Fayette County's Best Tomato Contest

On Saturday, Fayette County’s Best Tomato Contest was held at the Fayette County Farmer’s Market.  Winner in the adult category for the largest tomato was Judy Mason with a 'Beefsteak' tomato that weighed in at 1 lb. 8 ¼ oz.  and was 16” in circumference.  The tastiest tomato in the adult category was grown by David Lee.  It was a 'Goliath' that was nearly 15” in circumference.  In the youth division, Austin Ourth brought a 'Brandywine' that was 1 lb. ¼ oz.  and 13 ½” in circumference.  Cade and London Arwood won the trophy for tastiest tomato in the youth division with their sweet cherry tomatoes.

Left to right:  David Lee, Austin Ourth, Judy Mason  front row:  Cade and London Arwood

 

 

 

If you want to grow prize winning tomatoes next year, try some of the following tips:

 

 

Choose a location for planting that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day, and is close to your water source.  I water my tomatoes every other day, but you may need to adjust your watering to the conditions in your garden.

 

During the fall before you plant in the spring, do a soil test and lime as needed according to the results.  Come by the Extension office to get a soil test kit. Liming is important because it adjusts your pH so that the plants can take up your fertilizers.  Proper liming also helps prevent blossom end rot. It takes a while for the lime to work, which is why you do this in the fall.

 

Never plant your tomatoes in the same spot two years in a row.  It is best if you can stretch this to 4 years between planting in that spot.  This helps with preventing soil-borne fungal diseases. Also don’t plant peppers, eggplants, okra, or Irish potatoes in that spot, as they are all in the same plant family with the tomatoes and get the same diseases. 

 

Mulch your tomato plants to provide a barrier between the soil and the tomato foliage.  This prevents fungal spores from getting splashed onto your plants.

 
 

Fertilize during the growing season according to soil test results.

 

If you are getting lots of foliage, but no fruit, you may be using too much nitrogen.

      

 

If you are getting blooms that fall off before they make fruit, it could just be really hot outside.  At temperatures over 90 degrees, flowers will sometimes abort and pollen will sometimes desiccate. 

 

Stake your plants or use cages to keep the foliage off the ground.  This is for disease prevention.

 

After you plant your tomatoes, start spraying with a preventative fungicide such as chlorothalonil every 7-10 days.  Re-spray if it rains, because it washes right off the foliage.  This is to prevent foliar fungal diseases such as late blight. 

 

Don’t apply insecticides unless you need them.  Aphids and tomato horn worms are two very common insects on tomatoes, and are very easy to kill if you see them.  Do an image search on your computer to see what they look like. Call the Extension office (465-5233) if you are in doubt about an insect or what to spray.  Never kill a ladybug on your tomatoes.  They eat aphids for you.  Do an image search on your computer to see what a lady bug larvae looks like so you will be sure not to kill them either.

 

Choose disease resistant varieties to help prevent diseases.  The plant tag on the tomato seedlings at the store will have initials that correspond to the diseases that the variety is resistant to. 

 

Don’t worry if you don’t see bees around your tomato plants.  They are gravity pollinated and do not need help from our insect friends.