Tomato Donation Tracker

Quick Links: How & Where to Grow | Temperature | How to Care For | Harvest Signs | Pruning | Pests | Companions | Varieties | Preservation | Michigan Tips | Fun Facts

🌱 How & Where to Grow Tomatoes:

• Start seeds indoors 5-7 weeks before last frost.
• Transplant when soil reaches 60°F (late May/early June).
• Space plants 24-36 inches apart – good airflow prevents disease!
• Sunlight: Full sun (6-8 hours minimum) for best fruit production.
• Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil with pH 6.0-6.8.
• Soil Amendment: Add 2-3 inches compost and calcium to prevent blossom end rot

Plant deep! Bury 2/3 of the stem – roots will form along the buried portion for stronger plants.

🌡️ Temperature Guidance:

Minimum 60°F soil. Nights above 50°F. Optimal 65-80°F days.

• Transplanting: Wait for consistent 60°F soil and 50°F nights.
• Growing: Best fruit set between 65-75°F.
• Temperatures above 90°F cause blossom drop.
• Below 55°F at night reduces fruit set and flavor.

Michigan’s variable spring means patience pays – a late start beats frost damage!

💧 How to Care for:

• Consistent Moisture: Critical to prevent blossom end rot and cracking.
• Watering: Deep watering 1-2 inches weekly at soil level. Watering frequency can range from daily for young plants to every few days for mature, fruiting plants
• Mulch: 2-3 inches of organic mulch conserves moisture and prevents disease splash.
• Fertilizer: Start with balanced fertilizer, switch to low-nitrogen when fruiting.
• Support: Install cages or stakes at planting – waiting damages roots.

📏 Harvest Signs:

Color change to mature color. Slight yield to pressure. Easy stem separation.

• Tomatoes ripen from inside out – color is your best indicator.
• Full color with slight give when gently squeezed.
• Easy release from stem when lifted and twisted.
• Green tomatoes will ripen indoors if harvested after “breaker” stage.

Harvest in morning when fruits are cool and firm for best storage!

✂️ Pruning:

Remove suckers on indeterminates. Remove diseased leaves. Top 6 weeks before frost.

• Indeterminate types: Remove suckers (shoots between stem and branches) weekly.
• Bottom pruning: Remove lower leaves once plants are established.
• Disease management: Remove any spotted or yellowing leaves promptly.
• Late season: Top plants 6 weeks before frost to ripen existing fruit.
• Determinate types: Minimal pruning – just remove diseased leaves.

🪲 Michigan Pests:

Hornworms (hand-pick), late blight (resistant varieties), early blight.

• Hornworms – huge green caterpillars. Check daily and hand-pick.
• Late blight – devastating in humid weather. Plant resistant varieties.
• Early blight – circular spots on lower leaves. Mulch and prune affected leaves.
• Septoria leaf spot – common in Michigan. Space plants well for airflow.

🫱🏽‍🫲🏼 Companions:

Basil, marigolds, nasturtiums. Avoid black walnut, fennel.

• Basil reportedly improves tomato flavor and repels pests.
• Marigolds deter aphids and whiteflies.
• Nasturtiums act as trap crops for aphids.
• Carrots grow well between tomato rows.
• Never plant near black walnut trees or brassicas.

🍅 Varieties:

Cool: ‘Stupice’, ‘Sub Arctic’. Heat: ‘Celebrity’. Heirloom: ‘Cherokee Purple’.

• Early/Cool: ‘Stupice’ (60 days), ‘Sub Arctic’ (45 days) – for short seasons.
• Disease Resistant: ‘Mountain Fresh Plus’, ‘Iron Lady’ – for humid Michigan.
• Heirloom: ‘Cherokee Purple’, ‘Brandywine’ – incredible flavor.
• Cherry: ‘Sun Gold’, ‘Sweet 100’ – prolific and kid-friendly.
• Paste: ‘San Marzano’, ‘Roma’ – perfect for sauce.

🫙 Preservation:

Can with acid, freeze blanched, dry, green tomato storage.

• Canning: Add lemon juice or citric acid for safe water bath canning.
• Freezing: Whole tomatoes freeze well – skins slip off when thawed.
• Drying: Sun-dried or oven-dried tomatoes pack intense flavor.
• Green tomatoes: Wrap individually in newspaper, store at 55-70°F.
• Sauce: Cook down and freeze in portions for winter.
• Paste: Dehydrate sauce into leather for concentrated flavor.

✋🏼 Michigan Tips:

• Row covers spring/fall.
• Choose determinate for reliability.
• Start seeds by April 1 for Memorial Day transplanting.
• Michigan’s humidity demands disease-resistant varieties.
• Use Wall O’ Water or similar season extenders for early planting.
• Grow cherry types for guaranteed harvest in cool summers.

🧠 Fun Facts:

• Once considered poisonous.
• Michigan grows 400+ acres commercially.
• Tomatoes are botanically fruits but legally vegetables (1893 Supreme Court).
• Originally golden, not red – “pomo d’oro” means golden apple.
• Wealthy Europeans ate from pewter plates – tomato acid leached lead!
• The heaviest tomato weighed 10 pounds 12.7 ounces.
• Americans consume 80 pounds per person annually.
• La Tomatina festival in Spain uses 150,000 tomatoes for the world’s biggest food fight!