courses on gardening fundamentals; managing pests, diseases & weeds; and seed starting!
joegardener Online Academy: Master Pests, Diseases and Weeds – Just $47 for lifetime access!
Epic Tomatoes; How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time, by Craig LeHoullier
joegardener Online Academy – Podcast episode sponsor and Brand Partner of joegardener.com
