
I follow certain guidelines on what qualifies as the first tomato here at May Dreams Gardens.
First, it can't be a cherry tomato. Those are like garden candy, and technically, I've had a few cherry tomatoes already, from a variety called 'Micro Tom', which is a very small container grown variety.
Second, it can't ripen off the vine in the windowsill. I know this guideline will cause some controversy, as many gardeners pick their tomatoes a few days before the tomatoes are really ripe to make sure they get them before some bird or rabbit does.
Maybe it's just me, but I like to have a least one good tomato, vine-ripened, warmed by the sun, that I can pick and eat without leaving the garden.
Then I am ready for a deluge of tomatoes of all kinds, shapes, and sizes.
I follow a few simple practices to ensure that my tomato plants stay healthy so I have a chance at having too many tomatoes, weather permitting.
These practices include:
Try to give tomato plants an even and consistent amount of water. This is not always easy when there is a lot of rain, but, well, do your best.
Pinch off the suckers so the plant spends its energy on the tomatoes and not on a lot of foliage growth. Here's a sucker on this plant ready to be pinched out.

If a sucker gets to be too big, use your pruners to cut it off. Go ahead, it won't hurt the tomato plant.
Continue to tie your tomatoes to the stakes that you placed in the ground before you planted the tomatoes. I know some gardeners are just now putting stakes in for their tomatoes, and I wonder why they don't put the stakes in before they plant, and then plant the tomatoes right there by the stakes. That seems so simple to do, so logical...
I've written before about staking tomatoes, not caging them, so I won't lecture on that further.
Trim off any brown or diseased looking foliage. Diseased foliage should go in the trash, not the compost bin.
Look for tomato hornworms or the damage they cause. Those hornworms are like the Grinch who (tried) to steal Christmas. They will try to rob you of your tomato harvest, and no, they want have a change of heart the morning you find the first ripe tomato. They'll just eat it if they find it.
This morning, I found evidence that a tomato hornworm was on this tomato plant, a 'Yellow Mortgage Lifter'.

It takes a few minutes and some patience to find the hornworm because they are good at hiding. I finally found this one.

Some gardeners put the hornworms out away from the tomatoes for the birds to find and eat, other gardeners have other methods for killing them. Send me an email if you want the gory details of what I do. (Hint: it involves cutting off the branch with the hornworm on it, then throwing it to the ground in a disgusted manner, covering it with dirt and stepping on it. Cursing is optional!)
I spent some time this morning pinching out suckers, tying up the tomatoes to the stakes that were set in the ground before I planted the tomatoes, finding and destroying a hornworm and then looking over the tomatoes to see if I can figure out which one will be the first tomato, the ONE, the chosen, deserving of a ritual of some kind to commerate its ripening.
Will it be these one of these 'Early Girl' tomatoes?

Maybe it will be this 'German Johnson'.

Or maybe it will be this 'German Red Strawberry' variety?

And will there be a tomato contest this year?
Last year was a disappointing year for tomato growing around here so I started a ritual for the smallest tomato and it turned into a contest of sorts, which Chigiy won with a 'Red Currant' tomato. I planted some of those these year, just in case I want to repeat that ritual but I don't think that will be the contest.
I'll come up with something else for a tomato contest, something that I can win, or think I can win. Or maybe I'll get a real company to offer up a real prize, and then I'll be a judge. Hear that companies out there? Do you want to sponsor my tomato contest and offer up a free prize to the winner? Just send me an email to let me know.
In the meantime, how are everyone else's tomatoes doing this summer?
Comments
We've been enjoying tomatoes for about a month, and they're just kicking into high gear now.
Every year I say I will do better with staking/caging, but so far I qualify as lazy gardener(d).
By the way, that worm thing is freakin gross, carol!
My first almost-ripened tomato was eaten by a nutria last night.
Nutrias are too big and nasty to feed to the ducks. When I capture it, I will have animal control haul it off to death row.
Layanee, I forgive you for caging. That flower is amazing, isn't it? That's a variety I'm trying call Reisentraube. I am curious what the tomatoes will be like!
Gina, You think that hornworm is gross on the plant... try squishing one!
Jungleswife, I'll admit I've never heard of a nutria, so I looked it up. That's some rodent!
Heather's Garden, Yes, watering is key, as is good support for the plants themselves.
Thanks all for the comments!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Sister with the homestead
Some great advice here, Carol; I always use tomato cages, but I'll have to go back to read your suggestions about why staking is better.
My tomatoes were looking good, but in the last week several of them have developed some yellow and even a few brown leaves. I thought it might be because we had too much rain at one time. I hope I don't lose any plants.
Ugh to that hornworm, I'm very glad we don't have them here.
BTW there's secrets revealed at Bliss. ;-)
My bet's on that German Johnson - what a great looking tomato!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
She came up with her own:
"Ask me if I'm a tomato"
She didn't have an answer but we laughed anyway. We still do no matter who tells that old family 'joke'.
Contest?
How about the most creative way of dealing with tomato hornworms. I'd like to see some videos of hornworm dances, favorite recipes, unusual use of common household utensils and before and after pics.
Cherry tomatoes are like candy and meant to be eaten as one strolls around the garden.
Gail
~ Monica
Also, if I get lots of rain, I work egg shells into the soil for calcium to prevent blossom end rot, a problem here some years.
Wonderful post. Keep 'em coming.~~Dee
Sherry at the Zoo, I will come over and show you how to sucker tomatoes, but first you have to promise to stop caging your tomatoes!
Rose, I don't think you'll lose any plants, just trim off those brown leaves, and watch for tomato hornworms!
Yolanda Elizabet, No tomato hornworms? You are lucky.
Annie in Austin, My monies on that 'German Johnson', too!
Wiseacre, About that contest... ummm... thanks for the suggestion but I'll pass. I don't want to see all kinds of hornworm guts pictured on blogs!
Gail, Thanks, I appreciate the confidence!
The Garden Faerie, I do like the smell of tomato foliage!
Dee/Red Dirt Rambling, Don't tell anyone but I end up leaving some suckers on my tomato plants, too, because every once in a while, one will just get too big even for me to cut it off.
Ann, Your tomatoes next year will taste the much better!
Frances, You do have a longer grower season than I do, I look forward to hearing your report on 'Black Krim'. Maybe I'll grow that one next year.
Thanks all for your comments,
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
He can grow is own tomatoes if he doesn't see things my way. :)
Robin
Gardening Examiner
Green Horned Caterpillar Whispers In Shrek's Clay Ear