How to Use This Course v

LETS
GROW
TOMATOES

Table of Contents
Index

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Dr. and Mrs. Dee L. Stoops. Though skilled in the
medical sciences, they couldn't resist growing tomatoes. Their enthusiasm and
positive attitude in facing successes and failures were contagious--it was the
stimulus which kept me constantly experimenting with the world's most popular
vegetable, tomatoes. This publication is the result of that work, and it came into
being because of the confidence shown to me by this wonderful couple.
J. R. Mittleider
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Dr. Jacob R. Mittleider

International Agriculture Consultant.

COLOR PHOTO SECTION

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Tomatoes are a vital ingredient in any gardening project.

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Grow-Boxes
can be equipped with watering systems which increase the yield and reduce man-hours of work.
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Tomatoes grown
in pots in homemade greenhouses add several weeks to the growing season.

Transplanting
tomato plants into a mini Grow-Box.
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Concrete forms are durable Grow-Box

frames.

Preparing Grow-
Boxes for a new planting.
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Stores can't match the flavor of the home gardener's succulent vine--ripened tomatoes.
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Components of a watering system for mini Grow-Boxes.

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The Mittleider Grow-Box system yields firm, vine-ripe tomatoes from plants seven feet tall.

A careful spraying program protects against animal

invaders.
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Careful pruning is the

key to firm tomatoes of uniform size and quality.

1
Introduction

Have you ever wondered what it would be like not to have tomatoes? No doubt
we would survive, but something wonderful would be missing!
Tomatoes are hardy plants that will grow under a wide range of conditions. But
even though they are easy to grow, the crops are sometimes disappointing and
unprofitable because the yields are small and the shape and quality of the fruit is
poor.
Uniform size and high quality crops require skill and perseverance on the part of
the gardener or farmer.
Production methods vary, depending on what the crop is used for--marketing,
canning, or for table use.
The steady increase in the fixed costs of production, and the price the retail
public is willing to pay for market-ripe tomatoes, places constant pressure on the
grower. In order for him to survive, he must increase production yields, improve
the quality of the fruit and reduce his fixed operating costs.
During the past few years, great changes have been introduced in the growing
and production of tomatoes. Among the changes, one that has repeatedly
demonstrated its worth is the Mittleider Grow-Box Method.
The history of growing crops in Grow-Boxes dates back about 40 years. But only
recently has the national and international interest in food production attracted
sufficient attention to investigate the enormous potential of the Grow-Box
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method. Many years of research have been spent in developing the Grow-Box
method of growing crops.
This publication deals with factors associated with tomato production specifically
in Grow-Boxes. However, the methods outlined can be used with success in
various other methods of growing.

2
The Importance Of The Tomato

To people around the world, the word tomato is like a bit of sweet music. In some
languages it is called the love-apple, and the name is quite fitting!
The dictionary defines the tomato as a widely cultivated solanaceous (Solanum,
meaning a large genus) family of plants, bearing a slightly acid, pulpy fruit,
commonly red, sometimes yellow; the fruit itself is used as a vegetable.
The family name for this type of plant is Lycopersicon. In this family there are
several varieties of important domesticated crops and some uncultivated
varieties--some good, some bad. For example:
Potato, an edible tuber, called ground berry in the German language.
Tomato, a widely-cultivated plant. There are many varieties, such as the cherry
tomato and the Big Boy.
Peppers, the annual sweet and hot varieties.
Eggplant, several varieties (annual and bi-annual).
Tobacco, A poisonous herb with narcotic leaves.
Nightshade weeds, several varieties which have white flowers and bear
poisonous berries. And,
Jimson weed, a coarse ill-smelling weed with white flowers, poisonous spiny
fruit and narcotic leaves.
From this partial list it can be seen that the tomato has an impressive heritage.
And fortunately, the tomato and its relatives are not restricted by climatic zones--
they will grow in the tropics, the sub-tropics, the temperate, and cold-temperate
climates. However, they will freeze at 32°F.
The tomato is treated as an annual (planted every year), but under some
conditions the same plants will live two years and sometimes longer.

In America, until about 1935, field-crop tomatoes were comparatively easy to

grow. They produced fruit in almost any garden soil with minimum care. The Old
Timers still reminisce about picking a bushel (60 pounds) of large, ripe, juicy fruit
from a single tomato plant.
Since 1935, the problems associated with growing tomatoes have been
increasing in many areas of production. However, through continued research,
new disease and virus-resistant varieties have been developed. They are being
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introduced rather frequently, and the tomato continues to be very popular.

No garden seems to be complete unless it has a few tomato vines. And since this
is so, this publication has been prepared to help you produce more tomatoes, in
less space, and to harvest ripe fruit over a longer season.

3
What Are Grow-Boxes?

Grow-Boxes are small garden plots enclosed in frames which are leveled in
place and filled with special custom-made soil. They are used primarily to
produce special crops for commercial purposes and fresh vegetables for family
use.
The frames can be made of many kinds of non-toxic materials. The Grow-Boxes
can vary in size, but the most common sizes are either 18 inches or 4 feet wide
by 30 feet long by 8 inches deep.

A Grow-Box frame.

Grow-Boxes rest on top of the soil surface, and they have no bottoms or lids.
They can be constructed almost anywhere--on steep hillsides, over rocks, over
alkali or clay soils, eroded soils, over swampy land, and even on a carport. But
remember the frames must be level!
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Hillside frames.

Selecting and Preparing the Area

1. The size of the area depends on the land available and the number of Grow-
Boxes planned.
2. Almost all vegetable crops require sunshine--so choose a sunny location!
3. Stay away from shade caused by trees and hedges and buildings.
4. The ideal is for full sunshine on the Grow-Box throughout the entire day.
5. Winds, whether cold or hot, injure the leaves and crops. Avoid windy areas
and choose protected garden spots.
6. Stay out of low areas, especially where water collects or stands.
7. Build on high ground. This is primarily to assure unrestricted drainage.
8. Plants, too, get thirsty! Rains are usually not dependable as a source of water
throughout all the year. Build Grow-Boxes close to a reliable source of water.
9. Walkways between and around Grow-Boxes are necessary. Make them safe
for walking, either by removing all obstacles or by covering them with sand or
soil.
10. For ease and convenience, include an access road into the area.

Make a sketch of the area.

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Avoid shade.

Sunshine is needed all day.

Build on high ground.

Now, mark off and level the whole area, if possible. Or, mark off plots for each
Grow-Box if the area is a hillside. Remove all weeds and brush, rocks, vines,
dead logs, etc.

Avoid low areas with poor drainage.

Have water handy.

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Make aisles safe for walking.

A pickup truck lightens the work.

Tools Needed to Build Wooden Frames
1 claw hammer
1 ball chalkline or ball nylon string
1 handsaw or skill saw
1 4-pound hammer to drive wooden stakes
1 level (2 feet long or longer)
1 shovel for digging and moving dirt
Materials Needed to Build One 4' x 30' x 8'' Grow-Box
68 feet 1'' x 8'' redwood or cedar lumber - 6 10' and 1 8' lengths.
24 1'' x 2'' x 18'' redwood or cedar stakes--pointed at one end
1 pound 3'' nails (box type)
Construction Materials
Grow-Boxes are usually made of lumber or cement. But other materials such as
bricks, cement blocks, rocks, small-diameter straight poles, metal, etc., can be
used.
Please note: Some soft-wood lumber rots quickly unless it is treated with a
preservative. Paint and copper-based compounds are usually safe to treat
lumber against decay. But do not use kreosote. Kreosote is toxic to plants.

A cement frame Grow-Box.

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Frames can be made with bricks, blocks, etc.

How to Construct a Grow-Box

1. Drive two stakes 35 feet apart and stretch a string between the stakes.
2. Drive two more stakes 10 feet apart at right angles to the first two stakes and
stretch a line between them.
3. Level the area, at least partially, under the strings.

Stretching the first chalkline

Keep the chalkline tight.

Level the area partially.

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Starting the Grow-Box frame.

4. Cut the 1 x 8" x 8' board into 2 4' lengths.
4. Take one long board and one end board and nail the ends together.
5. Move the boards into position--the point where the two strings cross.
6. Drive the first stake in line with the longest string, and back about 8 inches
from the end of the Grow-Box.
7. Place the level on the top edge of the long board.
8. Raise or lower the board to make it level.
9. When level, stake and nail the stake to the board.
10. Bend the end of the nail downward against the board inside the box frame.
11. Next, move down the board 6 to 8 feet and drive a stake in line with the
string. Level the board and nail the stake to the board.
12. Move to the end of the board. This time half of the stake should extend
beyond the end of the board. This is necessary to splice the next length of board.
Level the stake and nail it.

Setting the frame in position.

Drive the first stake 8 inches from the end.

Checking for level.

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Leveling the frame.

Nail the stake to the board.

Bend the nail downward.

Level the whole box frame.

Nail two boards to the same stake.

13. There are two kinds of splices to choose from (see below #19). Both are
satisfactory!
14. Continue the process of leveling, staking and nailing to the end of the Grow-
Box.
15. Next, drive a stake along the end string. Level, stake and nail the end board.
16. To level the end of the Grow-Box and the opposite side, place the level
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across the corner of the frame. When level, stake and nail.
17. A simple aid used for leveling and for lining up the opposite side of the Grow-
Box frame is the use of the spreader board (5th picture below) and the level.
17. Leveling across the corners gives a more accurate level than leveling from
the top edge of the board.
18. To strengthen the Grow-Box frame, drive additional stakes and nail them to
the frame.
19. When the Grow-Box is properly leveled, staked and nailed, it looks like this!

Two kinds of splices.

Staking the frame.

Staking the end board.

Leveling the end board.

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Using a spreader board.

Leveling the corner.

Adding extra stakes.

View of a completed
frame.

Several Factors to Remember When Building Frames

Always drive the stakes on the outside of the frames.
Nail the stake to the boards--not visa versa.
The frames, both length and width, must be level.
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The tops of the stakes and frames should be even.

When treating lumber, do not use kreosote!
The frames must rest on top of the ground for proper drainage. Do not sink
them into the ground.
For more complete details, and explanations and drawings on Grow-Box
construction, Grow-Box soils, Grow-Box location, filling Grow-Boxes with special
soil, etc., refer to the book Grow-Box Gardening (AKA More Food From Your
Garden), by the same author.

4
Grow-Box Soils

Experience with various crops grown in Grow-Box special soil has demonstrated
that cold-weather plants grew stronger and sturdier in cold weather and did well
even into hot weather. The experiments showed also that heat-loving plants did
better in the heat of summer, when the plants grew in custom-made soil, as
compared to growing in regular soils of the field and garden.
What made the difference? The Grow-Box soil is fluffy, lightweight, porous,
loose, yet stable enough to resist wind and water erosion. It allows water to
penetrate (percolate) freely. The soil can be tilled easily and quickly with simple
garden tools, or just by hand. It eliminates the need for powered equipment.
Because the boxes are level, it is easy to fertilize evenly and accurately, and
abundant oxygen exchange to the roots of the plants is allowed.
The structure of the soil provides a relatively even temperature in which cool-
weather plants grow well, even in the heat of summer.
The few persistent weed seeds, which blow in and germinate occasionally, can
be destroyed easily merely by rubbing the hand over the surface of the Grow-Box
soil surface between the plants.
When vegetable crops are grown in Grow-Boxes, there is no reason to abandon
the project to the weeds!
The soil combinations recommended for sprouting seeds or for filling the Grow-
Boxes are a mixture of: sand and peat moss; sawdust and sand; sand, peat
moss and perlite; coffee hulls and fine sand, or other similar materials. Please
note, however, that regular garden and field soils are not recommended to fill
grow-boxes!
Seeds which are sprouting require oxygen, moisture, and warmth. The soil
combinations recommended above meet these specifications.
Note also that the list includes only part of the materials which are generally
available. Before rejecting or adopting any product to use as a soil media, the
following questions should be considered:
1. Is it toxic to plants?
2. Does it decompose (decay) within four months? The time is important!
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3. Does the material repel moisture?

4. Does it heat and ferment?
5. Does it settle into layers, pack and harden as the plants grow?
If the answer to any of the questions is yes, the products should not be used. If
the answers are no, the materials are usually safe to use.

Custom-made soil.

Suggested soil combinations.

Suggested soil combinations.

Suggested soil combinations.

The materials listed above are much improved if two or more are combined. The
following combinations are recommended:
40% sawdust, 40% perlite, 20% medium sand.
45% coffee hulls, 55% pumice.
40% peat moss, 30% perlite, 30% medium sand.
45% pine bark, 20% perlite, 35% sand.
65% sawdust, 35% sand.
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When combining the materials, measure them by volume, not by weight. Also,
the different percentages of the materials can be increased or decreased. And
with many materials to choose from, it is well to select from those which are
locally available and low in price.
The materials chosen can be mixed together by hand, with a cement mixer, or
with a tractor that has a front-end loader attachment. They should be mixed
before filling the Grow-Boxes.
For small projects, however, the materials can be spread out in layers in the
boxes and then mixed together.

A group mixing the special soil.

Hand mixing in the Grow-Box is adequate.

5
How To Get Plants!

There are two ways to produce tomato plants: One is by planting seed; the other
is through rooting cuttings taken from growing plants.
The science of sprouting seeds and growing strong seedlings is explained in the
chapters which follow, and everyone can choose whether to grow plants from
seed or buy the plants from an established grower when they are needed.
In either case, it is recommended that the plants be 4 to 8 weeks old and
hardened off--exposed to full sun and air at least 72 hours--before they are
transplanted where they will bear fruit.
Seed catalogs list many varieties of tomatoes. Nearly all produce red fruit, but
several varieties produce yellow fruit. The yellow fruit is equal in flavor with the
red fruit and the plants are just as easy to grow.
The varieties differ in the number of days required to produce ripe fruit from seed.
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Some take 52 days, some 67 days, some 90 to 110 days.

Sometimes just looking over the large list of tomato varieties listed in a seed
catalog and the variable number of days required to produce ripe fruit leads to
confusion over how to make the best choices in selecting seed.
This problem can be simplified, however, if the varieties most commonly grown in
your area are utilized for the main crop varieties, and only one or two new
varieties are planted each year on an experimental basis. This procedure can
prove rewarding in a relatively short while in determining which varieties do best
in specific areas. To a large degree, the variety should be chosen on the basis of
what the crop will be used for and on the type of propagating equipment
available.
The answers to the following questions may be helpful in determining which are
the best varieties to grow:
1. Are you growing plants from seed to produce tomatoes for your own needs
and for marketing?
2. Do you have a cold-frame or a box-type greenhouse to sprout seeds and grow
seedlings?
3. Or, do you have a genuine greenhouse, equipped to grow seedlings during
cold weather?
Obviously, if adequate facilities for growing plants from seed are not available,
the plants should be purchased from one who has the facilities.
When the facts are all considered, it is usually more economical for the average
family to buy the tomato plants for the garden at the time they are needed, than it
is to grow them. However, to depend on the market for plants carries an element
of risk and other limiting factors. For example:
1. Most gardening people get the urge to plant gardens at the same time.
Therefore, the larger, well-hardened plants are quickly bought and disappear
from the market. This leaves only the softer and very small younger plants, which
obviously are not as desirable.
2. The younger the seedlings, the longer it takes to pick vine-ripe tomatoes.
Using very young seedlings consequently shortens the picking season before the
frost kills the crop. This means a reduction in yield, in sales, and in the potential
income from the crop.
For these and other reasons, the trend to grow plants from seed, even for private
use, is expected to increase.
The information which follows is specifically on tomato production and deals with
some of the basic factors associated with seed germination and plant care
throughout the entire growing season.
Advantages in Growing Plants From Seed
There are two major advantages to growing plants from seed. The first is that
because tomatoes are everbearing, the labor and expense involved in growing
the crop is nearly the same whether harvesting lasts three weeks or three
months. And it is possible when growing plants from seed to lengthen the picking
season by as much as twelve weeks. To illustrate, if the normal planting season
in the field or garden is May 15, the seed can be planted in the nursery as early
as February 15, if you have the facilities and are willing to transplant 3 times in
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the greenhouse.
The procedures for growing sturdy seedlings in the nursery for a lengthy period
of time are explained in the chapters which follow.
The second advantage is that when growing plants from seed, a larger variety
can be grown. And by planting several varieties, vine-ripe tomatoes can be
picked over a longer period of time. For example, if varieties like pixey which
produce vine-ripe tomatoes in 52 days, Earlians which ripen fruit in 65 days, and
Better Boy which ripen fruit in 80 days are grown, picking vine-ripe tomatoes can
begin 52 days after planting seed and can continue right on through the summer
and fall seasons--in fact, until the frost kills the plants.

6
Facts To Know About Seed

Seed Viability
Under normal conditions, tomato seed remains viable (fertile) for two to ten years
in arid and dry regions. In contrast, in humid and tropical areas, unless the seed
is stored with the fresh vegetables in the family refrigerator, the seed will die in
30 days!
But even though tomato seed does have a long life potential, there is really no
economy in buying more seed than will be used in one or two seasons.
Treating the Seed Against Disease
Many vegetable seeds sold today are treated against disease and are packaged
in vacuum-sealed packets or tins. It is safe to plant them without further
treatment for disease control. Seeds which have not been treated previously
carry a high risk as potential disease carriers. To be sure such seeds are not
diseased, they should be heat-treated with hot water before planting.
The recommended treatment for tomato seeds is to immerse the seeds in 130°F.
water for 30 minutes. Here's how: Take a good quantity of seed; put into the toe
of a pantyhose; using a candy thermometer, adjust water temperature in a pan of
running water to 130 degrees; insert seeds into water and stir; maintain a
constant temperature - even one or two degrees change,if too low can fail to kill
disease pathogens, or if too high can kill the seed. Cool the seeds quickly after
treatment and dry them thoroughly in the air. Heat-treated seeds can be planted
immediately after treatment, or stored for planting weeks or months later. Be
aware that hot water treatment of tomato seeds reduces germination by about
10%. The heat kills the weaker seeds.
Do not put heat-treated seeds back into the original containers! Place them in
new envelopes or plastic containers. Putting treated seed back into the original
containers will re-contaminate the seed! For more detailed information on
hotwater treatment of plants and seeds, refer to the book Food For Everyone by
the same author, chapters 52 and 58.
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A valuable reference
book.

A tray of tomato seedlings.

Pots of seedlings.

Sterilizing Soil for Seed

Tomato seed can be sprouted in three days, or it may take two to three weeks.
Temperature and moisture make the difference. Tomatoes are heat-loving plants
and the seed germinates rapidly in soil that is uniformly warm--between 70 and
80°F.
If only a few plants are needed, seed can be sown broadcast in a 4-inch plastic
pot or in a narrow tray. The container should be clean, free from disease, and
filled with soft sterilized soil. If regular garden or field soil is used to sprout seed,
it should be sterilized previously, even if sterilizing is done in the kitchen oven, to
be sure it is disease free.
Sterilizing soil in the family oven is a quick operation. Spread the desired amount
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of soil 1/2-inch deep on a flat metal cookie sheet. Place it in the oven, preheated
to 250°, and leave for 30 minutes. Remove the soil from the oven and use when
cool. Or, if stored for use later, put the soil in a clean container. To avoid re-
contamination, store it in containers which have tight lids.
Problems Found in Using Regular Field Soil
Nearly all field and garden soils are depleted in humus, which is the remains from
decomposed organic residues. Consequently, the soils develop wide cracks as
they dry and set hard like cement. Water penetration (percolation) to the roots is
slow and restricted. The oxygen supply in the soil is inadequate and stale.
Machinery, which is expensive to purchase and costly to operate, is necessary to
prepare the hard soil for planting and growing crops.
The Weed Problem
Weeds are plants out of place. They are highly-specialized plants which thrive
even in poor soils and luxuriate in soils prepared for gardens.
Often when gardens are grown in regular soil they are planted and cared for
enthusiastically for the first several weeks of the season and later neglected. The
weeds quickly overrun the vegetable crops and the results for the hard work are
disappointing and discouraging.
Weed control problems, plus the struggle and the expenses usually encountered
in gardening on regular soils, are factors which prompted the research and
experimentation to overcome the problems. The Grow-Boxes and the special soil
recommended are the results of the research projects.
Starting Plants From Seed
Here's how to start tomato plants from seed.
Plant the seed 8 to 12 weeks before the danger of frost is past and it is warm
enough to plant in the garden. Suggested dates, if your last average frost date is
May 15, are February 21 to March 21.
Step one: Fill a seedflat, 4-inch pot, or narrow tray with special soil, such as 75%
peat moss, 25% perlite or sand.
Regular seedflats are 18 inches square and 2 3/4 inches deep, outside
dimensions. They have bottoms with 1/4 inch cracks for drainage, but no lids.
Step two: Sprinkle evenly 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) of the Preplant Fertilizer
over each seedflat, and mix it thoroughly with the soil.

An empty standard-size flat.

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Spreading fertilizer in the flat.

The Preplant Fertilizer Formula:

5 pounds lime --either agricultural, dolomite, or
gypsum (see note on lime, page 41)
4 ounces magnesium sulfate (epsom salt)
1 ounce boron (borax) sodium borate or boric acid
----
5 pounds 5 ounces - total
Prepackaged Pre-Plant mix is also available in some locations. It has small
amounts of N, P, & K, but not enough to hurt your seeds.
Be aware that mixing the separate compounds together lowers their melting point
in some cases. This happens because they are hygroscopic. After being mixed
together the compound can become damp and wet within a few-days time, or it
can set firm and hard. These changes do not weaken or affect the potency of the
fertilizer formula, but it makes it inconvenient to apply. Because of this, it is
recommended that the formulas be mixed in the amounts needed and applied
within a week or two after mixing, if possible.

A bag of grow-box fertlizer.

Store both the separate compounds and the mixed fertilizers in a cool place at
all times; never set them in full sun. Keep the bags closed, or provide containers
with tight lids to store the various minerall compounds.
A few words about lime: Use gypsum in areas getting 18 inches or less of rainfall
annually. Use agricultural, dolomite, or slacked lime in areas getting more than
20 inches of rainfall annually.
How Many Seeds Per Seedflat?
The size and the number of seedflats required depends on how many seeds will
be planted. Frequently, several seedflats are planted at one time. Limit the seed
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to between 600 and 900 per flat.

Mixing soil and fertilizers.

Leveling the soil in a flat.

A flat filled and watered.

Making seed depressions with plastic pipe.

Step three: Make sure the seedflats are level full with special soil. Remove any
excess soil by pulling a 1 x 4 x 20-inch straight-edge board over the top of the
flat.
Step four: Gently and lightly water the seedflats to settle the loose soil.
Step five: From a 3/4 or 1-inch piece of plastic pipe, cut off a length 16 1/2 inches
long.
Step six: Make depressions in the seedflats by pressing the pipe into the soil
evenly to the desired depth. The depressions can be made 2 inches apart across
the seedflat. Not all seeds are planted the same depth. The size of the seed
determines usually how deep the depressions should be made. The rule of
thumb is 2 1/2 times the seed thickness. For tomato seed, make the depressions
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in the seedflat between a 1/4 inch and a 1/2 inch deep.

Step seven: Scatter the tomato seed evenly along the bottom of the depressions
in a 1/2'+ wide band. Do not scatter more than 600 to 900 seeds in one standard-
size 18'' x 3''-deep seedflat.
Step eight: Cover the seed by pulling a knife blade between the depressions, and
gently flatten the surface level and even.

Spread the seed in a broad band.

Level the seeded flat.

Step nine: Cover the planted seedflats with burlap or cheesecloth
Step ten: Water the flats sufficiently to settle all the loose soil, but do not float the
seed to the surface. Use only water to water newly-planted seed. Never water
unsprouted seed with fertilizer solutions! Why? Any kind of fertilizer applied to
unsprouted seed can delay germination and can kill swollen seeds!
.

Use burlap to cover the seeds.

A can with 125-150 holes is used for watering.

Step eleven: Keep the seedflats damp at all times. Whenever it is necessary to
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water, water over (through) the burlap cover. Remember, when watering
germinating seeds in seedflats, do not roll or float the seeds to the surface.
Step twelve: Immediately as soon as the new sprouts can be seen, remove the
burlap and set the seedflats in full light. Do this even before the sprouts have
emerged through the soil.
Step thirteen: And, just before removing the burlap, water the seedflats with the
Constant Feed solution. Note that the sprouted seeds and seedling plants should
always be watered with the Constant Feed solution during the entire time the
plants are in the seedhouse (the Constant Feed formula is given on page 48
below).

7
Transplanting Seedlings

Newly-sprouted seedlings will require transplanting in 7 to 10 days after they

have emerged through the soil. Transplanting seedlings into pots is
recommended, to minimize the shock of the next transplanting.
Square plastic pots are preferred over round pots, peat pots, or pots made of
other materials. Remember, the special seedhouse boxes are called flats. Flats
sometimes vary in size and depth. But the recommended size is 18'' square by 2
3/4'' deep.
Each flat holds 72 or 81 2-inch square plastic pots; 36 3-inch square pots; or 25
4-inch square pots.

Seeds germinate evenly.

Transplanting seedlings.

Filling Square Pots

The special Grow-Box soil outlined in previous chapters is used to fill the pots.
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Here's a fast method to fill the pots with soil:

1. Fill the flats with square plastic pots placed side by side.
2. Put about two shovels full of the special soil over the pots in the flat.
3. Spread the soil over the pots by hand, and fill every pot with soil.
4. Remove all excess soil by pulling a 1 x 4 x 20-inch straight-edge board over
the top of the filled pots.
5. After filling the pots with soil, water the flats gently to settle the loose soil
particles.

Filling pots with soil.

Remove excess soil.

Planting Instructions
Step one: To make transplanting easy, take a 1/2-inch dowling rod and cut off a
dibble 6 inches long, and point one end. Take the dibble and make a hole in the
center of a pot. Dibble holes made in pots which are watered adequately will not
cave in! The holes are clean. The hole should be the full depth of the pot. Select
only the best-shaped and most vigorous plants for transplanting into pots.
Step two: Use the dibble to gently loosen the seedlings and lift a plant from the
seedflat. Lift the seedlings by the leaf, not by the stem, and keep as much soil on
the roots as possible.
Step three: Plant only one plant in each pot. The hole in the pot should be large
enough and deep enough to accommodate the roots and stem of the seedling
plant. Special care should be taken during transplanting to be sure the roots do
not fold upward around the plant stem like a fishhook.

Make 6-inch dibbles from 1/2-inch dowling rods.

How to Use This Course v

Wet soil leaves clean holes.

Step four: Transplant the seedlings deep in the pots. Leave only about 1/2 to 1
inch of the growing tip sticking above the soil surface.
Step five: Close the hole around the stem and roots by pushing the dibble, on an
angle, down beside the plant stem. Be careful not to injure or bruise the plant
stem in this process, but be sure the soil is in contact with the roots. Soil contact
around the roots is essential for immediate growth of new roots. To check for soil
contact, gently pull on the leaf. The plant should be tight.

Lift seedlings by their leaves.

Plunge the plants deep.

Step six: After planting, place the flats on a level surface such as a table. This is
important to produce plants of uniform size.
Step seven: Water the planted pots very soon after transplanting, before the
plants begin to wilt.

Water the plants before they wilt.

How to Use This Course v

Don't bruise the plant stem.

Checking for loose plants.

The seedlings grow rapidly.

Remember, the modern concept in watering and feeding seedlings is the
Constant Feed method. With this method plants are fed everytime they are
watered. The Constant Feed method is usually continued throughout the entire
time the plants are growing in the seedling greenhouse. The Constant Feed
method is outlined in chapter 8.

8
Constant Feed Method

The Mittleider Weekly Feeding Formula

The Constant Feed fertilizer solution is made by using the following fertilizer
formula (see also The Mittleider Gardening Course p 53 for an up-dated
Constant Feed formula):
9 pounds calcium nitrate
4 pounds ammonium nitrate
1 1/2 pounds di-ammonium phosphate (18-46-0)
4 1/2 pounds potash (either sulfate or muriate of potash)
6 pounds magnesium sulfate (epsom salt)
8 ounces iron sulfate
4 grams copper sulfate
How to Use This Course v

8 grams zinc sulfate

12 grams manganese sulfate
12 grams boron (sodium borate called borax)
3 grams molybdenum (either sodium or ammonium molybdate)
----
25 1/2 pounds total (strong)

Make a "Constant Feed" solution.

Weigh the fertilizers accurately.

This formula weighs 25 1/2 pounds. Whenever trace minerals (micro-nutrients)
are used the quantities are very small. This is the reason they are called trace
minerals. And because of the small amounts, weighing and mixing together
smaller quantities of this formula is not recommended.

Dissolve the fertilizers.

Can with holes in the bottom for watering.

One batch of this formula is adequate to 25 55-gallon barrels of Constant Feed
solution, or to supply the fertilizer needs for two standard 4' x 30' Grow-Boxes, for
seven weeks of feeding.
Procure a 30 or 55 gallon drum or similar container that will hold water. Plastic is
recommended because it resists corrosion.
How to Use This Course v

To make 55 gallons of Constant Feed solution, weigh accurately 1 pound (16

ounces) of the Mittleider Weekly Feeding fertilizers, mentioned above. And, for
30 gallons of solution, weigh 9 ounces of the same fertilizers. Fill the container
with water and dissolve the fertilizers before using.
How To Apply The Solution
There are at least two methods to choose from in applying the Constant Feed to
greenhouse plants.
Dip the solution from the drum into a sprinkler can and apply the contents to the
plants with the sprinkler can.
Or, take a No. 2 (16 oz) can, cut out the lid from one end and with a small nail
and hammer, or with an ice pick, make holes (many small holes - between 125
and 150) in the lid of the other end. Dip the solution from the drum and fill a 3 or
5 gallon pail. Holding the pail at table-top level and close to the flats, dip the
contents from the pail with the No. 2 perforated can and water the plants in the
seedhouse.
Applying the Constant Feed solution to seedlings with the perforated No. 2 can is
the quickest and most thorough method of application, but it may require a short
period of practice before efficiency is attained.
Every time the plants are watered use this fertilizer solution, even if this is every
day or twice a day!
Label a 3 gallon pail "Concentrate" and fill with water and 16 ounces of Weekly
Feed. Keep where it will not be mistaken for Constant Feed mix and used to
water plants - it will kill your plants in this concentration! When the drum is
empty, refill it with water and add the concentrated fertilizers from the 3 gallon
pail, that will be dissolved and ready for immediate use. If you put granular
fertilizer directly into your 55 gallon drum, it will not be dissolved for several
hours.
The Constant Feed method will not burn the leaves of even the most salt-
sensitive plants, and when using this method it is impossible to over-feed or over-
water the plants, regardless of their size.

9
How To Keep Plants From Growing Spindly

Seed can be planted early enough to have plants 8 to 12 weeks old when the
danger of frost is past. But, whether or not this can be accomplished depends on
the propagating facilities available and if the seedlings are cared for properly.
Under suitable but possibly less than ideal conditions, it takes between 5 and 8
weeks after seed germination for tomato plants to grow 8 to 10 inches tall. Much
depends on the temperature. Tomatoes are heat-loving plants and grow very
slowly when the soil temperature is 50° or less. In daylight temperatures between
80° and 90°, tomato plants grow rapidly.
How to Use This Course v

"Constant Feed" produces healthy plants.

Properly fed plants remain healthy.

If the propagating facilities can supply young seedlings with adequate light,
oxygen, nutrients, moisture, and warmth, the plants can be started early enough
to have flowers and small tomatoes by the time the danger of frost is past and it
is safe to plant them in the grow-boxes or garden.
To keep plants growing normally, provide sufficient nighttime heat to keep the
temperature above 50° if possible, but at least above 32°. Plant growth is nearly
stopped at 50°F.
During the daytime when the temperature is above 32°, allow fresh air into the
seedhouse to change the stale air. During days when the outside temperatures
are in the high 30's, opening the doors or ventilators for just 30 minutes in the
seedhouse is adequate to supply fresh air to the plants. As the days lengthen
and the outside temperatures rise, longer periods of ventilation should be given.
Water and feed the flats every day, if necessary. Never permit the soil to become
dry!
Under normal conditions, plants overcome the transplanting shock within two or
three days, and after 4 or 5 days the plants will begin to show new leaf growth.
Within two or three weeks after transplanting into 2-inch pots (or 3-inch plastic
pots, depending mainly on the temperature), the leaves of the plants will begin to
overlap each other in the flats. When this occurs tomato plants will grow spindly
(leggy) and tall very quickly, since each plant is vying for adequate light.
Preventing Plants From Growing Spindly
When the leaves begin to overlap the leaves of other plants, the experienced
grower who insists on healthy, thick-stem plants, prunes off the leaves which
overlap. Pruning off the leaves increases the light around the plant stems, and
does not stop the growing tip from growing. Pruning off the leaves temporarily
stops the upward growth of the plants, and encourages the stems to thicken,
which is what the grower desires.
During this temporary period of reduced growth in the plant, the grower has two
How to Use This Course v

choices:
1. to wait 7 to 10 days for new leaves to grow and overlap again and pinch as
before,
2. or, at the end of the 7 to 10 days he can shift the plants into larger pots or
gallon-size containers.
In the first choice the leaves must be pruned off again at the proper time to keep
the plants from getting spindly, using the same procedure as explained earlier.
In the second choice, shifting the plants into larger containers provides more
space between plants, delays pruning until a later date, and encourages the
stems to thicken--due to transplanting shock, increased light, and circulation
around the stems.
If, therefore, space is available in the seedhouse to accommodate larger
containers, it is recommended that the plants be shifted from the smaller pots
into 4-inch pots or gallon containers before they are pruned the second time.

Large, healthy leaf-growth.

Pruned plants.
10
Producing Large-Size Plants
Producing sturdy, healthy plants in gallon-size, or larger containers is thrilling and
rewarding. The process can lengthen the harvest season of vine-ripe tomatoes
up to 12 weeks.
How To Shift Plants Into Larger-Size Containers
Step one: Fill the 4-inch pots or gallon size containers with the same special soil
which was used to fill the smaller pots.
Step two: Water the soil until it is uniformly wet.
Step three: Use an empty flat or suitable container on the seedhouse table to
How to Use This Course v

hold the transplanting soil. A large plastic container is ideal to carry the soil for
transplanting.
Step four: Before disturbing the roots of the plants to be transplanted, water the
pots quite heavily. This is to keep the soil-ball from crumbling away from the
roots when the plants are removed from the pots.

Fill the 4-inch pots with special soil.

Water with the "Constant Feed" solution.

Step five: Now pick up a potted plant. Carefully place two fingers from the same
hand on the topside of the pot--one finger on each side of the plant stem.
Step six: Without removing the fingers, turn the pot upside down and gently tap
the top edge against the flat or table, or tap the bottom of the pot with your free
hand.
As the plant slips out of the pot, hold it gently and firmly with the two fingers still
in position. Carefully turn the plant over and gently lower it into an empty gallon-
size container.
If the growing tip of the plant does not stick up above the container at least one
inch, drop soil into the bottom of the pot and gently lift the plant roots accordingly.
The growing tip must never be covered with soil. It must have light to live.
Proper handling of plants when shifting to larger sizes includes not cracking or
splitting the rootball and setting the plant deep in the new container.
Step seven: When the plant is set the proper depth, fill the container with soil and
press it gently around the plant stem with the thumbs or fingers. Add sufficient
soil to fill the container within 1/2 inch from the top - making sure the growing tip
is still at least 1" above the soil surface.
Step eight: After plants have been shifted, water them before they wilt. The water
should contain the Constant Feed fertilizer solution, mentioned in chapter 8, and
sufficient solution should be applied to saturate the soil in the container with
enough extra that a little will seep out the drains in the containers. This first
watering is always very important.
Step nine: Set the pots on a level surface, such as the tables in the seedhouse.
How to Use This Course v

Proper position of the fingers.

Tap the pot on the edge of a table.

Hold the plant firmly.

Lower the plant into a gallon pot.

Add extra soil and pack it lightly.

How to Use This Course v

Proper soil level in the pot.

Daily care of plants in these gallon-size containers is the same as was outlined
for smaller pots in a previous chapter.
From the time the seed is planted until the seedlings are transplanted into 4-inch
pots is usually 3 to 4 weeks. All the time the seedlings are growing, if the plants
are grown in the springtime, the days are getting longer and the weather is
getting warmer. These changes make the seedhouse warmer and result in faster
plant growth. Daily ventilation of the seedhouse should be correspondingly
increased.
If the plants were graduated from 2-inch pots to 4-inch pots, their leaves will
begin to overlap the leaves of other plants in about two weeks after the plants are
shifted. When they reach this stage the leaves which overlap other plants should
be pruned or cut off. This procedure was explained in a previous chapter.
But use caution: do not prune off the young leaves near the growing tip, and do
not prune off the growing tip, which is called the terminal bud - the plant will die
without it!
If the plants have had adequate light they will be approximately 6 inches tall
when this pruning occurs. As mentioned earlier, pruning off the leaves
temporarily stops the upward growth of the plants and forces the stems to
thicken.
Within 7 to 10 days after the first pruning in the 4-inch pots, the plants will need
to be pinched again. The second pruning of the overlapping leaves can be quite
severe if more than 2 weeks are required before transplanting in the garden. This
time prune off all the leaves except the growing tip.
After the second pruning (pinching), the plants will have strong, thick stems and
will be about 8 to 12 inches tall.
Do not pinch the plants more than two times in the 4-inch pots, or in larger
containers. Further pinching produces undesirable woody stems! And be sure to
allow all flower buds to develop wherever they appear on the stem.
If the plants must be kept in the seedhouse longer than two weeks after the
second pinching in 4-inch pots, the pots must be separated, or the plants should
be graduated into gallon containers, or larger, before leaves overlap again after
the second pinching. Gallon-size containers are large enough to accommodate
tomato plants 4 to 8 weeks without injury.
Transplanting plants into gallon containers was explained earlier. Review the
steps outlined above. Planting into gallon containers is accomplished the same
way as shifting plants into 4-inch pots. Review the steps outlined on pages 44-
47.
How to Use This Course v

Additional Information on Gallon-Size Containers

For the first 7 to 10 days after shifting plants into gallon pots, the containers can
be lined up one against another on the level tables. But as before, when the
leaves start overlapping the other plants in the pots, more light must be supplied
around the plants to keep them from getting tall, weak, and thin stems.
This time light is supplied to the plants by gradually increasing the space
between the containers. To increase the light factor the first time, separate the
containers 2 inches apart on all sides. Thereafter, each time the plants require
more light, increase the space between the containers accordingly. The aim in
separating the containers is to provide enough light around the plants to produce
thick stems and strong healthy plants.
Plants can be grown in the larger containers 4 to 8 weeks before they must be
transplanted into the Grow-Boxes where they will produce the crop.
Remember, the same special soil is used, whether it is to fill pots or larger
containers. Also, the feeding solution and watering procedures are the same
whether the plants are newly-sprouted seeds, growing in 4-inch pots, or growing
in gallon-size or larger containers. And every time the plants in the seedhouse
are watered, the Constant Feed solution is used!

Prune plants only two times.

Properly-pruned plants have strong stems.

Seperate the cans to provide increased light.

How to Use This Course v

Always use Grow-Box soils.

In summary, very explicit details have now been given on how to grow plants
from seed, preparing the soil for transplanting, transplanting procedures, feeding
and watering seedhouse plants, pruning young tomato plants and spacing
containers to provide adequate light to each plant to keep them strong and
vigorous.

11
Pruning, Staking, Tying

Producing container-size plants was thoroughly covered in the previous chapter.

There are two special factors which are closely associated with growing large-
size plants in containers which will be discussed in this chapter. These factors
were omitted previously for fear of confusing the reader. The two factors are (1)
pruning off suckers and (2) staking and tying growing plants in large-size
containers.
Suckers and Pruning
Tomato plants produce suckers at all stages of growth. At every leaf node (the
place where a leaf is attached to the stem) is a bud which is called a sucker.
When the plants are small and the older leaves are pinched off the first or second
time, the suckers are barely visible and are usually not noticed. After the plants
are shifted to 4-inch pots, the suckers are usually large enough to be seen. In
gallon containers, the plants and the suckers grow more rapidly than they
previously did.
All suckers should be pruned from the plants as early as possible. This can be
done either by rubbing them off by hand or by cutting them off with a knife. But
remove only the suckers! Do not cut off the leaves or the flower buds.

Using a knife to remove suckers.

How to Use This Course v

A plant with suckers removed.

Tiny suckers are visible.

Cutt off suckers as early as possible.

Staking and Tying

Sturdy, large-stem tomato plants will stand upright, without support, until they are
14 to 18 inches tall. Plants which were started from seed and grown as outlined
in this publication will reach this height in 9 to 10 weeks after the seeds have
sprouted. Therefore, plants in gallon containers should be staked and tied when
they are about 9 weeks old.
This means also that plants which have been shifted to gallon containers from
smaller pots will require staking and tying within 2 or 3 weeks after they are
shifted.
Here's how to stake tomato plants:
Step one: From willow trees, dowling rods, etc., cut off stakes 18 to 28 inches
long and about 1/2-inch thick.
Step two: Insert one stake along the side of the plant stem in the gallon
containers, being careful not to injure the main plant roots.
Step three: Cut strings 10 inches long, one for each plant.
Step four: Before the plant starts to fall over, tie a string securely to the stake
first, and then tie the plant to the stake. Leave the string loose enough around the
plant to allow the stem to enlarge as it grows.
How to Use This Course v

Put the stake beside the plant.

Tie the plant to the stake.

Stake the plants while they're small.

Staked plants in gallon pots.

Flower Set
Greenhouse tomato plants growing in cool temperatures will produce their first
set of flower buds in approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the seed has sprouted.
If the plants have thick stems and are vigorous, the first set of flower buds will
develop on the stem 8 to 12 inches above the soil level.
The height that the first flowers develop on the stem is governed by several
factors such as fertilizing, light intensity, variety, growing temperature, drainage,
soil oxygen, pruning, and depth of transplanting into pots and containers, etc.

Leaves
Vigorous plants have large, deep-green colored leaves. The leaves are the most
important vegetative part of the plant. They affect the yield, the size, the shape,
and the quality of the fruit.
How to Use This Course v

12
Managing Single-Stem Vines

The vines of growing tomato plants in the grow-boxes should be kept up off the
ground. This can be done in two ways: one is called the stake method, the other
is the T frame method. Either method is satisfactory. The cost for materials is
very similar, the number of plants is the same, and the space between the rows
of plants in each Grow-Box is almost the same.
When the T frame method is used, the plants are spaced a uniform 9 inches
apart in two rows running the length of the Grow-Box., and it provides somewhat
better light distribution to the plants than does the stake method.
When the stake method is used, the plants are planted in pairs 6 inches apart,
with 12 inches between the pairs, again in two rows the length of the Grow-Box.

Staked tomato plants.

"A" frame structures (the old method, since improved).

The Stake Method
Transplant 80 plants lengthwise in the Grow-Box 6"'s in from the sides in two
rows as follows:
1. Transplant the first plant 2" in from the end of the Grow-Box frame.
2. Plant the second plant 8 inches in from the end of the Grow-Box frame.
3. Plant the third plant 20 inches in from the end of the Grow-Box frame.
4. Plant the fourth plant 26 inches in from the end of the Grow-Box frame.
Complete this process the entire length of the Grow-Box on one side with 40
plants and then repeat on the other side.
In each planted row the length of the grow-box there will be pairs of plants 6
inches apart, with 12 inches between the pairs, and 3 feet between the two rows.
Note that the plants are planted in pairs close together so that two plants can be
tied to one stake.
How to Use This Course v

Staked plants planted

across the box (the old method, since improved).
Installing Stakes
Step one: Drive a 2'' x 2'' x 8' stake between the pairs of plants using 20 stakes
for each planted row.
A word of caution: Beware of substituting 1'' x 2'' x 8' stakes! When the vines and
tomatoes are 6 and 7 feet high, even mild winds can break the 1x2-inch stakes
very easily.
Drive the stakes through the grow-box soil down into the soil below, about 12
inches. The objective is to tie two tomato plants to each stake, and keep tying the
vines as they grow taller until they reach the tops of the stakes.
Step two: Before tying the vines to the stakes, prune the plants to single-stem
vines and remove the suckers. Use rot-resistant strings, such as bailing twine, 18
inches long for tying the vines.
Tie the string around the stake first, so it cannot slip down the stake later, and
then tie the vine to the stake. Leave enough space between the string and the
tomato stem to allow it to thicken as it grows.
Please note that the cultural methods recommended for growing tomatoes are
the same whether using the stake method or the T frame method.
How to Use This Course v

A simple way to drive

stakes - a 3" x 12" pipe with a cap on one end and 1" x 18" pipes welded to the sides..

The T Frame Method (See also - Mittleider Gardening Course

P. 121)
Properly constructed T frames hold the crop up off the ground and provide better
light to each plant than other methods of growing.
Here's how to make T frames: Use 8' long 4" x 4" cedar, redwood, or treated
lumber for the vertical lengths. Cut one 8' 4" x 4" into three pieces to make
cross-pieces, and cut two 1' lengths with ends cut at 45 degree inside angles to
brace each cross-piece. Nail together with 3" galvanized nails.
Install T frames inside Grow-Boxes from 4 1/2" to 8" in - flush with each end, and
10' apart in a straight line, two rows per box, with 4 T frames per row, and bury
12" in the ground below the box.
Hammer two small nails 3" and 3 1/2" in from each end on top of the cross-
pieces on each T-frame, and place 1/2" galvanized steel pipes on the cross-piece
- two for each row of plants - the length of the box.
If pipe is not available, run #8 wire the length of each row, 3" in from the ends of
each cross-piece, using eye-bolts on the ends of the box , with the wire on top of
the interior T-frames. Make the wire tight, and brace the end T-frames to prevent
the wire from sagging with the weight of a mature crop.
How to Use This Course v

Braced "A" frames (old method).

In the T frame method, the tomato vines are supported by strings tied to the T
frames. Materials recommended for tying the vines are bailing twine, hemp,
plastic, etc.

"A" frames and

strings.
Beware of small-diameter size strands of fish line, nylon, etc. These are not
recommended. They are too thin and can easily injure or girdle the stems of
plants. The materials used for tying should have a tensile strength of 50 pounds
How to Use This Course v

per square inch. (Tensile strength refers to the load necessary to produce a
rupture in a given material when pulled in the direction of its length, commonly
expressed in pounds per square inch.)

How To Fasten The Strings To The T Frames

First, tie one end of the string to the pipe or wire overhead, using one string
above every other plant, alternating so that adjacent plants go to the opposite
pipe or wire. Guide it around the vine two or three times.
Next, tie a loose slip knot around the base of the tomato plant, leaving ample
room for the stem to grow. When properly tied, the strings should have a little bit
of slack. They are not rigidly tight.
T frames ideally should be constructed and installed before tomatoes are planted
in the Grow-Boxes, but no matter when the T frames are installed, the plants
should be tied to the strings before they begin to fall over.

Guide the vines around the strings.

How to Use This Course v

Put "A" frames in

place early.

13
Spacing Tomato Plants In Grow-Boxes

In the past, field-crop tomatoes, which were grown for marketing, were planted 4
feet apart, each way, one plant per hill. The plants grew vigorously and the
leaves and vines covered the ground between the plants. The yields generally
were heavy and the quality satisfactory.
Today, because of the high cost of hand labor, production costs, diseases in the
soil, insects, and other factors, market-grown tomatoes are produced quite
differently. For example, the vines are usually kept up off the ground by tying
them to wooden stakes or strings, the plants are pruned to single stems, and the
plants are grown close together. The Grow-Box method simplifies all of these
procedures.
The standard size Grow-Box is 4 feet wide by 30 feet long by 8 inches deep
(outside dimensions). The aisles are 3 feet wide between the boxes and 5 feet
wide between the ends of the boxes.
Tomatoes are planted along the length of the boxes, and the space between the
rows of plants is 40 inches.
The spacing between the plants in the row is 9 inches, and there are usually 41
plants per row. The first plant should be planted 1 or 2 inches in from the end of
the Grow-Box. The first plant in each row should always be planted as close to
the end of the Grow-Box frame as possible to increase the amount of space
between the plants in the rows, and thus increase the very important light factor
How to Use This Course v

around each plant.

Calculating The Number Of Plants One Grow-Box Holds
Following the planting recommendations given above, a 30-foot Grow-Box will
accommodate 2 rows of plants. Two rows of forty one plants per row equals 82
plants in one Grow-Box.
Usually 8 to 16 tomato plants will provide adequate vineripe tomatoes for table
use for a family of 6 to 8 people.
In Grow-Boxes you can plant whatever number of tomato plants are needed. The
important consideration when planting less than a full Grow-Box with tomatoes is
to plant so they will not shade other short-growing crops. Tomato vines will reach
7 feet high in 6 to 8 weeks of growth.
What Size Plants Should Be Transplanted?
The ideal plant size for fast and convenient planting to Grow-Boxes or fields is 8
to 12 inches tall. Gallon-size plants are an exception, and the planting
procedures for large container-grown plants will be explained in a later chapter.
Individual tastes vary, and it is unlikely that two equal-sized families will favor
either the same varieties or the same quantities of fresh vegetables. Also, no two
growers harvest the same yield from the same crops. For example, some
growers produce cabbages averaging 4 to 5 pounds per head, while for another
grower the size may average only two pounds per head. This can be due to
several factors, including diligence in caring for the crop and variety preferences.
Tips On Mixing Crops In Grow-Boxes
Construct Grow-Boxes to face North and South, if possible. Rows of plants are
planted lengthwise in the Grow-Boxes. If the boxes face North and South the
shadows from the plants change all through the day. Maximum light is very
important to both yield and quality and also in the control of disease, such as
powdery mildew, botrytis mold, etc.

Stakes keep the crop

off the ground.
How to Use This Course v

When planting Grow-Boxes, always plant the crops which will grow the tallest to
the North of shorter-growing crops. The sun's position in the sky changes from
near center to the South week by week as the season changes from summer to
autumn. Therefore the shadows fall to the North. Planting short crops to the
North of taller crops robs them of sunlight and can result in crop failure.
Still another consideration when planting Grow-Boxes is in the number of days
crops take to mature. As far as practical plant fast-maturing crops on the South
side of the Grow-Boxes. Some crops mature fast enough to permit growing a
second and third crop the same season. If such crops are planted on the south
end of the Grow-Box, as quickly as the crop is harvested another crop can be
planted in the same plot without delay or interfering with other crops.
Grow-Boxes are versatile! A 4' x 30' box can easily accommodate 8 or more
varieties of crops at one planting, but experience will indicate that a maximum of
4 varieties growing together in one Grow-Box is usually a better practice.

A good reference
book.

14
Transplanting Procedures Illustrated

Step one: Generously water the Grow-Box soil.

Step two: Run a string the length of the box where each row of plants will be.
Take a marker and mark where plants are to be planted in each row the entire
length of the Grow-Box.
How to Use This Course v

Step three: Assuming that the plants are 10 to 12 inches tall, make a hole at a
mark, big enough around for the plant roots and about 8 inches deep.
Step four: Lower the plant in the hole. Raise or lower the plant as necessary to
leave only about 3 inches of the growing tip sticking above the soil level.
Step five: Then, with one gentle forward movement of the hand, fill the hole
around the plant stem with soil.
Step six: Press the soil gently and evenly around the plant.
Step seven: Water the Grow-Box gently and adequately to settle the loose soil
firmly around the stems and roots.

"Custom-made" soil absorbs water quickly.

Mark the length.

Mark the width if planting across the Grow-Box.

Make an adequate-size hole for the roots.

How to Use This Course v

Set the plants deep.

Cover the hole and level the soil.

For more illustrations and photos on transplanting procedures, refer to the book
Food For Everyone, mentioned previously, page 434, Figures 51:69 through
51:71.
In a previous chapter, the statement was made that plants 8 to 12 inches tall are
considered the ideal size for fast and enjoyable transplanting into Grow-Boxes or
gardens. This raises the question If plants are 14 to 18 inches tall, and are
healthy, can they be used? If they are transplanted properly the answer is yes!
How To Plant Extra-Long Tomato Plants
Mark the Grow-Box the same as for other plants.
At a mark, make a hole 8 inches deep and a horizontal trench 8 to 12 inches
long, depending on the length of the plant, parallel with the hole.
Take a long plant. Lay the roots and stem in the trench and carefully bend (but
do not break) the growing tip up. Leave the growing tip sticking out above the soil
surface about 4 inches.
Cover the roots and stem in the trench and gently pack the soil.
Level the soil around the plant and water moderately heavy. After a few days,
new roots will grow out all along the buried stem.
With the growing tip exposed to light and air, the plant will develop sturdy growth.
If the plants are fed and cared for adequately, their performance will equal that of
any well-grown plants.

Dig the hole and trench.

How to Use This Course v

Put the long plant in the trench.

Lift up the growing tip.

Cover the trench and hole.

During transplanting, always set the plants deep, whether in the field or in the
Grow-Boxes. When possible, leave only 2 to 4 inches of the growing tip sticking
above the soil surface. (It is equally as important for other vegetable crops to be
transplanted deep! This characteristic feature distinguishes the difference
between the amateur grower and the expert.) Planting deep enough to cover the
growing tip (crown), however, will kill the plant in 3 or 4 days.
After transplanting, the plants should be fertilized and then watered. Use 8
ounces of 34-0-0 per 30 foot row immediately, and the Mittleider Weekly Feed
Formula given on page 48 after three days.

15
Pruning Fruiting Tomatoes

Pruning young tomato plants growing in pots and gallon-size containers was
explained in chapter 11. In this chapter, pruning plants which are bearing fruit is
explained.
The art of pruning tomato plants is best mastered through practical experience. It
How to Use This Course v

is something like swimming--you can study all about it, but learning to swim
comes with getting in the water.

Prune tomato plants

early.
The question which is frequently asked is why prune? The main reason is to
increase the number and the size of well-shaped fruit. But there are also other
reasons. Crowding too many plants growing at random together will produce tall
spindly plants with thin stems and small fruit and leaves. Such plants are
disappointing. However, when tomato plants are pruned to single-stem plants,
they can be grown close together without sacrificing either yield or quality. The
key is prompt and accurate pruning! For pruning to be most effective it must be
put into practice early, while the plants are small.
The first pruning for established plants should be for the gradual removal of the
lowest leaves which touch the ground and all suckers, as early as practical.
Moderate pruning of leaves is usually continued until the plants are 24 inches tall,
and suckers are taken off throughout the season.
How to Use This Course v

Suckers are missing.

Do not remove any flower buds on the main stem. Continue the gradual pruning
of the lower leaves until there is about 12 inches of clearance between the leaves
and the soil. The reason for this pruning is primarily as a precaution for disease
control. Keeping the stems of plants dry and exposed to light and air at the soil
surface is an effective way to reduce fungus disease epidemics.
The leaves are very important to plant growth and fruit development. Severe
pruning should be avoided. Seldom should more than one full leaf-spike be
removed from a plant in a single pruning.
To accomplish the pruning effect mentioned above, the operation should spread
over several weeks and several prunings. And, after the initial pruning of the
lower leaves has been accomplished, further heavy leaf pruning should stop. The
only leaves that should be removed thereafter are those which have served their
usefulness and show by their appearance that they are not contributing to the
growth of the plant.
Caution When Diagnosing Symptoms
It is not unusual for the oldest leaves to turn a lighter green color than the
youngest leaves and the leaf edges to roll upward. If this occurs only on the
oldest leaves, they can be removed. But there are other factors that affect the
color and appearance of the leaves besides age. And if the young leaves
become discolored, chlorotic or nechrotic, it is fair warning that something is
wrong. A careful diagnosis should be made and the proper treatment
administered (see The Garden Doctor for nutrient deficiency symptoms and
corrective treatments).
How to Use This Course v

Hands are spaced 4 to 6 inches apart.

On vigorous plants, the second cluster of flowers is usually visible before the first
flower cluster has finished flowering. The distance between the flower clusters on
the stem depends largely on the variety and the light factor. For many main-crop
varieties, the space between the flower clusters is from 6 to 8 inches.
Special care should be given to protect the growing tip on the main stem. If the
growing tip is injured or broken off, the main stem stops growing at the point of
injury. This means a substantial decrease in yield.

Protect the stem from injury.

More Information On Leaves and Suckers

The leaves of tomato plants are attached to the stem by petioles, and are from 3
to 6 inches apart along the stem.
On the upper side every leaf node--the point on the stem where the petioles are
attached to the stem--are buds called suckers. Usually there is just one sucker
per leaf-node. As the suckers grow, and while still very small, they should be
removed. This can be done by rubbing them off with the fingers or by cutting
How to Use This Course v

them off with a knife.

Be sure to remove only the suckers. Save the leaves, and the flowers, which
grow an inch or two above the leaf node.
In addition to removing the suckers, all young shoots which occasionally grow up
around the stems of the plants at the soil surface should be removed. These
shoots are true suckers. They come from buds growing on the stem below the
soil surface.
After the first heavy pruning at the base of the tomato plants, the pruning
procedure thereafter is primarily to remove all suckers which grow out from the
nodes along the main stem, plus any new shoots (suckers) which grow from the
main stem at the soil surface.

A knife makes
suckering easy.

Pruning tomato vines to single-stem plants is becoming more common year after
year. Pruning and removing of suckers continues week after week at least until
the main stem reaches the overhead pipe or wire support, or the top of the stake,
which is usually seven feet above the soil surface.
When the main stem reaches the top support or top of the stake, if your climate is
subject to frost by November (May in the Southern hemisphere), the growing tip
should be cut off. This operation stops the stem from growing longer and diverts
the energy from expanding the plant to ripening the tomato crop. Because it
takes 8 weeks from flower to ripe fruit, cutting off the tip should be done about 8
weeks before the first hard frost, so that energy is not wasted producing fruit that
will not mature.
Tomato growers quickly learn that the price the crop brings is governed by the
dates the crop matures. Therefore, growing schedules are important.
How to Use This Course v

Single-stem plants are preferred.

For main-crop varieties, it takes about 8 weeks from the time the seed is planted
until the first set of flowers are pollinated. Then it takes about 8 weeks more to
produce vine-ripe tomatoes after the flowers are pollinated.
Of course, the number of days required to produce ripe tomatoes from seeds
depends largely on the temperature in the greenhouse or garden, and also on
the variety of tomatoes planted. Thus, the actual total number of days may vary
significantly.
Even though large (one to three-gallon size) plants can be transplanted
successfully, the fact still remains that the earlier, younger, and smaller the plants
are when transplanted where they will produce the crop the better. Personal
attention is minimized and there is less risk from losses due to transplanting
shock and root pruning.
How to Use This Course v

Single-stem plants
are planted close together.

Staked plants are

pruned.
How to Use This Course v

The growing tips are

cut off.

16
Daily And Weekly Care

T frame construction was explained in chapter 12.

When strings are used, their purpose is to support the vines as they grow longer
and taller.
Before the plants begin to bend over, the tomato vines are guided (not twisted)
around the strings. One string is provided for each plant. The string is either tied
to the base of the plant with a very loose slip knot, or pulled over the side of the
Grow-Box, then threaded under a wire running the length of the box and tied
securely to the wire.
The process of guiding the vines around their respective strings goes on at least
once every week, as the terminal buds grow until they reach the pipe or
overhead wire where the strings are tied.
How to Use This Course v

Provide one string per plant.

Bring the string over the side of the box.

When they reach the pipe or wire, the growing tip is cut or broken off and the
stem stops growing. Along with guiding the vines around the strings, the suckers
and all broken or unhealthy leaves are removed. Note that the vines should be
guided, never twisted, around the strings, and no decaying leaves or plant parts
should be allowed to remain among the tomato plants or in the aisles or beds of
the growing area. A healthy tomato crop requires a clean growing environment.

Tie the string around the wire.

Plants are cut off when they reach the top.

How to Use This Course v

Break off the growing tip.

Remove the suckers.

The figure of 7 feet has been used many times and no explanation has been
given. Seven feet high is not a binding figure. But experience has shown that for
a gardener to perform the various functions associated with growing and
harvesting a crop of tomatoes, this height is about the maximum limit for most
gardeners. It is the gardener's reach, not the plant's size, that determines the
optimal height.
Planting, pruning, and tying are important procedures in successful tomato
production.

17
Watering Tomatoes

Over 80% of a plant's weight is water. From the tip of the deepest root in the
ground to the tip of the highest leaf in the air, a plant is one continuous water
pipe.
Ironically, nearly 95% of the water which plants use is lost into the air through
their leaves. This is called transpiration. Through transpiration, plants keep cool
on hot summer days. Obviously, tomato plants require a continuous supply of
water. And this therefore raises the obvious question, How much water do
tomatoes require?
How to Use This Course v

Plants are a water

pipe.
The complete answer to this question involves another question of equal
importance which involves soil air. While giving answers, it is important to
emphasize that soil air should be considered along with water requirements.
Keep this thought in mind as the question above is answered through the
following illustration:
Step one: Fill a gallon container with special Grow-Box soil--a mixture of
sawdust, sand, and/or perlite. Be sure there are holes for drainage along the
bottom edge of the container. Set the container on a table or bench.
Step two: Pour 1 1/2 pints of water over the soil in the container. Wait 5 minutes
and then examine the drain holes to see if water is dripping through. If the soil in
the container was dry, the 1 1/2 pints of water may not wet the soil beyond its
holding capacity and no water will drain off. If this is the case, pour one more pint
of water on the soil in the container. Wait 5 minutes more. This time water will be
dripping from the drain holes.
The point being illustrated is that soils hold only specific amounts of water. They
are not dams to store water for future use.
When drainage is adequate, soil oxygen is adequate, and good soils absorb
water until they reach saturation--called field capacity. When field capacity is
reached, if another drop of water is added to the soil, a drop will drain off.
Whatever amount of water is added after the soil has reached field capacity, that
amount will drain from the soil, if drainage allows.
The special soil in the Grow-Boxes takes water quickly and evenly. And through
experience, each grower can learn how much water is required to water
thoroughly and yet not excessively.
The Goal In Watering
The goal is to strive to apply enough extra water at each watering to force some
water (very little) out the bottom somewhere along the sides of the Grow-Box.
How to Use This Course v

Water Grow-Box
tomatoes daily.
The frequency of water applications depends on the weather, the variety, and the
size of the leaf coverage; also the load of fruit the plants are carrying and the
salinity (quality) of the water.
It is nearly impossible to overwater crops in Grow-Boxes which have been
constructed properly and filled with the soils recommended in this publication.
With this in mind, it is highly recommended that tomatoes, or other vegetable
crops in Grow-Boxes, be watered adequately every day throughout their growing
and producing season!
Grow-Boxes which are watered, as outlined above, will produce high yields and
choice crisp, juicy, highly-flavored fruit, and high quality vegetables--providing, of
course, that the other essential factors are satisfactory. That's the payoff!
Depending on the amount of water pressure and volume, it can take from 2 to 10
minutes to water one standard 4' x 30' x 8'' Grow-Box adequately.
Water Requirements For Tomatoes
Comparing tomatoes with corn, tomatoes are slow to wilt when they need water.
This may be the reason why they are sometimes neglected. Nevertheless, the
fact remains they require daily applications to sustain a continuous supply of
available water to all parts of the plant.
To assume that tomatoes will produce a bountiful crop without frequent
applications of water is equally as serious as it would be for a poultryman to
assume that the way to make hens lay more eggs is to cut short their water
supply.
Tomato plants produce a heavy and extensive root system, and unless the
drainage under the Grow-Boxes is poor or there is a solid layer of rock or clay
which the roots cannot penetrate, the roots will penetrate the soil below the
Grow-Boxes as much as 12 to 18 feet. The roots of bush beans are just as
extensive. Still they are watered frequently.
All things considered, the heavier and healthier the leaves are, the larger the
yield will be, and the more water the crop will require for both transpiration and
How to Use This Course v

for its own use. Therefore, by the time tomatoes wilt, due to lack of water,
considerable damage has already occurred to the crop.

Adequate care is
rewarding.

18
Fertilizers

Every phase of crop production emphasizes anew that guessing is costly and
should be eliminated as far as possible. This is especially true where fertilizers
are concerned.
One of the important reasons for recommending the special Grow-Box soils is
because they are very low in fertility. This makes it necessary to supply all the
essential nutrients which plants must have, and makes it easier to fertilize
accurately.
How to Use This Course v

Making special soil.

When animal manures or compost are used to feed plants, the grower is largely
guessing on the amounts of fertilizer the plants have access to. If trouble in plant
growth develops, the cause is uncertain because the grower does not know
whether the phosphorus or some other nutrient is high or low, and therefore the
crops can fail.
On the other hand, because the Grow-Box soil has virtually no fertility and the
nutrient requirements of the crop are well established, it is possible, to fertilize
accurately for every crop and with every application.
Since this is possible, every crop can be a success. And if trouble in deficiencies
should develop, a diagnosis is possible, and corrections can be made with
reasonable accuracy. All this is possible because the grower is dealing with
known facts--he need not guess!
Feeding Established Plants
Feeding sprouting seeds and transplanted plants in pots and gallon containers
was explained in chapter 11. In this chapter, feeding established plants either
liquid or granulated fertilizers will be discussed.
It is important to keep in mind that ever-bearing crops such as tomatoes,
cucumbers, pole beans, zucchini squash, melons, etc., require the essential
fertilizers over a longer period of time than do the single-crop varieties like
cabbage, head lettuce, beets, carrots, etc.
Of the ever-bearing vegetables, tomatoes very possibly produce the heaviest
crops. It is important, therefore, to remember that tomato plants, while they are
increasing in size, setting fruit and ripening fruit all at the same time, require
adequate fertilizer and water.
If the stems are thick to within 12 inches of the growing tip, and the leaves are a
healthy dark green color, and the flowers are pollinating and setting fruit, the
chances are good that the plants are getting sufficient fertilizers, at least
temporarily.
If some essential nutrients are missing, or the fertilizers are not properly
balanced, the plants will indicate that this is the case by the symptoms on their
How to Use This Course v

leaves and/or fruit. Thus, when trying to determine the fertilizer level in a crop,
the following questions should be considered:
1. Are all the plants growing evenly and satisfactorily fast?
2. When the flowers bloom, are they large or small?
3. Do the flowers pollinate automatically, without man's help, and do the small
tomatoes grow, or do they fall off?
4. Do the leaves--both the leaflets and large leaves--have a uniform living-green
color without any scorch or yellowing on the edges?
5. Are the leaves large or small?
6. Are the small tomatoes uniformly shaped?
7. What percent of the maturing fruit develops cracks?
The information contained in the answers to these questions reveals the way the
plants are growing.
Fortunately for the grower, if problems arise, the solution for making adjustments
on fertilizers have been established. They are given in Appendix 1: Nutrient
Deficiencies (see also The Garden Doctor series).

Healthy plants,
healthy leaves.
Some of the solutions have taken considerable research to establish. And the
grower can choose to accept the information that is available today, or he can
experiment on his own. The risks in the latter choice are high and expensive.
Years ago someone made the following statement:
Five dollars worth of borrowed brains can save you five-thousand dollars worth of
borrowed trouble.
How to Use This Course v

Hungry plants speak out.

Cracked fruit - a symptom of disorder.

The Weekly Feeding Procedure
A satisfactory procedure for growing tomatoes in Grow-Boxes is to feed once
each week.
In a previous chapter the statement was made that tomatoes are ever-bearing.
Therefore, before any fruit is ripe the vines are supporting considerable fruit and
leaves, in various stages of maturity. Obviously, as the fruit load increases, the
amounts of fertilizers should be increased at least once (and frequently twice)
during the growing and producing season. Everyone understands that the
appetite of a mother-to-be increases month by month until the baby is born.
Similarily, tomatoes require more fertilizers as the load of flowers, leaves, and
fruit increases.
Fine quality vegetables are produced when all the essential nutrients are
adequate and in proper balance. A deficiency in even one essential trace
mineral, such as boron, can result in crop failure.
Wherever crops are grown today, regardless of the soil they are grown in,
fertilizers must be supplied if the crops are to produce well. And the responsibility
rests with the grower to supply the fertilizers in the right amounts and at the
proper time.
From this discussion, it might appear that each plant requires a special
combination of fertilizers and also different amounts. Fortunately, this is not the
case!
All common vegetable crops can be grown on the same balanced mixture of
fertilizers. And if the fertilizer mixture does contain all the essential nutrients,
tomatoes will grow on the same formula used to grow other vegetable crops, and
visa versa.
How to Use This Course v

Two complete fertilizer

formulas.
Two fertilizer formulas are given in this book: The Pre-Plant formula is given in
chapter 6, and the Weekly Feed formula is given in chapter 8.
These formulas are recommended for feeding all varieties of garden and field
crops, and are especially recommended for tomatoes.
Because these formulas have already been given, the only additional
information needed in this chapter will be how much, how often, and when to
increase or decrease the amount of fertilizers. Please remember, the feeding
instructions in this chapter are specific for tomatoes, and do not apply to other
crops.
Before proceeding with actual fertilizing instructions, it is assumed that the Grow-
Box contains the special soil and the Pre-Plant fertilizers, that the soil has been
mixed and watered properly, and that the transplanting of tomato plants in the
Grow-Boxes is under way.
How to Use This Course v

Be accurate as you
measure fertilizer.
Actual Fertilizing Procedures
1. The same day the plants are transplanted, each Grow-Box should be fertilized
accurately with one pound (16 ounces) of straight nitrogen fertilizer; either urea
or ammonium nitrate, but not both.
Spread the dry granular fertilizer beside each row of plants, at a distance of 4
inches from the plants - using 8 ounces for each row of plants.

Spreading fertilizer.
A word of caution: do not place the fertilizers closer to the plants than 4 inches
because fertilizers are concentrated mineral salts and, like common salt, will burn
the leaves, stems and roots of plants, if placed directly on them before the
fertilizers are dissolved and diluted with water.
Gently, yet heavily, water the Grow-Box between the rows of plants to dissolve
the fertilizers. Be aware that a residue in some fertilizer compounds may not
How to Use This Course v

dissolve. These are not actual fertilizers but are the carrying agents, such as
talcum powder, dimotacious earth, or similar materials, used in the manufacturing
of the fertilizer compounds. These residues are non-toxic and do not interfere
with plant functions or growth. They mix easily with the soil when it is mixed for
another crop.
Note that neither urea nor ammonium nitrate fertilizers leave any undissolved
residue--all is water soluble.
2. Three days after the first feeding, feed the plants again.
Starting with this second feeding and onward, use only the Mittleider Weekly
Feed fertilizer mixture. Spread 2 pounds per grow-box. Apply the fertilizer as
described above. (The Mittleider Weekly Feed Fertilizer formula is given in
chapter 8 and Appendix 1.)
Water sufficiently to dissolve the fertilizer and carry it to the roots of the plants.
3. Feed the third time ten days after the first feeding. The amount of fertilizer is 2
pounds. Water sufficiently to dissolve the fertilizers.
A Review of Feeding Instructions
Newly-transplanted tomato plants in the standard-size Grow-Boxes require 1
feeding with only nitrogen fertilizer compounds, and 2 feedings with the Mittleider
Weekly Feed formula, during the first 10 days after transplanting.
Accuracy in this respect will result in the plants having a fast recovery from
transplanting shock and rapid growth with the coveted living-green colored
leaves.
After the first 10 days, feed the plants once every week.
Each application should be 2 pounds per Grow-Box of the Mittleider Weekly
Feed formula until the plants are 24 to 30 inches tall, or showing their third set of
flowers, and then 2 1/4 pounds of the same fertilizers once every week
thereafter.
Please remember the plants are fertilized accurately once every week, but they
are watered uniformly-heavy every day, six days per week. Regular daily
watering is essential, especially in dry weather.
When To Decrease The Fertilizers
After 50% of the crop has been harvested, reduce the amount of fertilizer to 2
pounds per grow-box every week.
Stop all fertilizing three weeks before harvesting is completed!
Note: The application rate and the feeding procedures are the same regardless
of the kind of crop grown. If only a portion of the grow-box is planted, reduce the
application rate accordingly. For example, if one-fourth of the box is planted,
divide 2 pounds (the application rate) by 4, which equals 1/2 pound (8 ounces).
The weekly feedings, in this case, would be 8 ounces, regardless of the kind of
crop.

19
Flower And Fruit Set
How to Use This Course v

Garden shops display an assortment of products which are sold for the sole
purpose of keeping tomato flowers from falling off after pollination and to help set
the fruit.
Obviously, it must be common for tomatoes to lose their flowers and their fruit,
judging from the many products sold to correct this problem.
That this problem is not experienced by all growers, however, is evident from the
literature available explaining tomato thinning techniques.
This much is sure! When tomato plants drop their flowers or fail to set fruit
something is wrong! Quite likely, too, there are several factors involved, rather
than just one.
Some of the more obvious factors which affect plant growth, and flower and fruit
set, will be considered here.

Avoid shade.

Select a sunny location.

The Light Factor
Shade on the Grow-Box area from hedges and buildings, trees, North slope, etc.,
or from too many plants crowded together in the Grow-Boxes, will produce small
leaves and thin stems. Such plants will be unproductive.
The solution to overcome this condition is to re-locate the Grow-Boxes where
light is adequate all during the day, or thin out the extra plants, if too many plants
are causing the problem. Plants, like people, must have living space!
The Heat Factor
The statement was made earlier that tomatoes are heat-loving plants. This is
true! But there is a limit.
Temperatures between 75° and 95° are ideal for fast tomato production.
Tomatoes will produce below 75° but their growth is slower and is further
reduced as the temperature drops. The plant is nearly dormant at 50°F.
Also, tomatoes will grow in temperatures above 95° to about 100° without
difficulty. But, every degree above 100° increases the problems of production.
And during long days and temperatures above 115°, the pulp in the tomato fruit
turns to liquid and the crop is not saleable.
This condition occurs with tomato plants growing in full sun without artificial
How to Use This Course v

protection. By diffusing the sun through shading, and by keeping the Grow-Box
soil damp, tomatoes can be grown in areas where temperatures reach 120°F.
During periods of high heat, tomato flowers may fail to pollinate and set fruit. And
it may be necessary to provide enough shading over the crop to lower the
temperature to correct this condition.
The leaves of tomato plants should not wilt during the heat of the day!
The Plant Population
How many plants should one acre support? This question is frequently asked!
The answer depends mainly on what the crop will be used for--whether it is
intended for cannery, roadside fruit stands, or for greenhouse production!
Cannery Tomatoes
In areas where hundreds of acres of tomatoes are grown for canneries, it is
common practice to plant the seed directly in the field, so transplanting is
eliminated.
Some farmers continue to thin their crops, at least partially, while the majority
have discontinued thinning altogether. According to the published reports on
tomato yields grown for canneries, thinning is not justified. Cannery tomatoes are
usually machine-harvested and picked only once.
The point to be made about tomatoes grown for canneries is that, regardless of
the plant population in the rows, the plants hold their blossoms, pollinate, set and
hold their fruit. Just one look at a tomato field after the mechanical pickers have
gone through is enough to establish this point.
Market and Fruit Stands
With the exception of hydroponic production, the tomatoes grown for marketing
and roadside fruit stands were formerly grown in the field without specialized
care.
In recent years this has changed. Now more and more tomatoes are pruned and
tied to stakes in the field. Plants which are pruned and staked can be planted
much closer together in the rows, thereby increasing the acre yield and also the
quality of the fruit.
The increased yield and the superior quality of pruned staked tomatoes more
than compensate for the extra expenses incurred, and in addition Grow-Box
gardening will almost double typical plant populations!
An average plant population for typical field-staked tomatoes is 6,000 to 8,000
plants per acre. The rows are spaced 60 inches apart and plants are spaced an
average of 10 to 12 inches apart in the rows. Farmers which field-produce
tomatoes for the market and fruit stands seldom complain that the flowers do not
pollinate or fail to set fruit.
And now, 4' wide Grow-Boxes can support over 13,500 tomato plants in an acre!
One acre will hold 168 Grow-Boxes 4' wide by 30' long, each with 82 plants. And
narrow, 18" Grow-Boxes can support over 10,500 plants in one acre. Even
growing in the dirt, using 18" Grow-Beds, you can grow 9,600 plants.
Grow-Box and Greenhouse Tomato Crops
Grow-Box and greenhouse tomato plants are pruned to single-stem vines and
guided around strings which are tied to overhead pipe or wires. Sometimes
special-made plastic clips are used to hold the stem to the strings. Either method
How to Use This Course v

is satisfactory.
The vines are kept off the greenhouse floor and usually grow to a height of 7 feet
before the growing tip is cut off (unless there is no frost, in which case they are
not cut off).

A high yield crop.

The space between plants in the rows varies between 8 inches and 12 inches.
The space between the rows is 40 inches in a 4' Grow-Box.
Properly grown Grow-Box and greenhouse tomato plants are pruned carefully.
They receive excellent care when compared with plants growing in the typical
field or garden. Sometimes, however, greenhouse tomato growers complain
about the flowers falling off, poor pollination, and disappointing fruit set.
Some growers give one reason why this happens and some give another. The
trouble with giving reasons is they seldom solve the problems!
The Family Garden
Soils and planting methods vary widely, but the following complaint prevails. Why
do the flowers and tiny tomatoes fall off of healthy vines?
Again, many answers are given but the problem remains. And the finger logically
is pointed to something in the growing procedures.
The following chapters will be a discussion of several possible factors which may
be responsible, either singly or collectively.

20
Nematodes

Root Nematodes (Eel-like Worms)

All around the world the soils are infested with nematodes, and they can cause
problems in the field or garden, as well as in the greenhouse. Fortunately, there
How to Use This Course v

are methods available to successfully eliminate them. As was mentioned in the

heading, nematodes are tiny eel-like worms. So tiny, in fact, that they are seldom
seen with the naked eye.
These eel-like worms eat their way into the roots of plants and thereafter live off
the essential liquids in the roots.

Nematodes.
Nematodes are especially fond of tomato plants. Infested roots have irregular
brown-colored swellings which appear like rough knots.
Nematodes multiply rapidly and, as they increase, the knots become larger. One
female can lay 3,000 eggs in a normal life-cycle.
Tomato roots can be heavily infested with nematodes without affecting the green
color of the leaves or noticeably retarding plant growth. The visual appearance of
infested plants can be normal, but plants which fail to set fruit are telling the
grower something is wrong!
How To Inspect For Nematode Infestation
The real function of plants is to perpetuate their kind. The natural process for
tomato plants to accomplish this is to produce seed. The seed is in the ripe fruit.
Therefore, plants concentrate on producing flowers and fruit. When the flowers
mature, they are receptive to pollination. The receptive period for a flower is
about 6 hours. After the flowers are pollinated, which is generally automatic for
tomatoes, the ovules (the tiny tomatoes at the base of the flowers) conceive and
the ovule begins growing.
Conception places a heavy load on the plant. If the roots are functioning properly,
and the essential nutrients, water, air and temperature are satisfactory, the roots
can easily support the added responsibility, which is to develop the tomatoes. But
if nematodes are living in the roots, plant performance is reduced according to
the number of nematodes present.
How Plants React to Nematodes
By the time the plant is flowering, the nematodes have multiplied so much that
the plant has a full load just to support the nematodes.
How to Use This Course v

The plant cannot expel the nematodes; therefore, when the flowers mature and
are pollinated, they are aborted along with the small fruit in order for the plant to
survive and stay alive. But the struggling plant does not give up. It tries to
produce seed. And it puts out new leaves, buds, and flowers. And again, at the
crucial moment, because of the nematodes, the plant aborts the fruit just to stay
alive. This process is repeated again and again in nematode-infested plants. The
plants cannot do otherwise.
Therefore, plants which appear to be healthy but which fail to set fruit should be
carefully inspected for nematode infestation.

21
Fertilizer And Soil Problems

It is usually the case that garden soils become very hard and depleted of the
essential nutrients during the growing season.

Average soils are

hard and depleted.
Only a very few people living in rural areas still have access to sufficient animal
manures to improve soil fertility. The vast majority of the world's population must
depend almost completely on lime and mineral fertilizers to properly feed their
garden and field crops. This condition will not improve. Therefore, it is important
to learn how to use mineral fertilizers intelligently and accurately.
Mineral fertilizers used to feed crops can be compared to the foods we eat. Some
promote health. Others, alone or in various combinations, undermine and destroy
health.
Fertilizers act similarily in plants. Feed them intelligently and properly and the
plants will be healthy and productive. Feed them carelessly, or give the wrong
How to Use This Course v

combinations, and they perform poorly and may even die!

All extremes, both good and bad, affect the productivity and the normal
functioning of the life processes and result in sickness and unproductivity.
Man can regulate 13 of the 16 essential mineral fertilizers which plants require,
and a proper balance of these fertilizers is as necessary to the productive
performance of plants as is a proper balance of fruits, grains, nuts, and
vegetables to man's health and productivity.
And in addition to the essential nutrients, the plants require water, exercise,
anchorage, sunlight, warmth, living space, and protection from extremes in
weather, from disease, and from insects. This partial list emphasizes that the
success or failure of crops is largely influenced by the soils they grow in.
Unfortunately, most of the tillable land around the world today sets so hard that
plant roots almost need to be equipped with claws, or jackhammer jaws, to
penetrate them. Since this is the case, more information on soil management
should be shared.
This section points out that tomato plants may fail to produce a crop because of
the soil they are grown in, or because some essential fertilizer nutrient is missing,
or because the nutrients are not in proper balance.
A deficiency in even one essential nutrient can result in crop failure. For example,
for a lack of just 20 pounds of boron per acre, if the nutrient is deficient, a crop
can fail to mature.

A bag of complete
fertilizer.

22
Insects And Soil Maggots
How to Use This Course v

Insects
Many kinds of worms and other insects love tomatoes. Butterflies lay eggs on
tomato vines in the daytime and millers (night-flying butterflies) lay eggs on the
plants at night.
Some kinds of worms and insects damage the leaves only. Other worms and
flies concentrate on spoiling the fruit. And still others affect only the roots.
Many people are surprised to learn that there are more insects active during the
night hours than are seen in the daytime.
Insects multiply rapidly and, if not detected early, they can inflict considerable
loss to crops.
A recommended program for keeping insects under control and to hold crop
losses to a minimum is to implement a regular spray or dusting program (either
one is effective) every 7 to 10 days.
Safer and improved sprays and/or dusts, to combat worms and other insects, are
being introduced to the public rather frequently. Therefore, it is not prudent to
make specific product recommendations. The local agricultural officer is your
friend and he has information on the best and safest materials to use.

Hornworm.

Tomato fruit worm.

Soil Maggots.
How to Use This Course v

Leaf miners.
Other Factors To Look At When The Fruit Drops
When tomato plants set fruit and then within a few days the tiny tomatoes drop
off, those tiny fruits should be examined carefully. A close examination frequently
reveals that tiny green worms have eaten into the stem end or blossom end of
the tiny tomatoes. This has killed the tiny fruit and it drops off.
Another insect which can be destructive is thrips. They are very tiny, slender,
narrow insects. They enter greenhouses through the cooling system if the air is
not filtered properly.
Thrips fly, and they inhabit nearly all farm and garden crops. Their special
dessert is pollen!
If they are allowed to multiply, they will eat the pollen as it ripens and thus
interfere with normal pollination. When there is no pollen, the female flowers die
and fall off. Getting tomatoes to set fruit may be as simple as controlling the
thrips.
Thrip control revolves around a regular 7 to 10-day program of spraying or
dusting of the foliage and flowers of the crops.
Thrips are more difficult to control than some insects since they are not eaters of
plant parts in the strictest sense--like worms--and they are hard to reach with an
insecticide which kills by contact.
The easiest way to control thrips is by using a systemic insecticide. (systemic
means the poison in the product is absorbed by the plant juices and is circulated
throughout the plant. The pollen, too, carries the poison, and by eating the pollen
thrips are poisoned.)

Thrip.
How to Use This Course v

Soil maggots.
Checking For Soil Maggots
Soil maggots are destructive in garden and field. They attack and ruin many
kinds of vegetable and ornamental crops. They are especially fond of the
brassicas (the cabbage family) and onions.
Fortunately, it is not often that soil maggots attack tomato plants, but don't
depend on it! When their favorite crops are missing, they will attack less
desirable crops.
Diagnosing For Soil Maggots
Some vegetable crops are vulnerable to soil maggot attack anytime, even into
harvest time. Watch for telltale signs of their activity.
Here's how: If all the plants have a deep-green color, and are growing evenly,
this is good evidence there are no soil maggots.
If, however, even one, two, or three plants have stopped growing, are dull green
in appearance, and slightly wilted, the chances are high that maggots are
working. Inspect such plants carefully. This is the way to check:

Remove the soil around the stem.

Inspect for maggots.

How to Use This Course v

Maggots or disease?

Soil Maggots.
Step one: Scratch away the soil that is against the stem of the plant.
Step two: Expose 2 to 3 inches of the stem below the soil surface.
Step three: Examine the exposed stem carefully for areas of decay or for tiny
white worms and worm trails, and also for missing bark (the cambium layer).
Soil maggots are tiny white worms, less than one-eighth-inch long and about the
thickness of the lead in a lead pencil. The true cabbage maggot has a sharp-
pointed black head.
Step four: If the exposed stem looks normal, squeeze it lightly with the thumb and
fingers. The object is to try and find a soft spot on the stem.
Step five: If a soft spot is found, remove the plant from the soil--roots, stem,
leaves and all.
Step six: Break or cut the soft spot open. If soil maggots are present they will be
seen easily. If maggots are not found, the soft spot might indicate that the plant is
dying from disease.
Step seven: In either case, to minimize the possibility of spreading either the
disease or the maggots, destroy the plant promptly and wash your hands with
soap and water.
Healthy roots are clean and white. If soil maggots are found, every plant in the
grow-box should be treated with a soil drench to kill the maggots. One soil
maggot found on just one plant is proof enough that the entire grow-box or
garden area is infested with maggots.
Even though the statement was made earlier that it is not prudent generally to
recommend specific products by name to use in controlling insects and disease,
there are exceptions. And in this case a specific product and treatment is named
and the treatment explained.
Treatment To Control Soil Maggots
If only a few plants or a small area must be treated, dissolve 7 ounces (200
grams) Diazinon 45% WP (Wettable Powder) in 30 gallons (114 liters) water.
For a larger area and more plants, dissolve 12 to 14 ounces (340 to 400 grams)
Diazinon in 55 gallons (210 liters) water.
How to Use This Course v

Mix the contents thoroughly.

Fill a container with the drench and dip 1/2 to 1 pint (1/4 to 1/2 liter) (depending
on the size of the plant) from the container and pour it around the stem at the
base of each plant.

A vital spray program.

Soil maggots attack the base of the plant just below the soil surface, and are
usually no deeper than 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the soil surface.
Pour the drench around each plant stem and drench every plant. The Diazinon
drench acts quickly and thoroughly. One 55-gallon mixture of drench will treat
420 to 440 plants, at one pint per plant.
The adult maggots are flies similar to the house fly. The females lay the eggs
which hatch into soil maggots. Several generations of maggots usually attack in
the same season. Thus, it may be necessary to repeat the drench later in the
growing season.

23
Plant Diseases
How to Use This Course v

Nearly everyone recognizes that disease can attack plants, and even mild
infection can result in serious crop losses.
It is nearly impossible to grow tomatoes without experiencing fungus disease
problems. The damper the weather and the higher the humidity, the greater the
incidence of fungus attack.
A simple but effective method to reduce fungus buildup is crop rotation. It is a
good management practice to rotate crops and plant tomatoes only once every
two or three years on the same land.
Fungus disease grows from spores and spreads rapidly. Its spread is controlled
more easily when a spray program is begun before the fungus spreads.
Therefore, it is important that spraying with the proper materials is started as
soon as the fungus appears.
Frequently, insects and fungus troubles attack at the same time. To control both,
only one spray application in a 7 to 10-day interval is necessary. The materials to
control both problems are compatable and can be mixed and sprayed together.
Greenhouse Crops An Exception
Rotating crops in the field is recommended. But greenhouse crops are frequently
not rotated, and successive crops of the same kind are grown year after year.
Soil sterilization makes this possible, and sometimes the soil is sterilized
between each crop.
The determining factor in deciding when to sterilize is the presence of disease.
Every time a disease develops the soil is sterilized, using either steam or methyl
bromide gas.

"Curley-top"
disease.
Curley-Top Disease
This disease is quite easy to recognize. The first symptoms appear on the
growing tip. The living-green color of healthy plants changes to yellowish-green.
The growing tip curls; the youngest leaflets are deformed and the leaves just
below the growing tip tend to curl. The older leaves develop yellow and brown
areas. Growth is retarded and finally stopped completely. The plant deteriorates
How to Use This Course v

and dies.
There is no satisfactory treatment to cure Curley-top disease. Thrips and other
insects spread the disease from one plant to another.
To minimize the severity of the disease, the infected plants should be pulled up
and destroyed promptly and a regular spray program should be implemented to
control the insects.

"Curley-top" disease.
Early and Late Blight Disease
These are serious diseases and can invade a growing crop any time, but usually
infection occurs after the plants are carrying fruit.
Early Blight affects the leaves but not the tomatoes. In this respect it differs from
Anthracnose disease which affects both the leaves and fruit, and is especially
serious on beans.
The symptoms of Early Blight disease are brown-to-black depressed spots on the
leaves, with gray, thin whiskers around the perimeter of the sunken spots. The
gray whiskers are the spores (seeds) by which the disease spreads.
Early Blight attacks both the old and the young leaves. The sunken spots on the
leaves vary in size from mere dots to one-half inch or larger.
Late Blight disease has the characteristic symptoms of Early Blight in the early
stages of infection. The disease spreads rapidly through a crop of tomatoes. As
infection progresses, black lesions develop along the midribs of the leaves and
along the stems. Dark brown-to-black spots develop on all parts of the plant,
including the fruit. Unless the disease is arrested, the spots on the tomatoes will
become watery, and the tomatoes will rot and eventually fall off. The black
lesions on the stems and midribs of the leaves increase in size and penetrate the
living tissues. Later the stems become watery, decay, and the plant dies.
How to Use This Course v

Early Blight

Late Blight.
Treatment: Both Early and Late Blight disease can be controlled sufficiently to
avoid losing an entire crop, providing the right materials are used promptly,
regularly, and accurately.
But the use of fungicides to control disease should be regarded as palliative
measures only. The only lasting and satisfactory procedure is to use heat-
treated, disease-free seed and plant only healthy plants in sterilized soil.
For complete information on greenhouse sanitation and disease
prevention and control practices, refer to chapters 58 and 59 in the
book Food For Everyone, by Mittleider and Nelson
Virus Disease
There is a difference between a virus and a bacterial disease in plants.
A bacterial disease usually enters a plant from the outside first, often through an
injury such as a scratch or bruise, and the infection is generally localized in the
early stages. The infection can result in killing the plant, as it often does.
A virus disease, on the other hand, enters the blood-stream (the plant sap)
through many avenues. And once it is in the blood stream it is next to impossible
for the farmer or gardener to eradicate it.
Curley-top, tobacco-mosaic, and bacterial-canker are diseases to be feared and
dreaded by tomato growers.
How to Use This Course v

Bacterial canker.

Fungi.

Bacteria.

Virus disease.
How to Use This Course v

Tobacco Mosaic.
Treatment: Plants which are infected with tobacco-mosaic virus disease lose the
dark-green color of healthy plants. The plants practically stop growing. The
terminal bud cells and small leaflets are deformed. The fruit has broad brown
streaks in the shoulder. The surface of the stem end of the tomatoes is rough.
The shoulder is sunken and corrugated in appearance.
All infected plants should be destroyed promptly, preferably by burning.
Select and plant tomato varieties that are resistant to mosaic disease, and
maintain clean and sanitary premises to prevent mosaic infection. Request all
who handle and smoke tobacco not to touch and not to handle tomato leaves, or
to smoke around your plants.
Important: After handling plants that are not really healthy, wash your hands
with soap and water before touching other plants or handling sterilized soil.
Bacterial and Virus diseases are spread to healthy plants just by touching their
foliage after handling a diseased plant.

24
Weather Problems And Vibrating Plant Vines

When plants fail to set fruit, the amateur grower often points to the weather as
the cause. This is the reason for the question, Does temperature affect the fruit-
set on tomatoes? The answer is, of course, Yes!
Prolonged cool and cold weather will slow down the growth of tomato plants and
the fruit will grow very slowly in cold weather. However, healthy plants flower,
pollinate, and set fruit even in cold weather.
Tomatoes are considered warm-weather plants. They perform best in
temperatures that are neither cold nor hot, between 75° and 95°F.
During prolonged temperatures above 100°, tomato plants practically stop
growing. And if the vines show wilting during the middle of the day, it is possible
for the flowers to fall off after pollination. This would result in poor to zero fruit set.
The correction in such cases is to provide diffused light, through shading, to
lower the temperature to 95° or less, and to supply adequate water to keep the
plants from wilting.
Shaking and Vibrating Tomato Vines
For some greenhouse growers it is a daily routine practice to vibrate each tomato
How to Use This Course v

vine, or shake the overhead wires which hold the vines. Apparently this is to
pollinate the flowers. Just when and how this practice began would be interesting
to know.
The merits and validity of the operation can be challenged easily from other
greenhouse operators whose crops always set fruit automatically. They do not
vibrate or use any other palliative practices to pollinate tomato flowers.
Summary
To summarize this discussion on the tomato fruit-set problems, the list of
possible factors include
Soils
Improper balance or a lack of one or more essential fertilizer nutrients
Poor light or extremes in temperatures
Insects
Disease
Weather, etc.
The two most likely causes are soils and fertilizers. The Grow-Box method
makes it simple and easy to control both of these.
Experience bears out that when the Grow-Box method is followed carefully,
pollination and fruit set occur automatically.

A superior yield.

25
Cracked Fruit
Every grower seems destined to have some cracked tomatoes, and some
varieties produce more cracked tomatoes than others, even when grown under
the same conditions.
Growing two or three varieties together is good management practice, and will
help determine which varieties do best for specific conditions.
How to Use This Course v

It should be recognized, however, that excess cracking and splitting are

symptoms of some disorder or problem. For example, poor watering.

Diagnose the reason

for cracked tomatoes.
The available water should be ample and uniform at all times. Plants loaded with
tomatoes require large amounts of water continuously. Applying water on warm
days stimulates rapid growth. A reduction in the available water supply results in
reduced growth.
The aim in watering should be to supply a uniform amount of available water at
all times. This practice encourages uniform growth day after day and is
necessary to produce well-shaped fruit free from cracks. Adequate drainage and
watering every day, even twice a day in hot weather, is recommended for plants
loaded with tomatoes.
Another factor which can influence excess cracking of the tomatoes is fertilizers.
If cracks occur on the blossom-end of the fruit, or the fruit has sunken shoulders,
it frequently indicates a nutrient deficiency.
Cracks which develop on the stem-end can also be from a nutrient deficiency, or
from improper watering.
The most commonly occurring nutrient deficiencies and the specific amounts of
the nutrient compounds required to correct deficiencies are given in Appendix 1.
If nutrient deficiencies do occur, follow the instructions carefully and make the
proper corrections promptly.
Deficiency corrections can be made for each of the essential nutrients. If a
deficiency does exist, the corrective treatment is adequate, and if a deficiency
does not exist, applying the corrective treatment will not produce harmful affects
on the crop.

26
Blossom-End Rot On Tomatoes
How to Use This Course v

There are two kinds of blossom-end rot. One is caused from stress in the plant.
The other is caused from a fungus infection. The two have different
characteristics.
Blossom-End Rot Caused From Stress
Blossom-end rot caused from stress is frequently due to the leaves wilting and,
as a result, sap is being pulled from the fruit. Each of the following stress factors
can cause blossom-end rot:
Low calcium
Low potassium
Low boron
Low nitrogen
Low water
High-soluble salts in the water
Blossom-end rot caused from stress may occur under any condition which limits
the moisture level in the plant.
Blossom and Stem-End Rot Caused From Infection
During cool, damp weather, or high humidity, fungus spores may infest the
stigma of the tomato flowers during the hours they are receptive to pollen.
After pollination, the flower petals collapse over the stigma and this seals off air
circulation over the stigma. Without air circulation over the stigma, it stays damp
and the fungus spores and tiny tomatoes begin to grow together. The fungus
spores penetrate the blossom-end of the tiny tomatoes through the style of the
stigma.
As the tomato grows, so does the fungus inside the fruit. Possibly 14 days later,
the infected tomatoes are ruined. If the fungus is allowed to spread, the watery
fungus area enlarges till the tomato becomes slime.
The two kinds of blossom-end rot on tomatoes are enough different that they can
be easily identified.
Blossom-end rot caused from stress is usually shallow, brown-blackish in color. It
remains localized at the blossom-end, and is not watery or slimy. It usually
remains shallow (this depends on the severity of the stress factor) and often does
not enlarge, or penetrate, deep into the fruit.
Blossom-end rot caused from fungus infection is dark brown and black in color. It
is wet and slimy, and keeps spreading, both on the outside and in the inside of
the tomato fruit.
How to Use This Course v

Blossom-end rot.
If you have had experience with Athlete's Foot, a fungus disease, you know how
it spreads and penetrates. Blossom-end rot fungus disease in tomatoes spreads
and penetrates in a similar way.
Either case of blossom-end rot disease can be controlled.
If the cause is from a fungus infection, the crop can be saved by implementing a
regular spray program of control early. The recommended treatment is to spray
the foliage with the proper fungicide when the disease is first recognized and
continue with repeated spray applications every 7 to 10 days until the crop is
harvested.
If the cause is from wilting due to stress within the plant, the crop can be saved
by eliminating the cause of the stress factor.

Moisture stress.
How to Use This Course v

27
Thinning Tomatoes
It may seem ironic to follow an extended discussion on fruit-set problems with a
section on thinning the flower clusters, but keep in mind that thinning is becoming
more popular year after year.
Premium prices are paid for tomatoes that are well-shaped, uniform, and of a
specific size.
Experience bears out that thinning to 4 or 5 tomatoes per flower cluster (hand)
does not noticeably reduce the total pounds of fruit the vine will produce.
Thinning tomatoes is similar to thinning fruit trees. It increases the size of the fruit
and also improves the shape and quality of the remaining crop.
Some tomato varieties should not be thinned. These include cherry tomatoes,
pear and Pixey tomatoes, and field tomatoes grown for canneries.
The plants grown for thinning are first pruned to single stem vines and are tied to
stakes as they grow, or are guided around strings which are tied to overhead
pipe or wires.
Pruned single-stem plants develop flower hands which have from 4 to 50 flowers
per hand, depending on the variety. The hands occur 6 to 8 inches apart on the
stem.
It seems that each hand of tomatoes has the potential to produce a specific
weight of ripened fruit, whether there are 5 or 10 tomatoes per hand. The
difference is recognized in the size of the tomatoes. In other words, if one hand is
thinned to 4 or 5 tomatoes, and another hand is allowed to mature 8 or 10 fruit,
the total weight of tomatoes in each hand will be nearly the same.
Obviously, the hand with the least number of fruit will produce the larger-size
tomatoes. This is the reason thinning to 4 and 5 tomatoes per hand is practiced.

28
Harvesting Tomatoes

Every grower lives in great expectation, looking forward to harvest time. For this
he dreams and works throughout the growing season. If he has done his part
well he has good reason to expect a bountiful harvest.
Whether the crop is sold to markets, or whether it is grown for home use, are
factors which help decide when to harvest tomatoes.
Markets want tomatoes with 2 to 4 weeks shelf life. Therefore, market-bound
tomatoes are picked when the green color first changes to cream-color.
How to Use This Course v

Large yield.
Leaving tomatoes on the vines until red-ripe develops more cracked tomatoes,
but the bonus in flavor of vine-ripened tomatoes far surpasses the inconvenience
caused from the extra splitting.
Shipping and market trends discourage the production of vine-ripe tomatoes for
the supermarket trade. Therefore, for much of the world's younger population, it
is probably true that they seldom or never taste the goodness of a vine-ripened
tomato, fresh off the vine! Even in America, the majority who enjoy the real
goodness of tomatoes are those who grow them.
Red-ripe tomatoes crack easily when picked. Therefore, ripe tomatoes should be
handled gently to avoid bruising and unnecessary splitting.
It is clear that harvesting of tomatoes can and does vary. And fortunate is the
family that can enjoy fresh vine-ripe tomatoes, even if this is possible for only a
few weeks of the year.
Canned vine-ripened tomatoes are a good second choice throughout the rest of
the year.
Lengthening the Ripe-Tomato Harvest Season
Don't let an early frost cut your picking season short! Here's how to lengthen the
tomato season:
1. By following the information outlined in this book and growing your own plants
from seed, you can add weeks to the harvest season. But even so, tomatoes are
everbearing and the vines will very likely still be loaded with fruit when winter
strikes.
2. Don't let the crop freeze! Just before the frost strikes, pick the green tomatoes
and wrap each one separately in newspaper, and store them in a cool place. Or,
if possible, place the green tomatoes in single layers (unwrapped) on shelves in
a cool pantry or store-room.
The green tomatoes will ripen very slowly. It is possible to store them for two or
three months and keep eating red tomatoes the entire time.
In the Northwest, and other colder sections of America, the first killing frost
How to Use This Course v

strikes about the middle of September and lasts 2 or 3 nights only. After this first
freeze, the weather is warm again for several weeks before the general freezing
cold sets in for good.
It is worth the effort to cover the tomato vines where they are growing to protect
them from the first early frost. This will extend the picking season several weeks.
Later, when it is obvious that the freezing weather has come to stay, where
possible, do the following:
Step one: Stretch a strand of #8 wire 7 or 8 feet high inside the car garage.
Step two: On the evening before the first severe frost, pull the tomato vines, roots
and all.
Step three: Shake the soil from the roots, but do not pick the tomatoes off the
vines.
Step four: Carefully cut the strings which hold the plants.
Step five: Take the vines, the leaves, the roots, and the tomatoes into the garage
and drape each plant over the wire.
Step six: The temperature in the garage should not fall below 32°F., or the
tomatoes will freeze.
Green tomatoes hanging on the vines and stored in an unheated garage will
continue to ripen for 8 to 12 weeks. The fascinating results are that tomatoes
hanging from the vines (over the wires) seldom rot, and red tomatoes can be
picked from the vines into early January without any additional expense.
Considerable cost and effort has gone into preparing this publication. The driving
force has been to help more people get better acquainted with the world's most
popular vegetable, and be able to enjoy its health-giving properties over a longer
season yearly. Now it's yours to enjoy more assorted vegetables and vine-
ripened tomatoes!

More fruit coming!

How to Use This Course v

Appendix 1
Nutrient Deficiencies, Symptoms And Corrections
Nitrogen Deficiency
Symptoms: General yellowing over entire plant; spindly, stunted growth.
Correction: Two pounds ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) per grow-box.
Phosphorus Deficiency
Symptoms: A purplish discoloration on older leaves; stunted growth; poor fruit
set.
Correction: One pound di-ammonium phosphate (18-46-0) or triple super
phosphate (0-45-0) per grow-box.
Potassium Deficiency
Symptoms: Scorching (firing) of edges of mature leaves; shriveled seeds in
cereal crops; poor fruit quality.
Correction: One-and-a-half pounds potassium sulfate or chloride per grow-box.
Magnesium Deficiency
Symptoms: Dead areas in older leaves; tend to produce bright colors; older
leaves die from edges inward.
Correction: Two pounds magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) per grow-box.
Calcium Deficiency
Symptoms: Dead terminal buds; stunted growth; poor root growth.
Correction: Two pounds calcium nitrate, calcium carbonate, or gypsum per grow-
box.
Iron Deficiency
Symptoms: Yellowing of interveinal leaf tissue while veins remain green.
Correction: One pound 4 ounces iron sulfate or 2 ounces Sequestrene 330 per
grow-box.
Boron Deficiency
Symptoms: Black heart of tubers; death of terminal buds.
Correction: Four ounces (120 grams) boron (sodium borate) mixed with 3 quarts
sawdust or sand.
Molybdenum Deficiency
Symptoms: Whiptail disease, narrow long leaves, producing twisted pattern.
Correction: Fifteen grams (one-half ounce) sodium molybdate or molybdic acid,
mixed in one cup sawdust or sand per grow-box.
For other nutrient deficiency symptoms and corrections, see The Mittleider
Gardening course pages 147 to 150.

Appendix 2
Fertilizer Formulas

Pre-Plant Fertilizer Formula (old formula - see page 38 for

How to Use This Course v

latest revision)
6 pounds di-ammonium phosphate (18-46-0)
4 pounds potassium, either sulfate, chloride, or muriate of potash
4 1/2 pounds ammonium nitrate or 7 pounds ammonium sulfate
4 1/2 pounds magnesium sulfate (epsom salt)
4 ounces sodium borate or boric acid
Spread separately:
11 pounds lime (see note on rainfall, page 41)
----
30 pounds total
Mittleider Weekly Feed Formula (see Mittleider Gardening
Course P 53 for updated formula)
9 pounds calcium nitrate
4 pounds ammonium nitrate
1 1/2 pounds di-ammonium phosphate (18-46-0)
4 1/2 pounds potassium sulfate or chloride
6 pounds magnesium sulfate (epsom salt)
8 ounces iron sulfate
4 grams copper sulfate
8 grams zinc sulfate
12 grams manganese sulfate
12 grams boron (sodium borate or boric acid)
3 grams molybdenum (sodium molybdate or molybdic acid)
----
25 1/2 pounds total
Constant Feed Solution
55 gallons water
1 pound Weekly Feed Formula (above)
Note: This solution can be used for every watering.

Appendix 3
Units Of Measure

48 teaspoons ............................................. 1 cup

60 drops ............................................ 1 teaspoon
3 teaspoons ....................................... 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon ......................................... 1/2 ounce
16 tablespoons ........................................... 1 cup
1 cup ................................................. 8 ounces
16 fluid ounces ......................................... 2 cups
2 cups .................................................. 1 pint
1/2 liquid pint .......................................... 1 cup
2 pints ................................................ 1 quart
4 quarts .............................................. 1 gallon
1 pound .............................................. 16 ounces
1 pint ................................................. 1 pound
1 gallon ............................... 8.337 pounds (8 pounds)
1 mile .................................. 5,280 feet or 320 rods
1 acre ................... 43,560 square feet or 160 square rods
To Change Centigrade To Fahrenheit
Multiply centigrade by 9/5 and add 32 degrees.
To Change Fahrenheit To Centigrade
 How to Use This Course v

Subtract 32 degrees and multiply by 5/9.

Equivalent Rates In Applying Fertilizers
1 ounce per square foot ...................... 2,722.5 pounds per acre
1 ounce per square yard ........................ 302.5 pounds per acre
1 ounce per 100 square feet ..................... 27.2 pounds per acre
1 pound per 1,000 square feet ................... 43.6 pounds per acre
1 pound per acre ..................... 1/3 ounce per 1,000 square feet
5 gallons per acre ...................... 1 pint per 1,000 square feet
100 gallons per acre ............. 2 1/2 gallons per 1,000 square feet
100 gallons per acre ................. 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet
100 gallons per acre ..................... 1 quart per 100 square feet

Index

A
A-Frame Method--64-70
Anthracnose disease--121
B
Bacterial disease--122-124
Blossom-end rot--causes of, 129-131
C
Constant Feed solution--watering seedflats with, 43; watering transplanted
tomato shoots, 47; formula for, 48; how to apply, 49-50; used every watering, 58
Cracked fruit--causes for, 127-128
Curley-Top disease--120-121
D
Dibble--how to make, 45
Diazinon--117-118
Disease--treating seeds against, 36-37; light important in controlling, 72; keeping
stems dry prevents, 81; explanation of various, 119-124
Dusting program--113
E
Early Blight disease--121-122
F
Fertilizer--Pre-Plant formula, 39-40; Weekly Feed procedure, 93-98; on
transplanting day, 98-99; nitrogen, 99; when to stop applying, 100-101; problems
with, 110-111, 128; formulas, 38, 48, 139; equivalent rates in applying, 140
Field capacity--term for soil water saturation point, 90
Flowers--8 weeks from seed planting, 85
Flower dusters--82
Flower set--first flower buds, 62; solving problems with, 102-106
Food for everyone--references to, 37, 76, 122
Fungus infection--130-131
G
 How to Use This Course v

Germination--reduced by hot water treatment, 36; fertilizer applied to unsprouted

seeds delays, 42
Grow-Boxes--described, 20; constructing, 21-29; soils for, 30-32
Gypsum--use in low rainfall areas, 41
H
Hanging vines--at end of season, 134-135
Harvesting--133-135
Heat--ideal for tomato production, 103
Hornworm--114
Hot water--treating seeds with, 36-37
Hygroscopic--tendency of fertilizer formula components to get wet, 40
I
Infection--129-131
Insects--113-118
K
Kreosote--toxic to plants, 24
L
Late Blight disease--121-122
Leaf miners--114
Leaves--of vigorous plant, 63; oldest leaves turn lighter color, 81; diagnosing leaf
symptoms, 95, 116
Lengthening harvest--134-135
Light--controls position for grow-boxes, 73, 103
Lime--omit in pre-packaged formula application, 40; types to use in low and high
rainfall areas, 41

Location--for gardens, 21-22

Love-apple--name for tomato, 18
Lycopersicon--family name for tomato family, 18
M
Mixing crops--in grow-boxes, 72
More Food From Your Garden (AKA Grow-Box Gardening)--references to, 29,
74
N
Nematodes--107-109
Nutrient Deficiencies--137-138
P
Plant population--104
Planting--in grow-boxes, 65; positioning crops in relation to sunlight, 73; in fields,
104; in greenhouses, 105
Pruning--temporarily stops upward growth, 52; don't remove terminal bud, 57;
schedule for pinching, 57; removing suckers, 60; pruning fruiting tomatoes, 79-86
R
Rotation--annual, 119
S
Seeds--choosing correct s. for your area, 33-35; advantages to growing from s.,
 How to Use This Course v

34-35; facts to know about s., 36-39; starting plants from s., 39-43; number per
flat, 41; time for transplanting 56
Soil air--needed along with water, 90
Soil maggots--113-118
Soils--grow-box, 30-32; materials for custom-made, 32; sterilizing, 38; problems in
regular, 38, 110-111
Solanum--tomato part of s. family, 18
Spacing--in grow-boxes, 65, 71-72
Spindly--preventing plants from becoming, 51-53
Spray program--113
Staking--instructions for, 61-62, 66
Sterilizing soil--in oven, 38; disease requires, 120
Suckers--pruning of, 60, 83
T
Temperature--best tomato-growing, 51-52, 103, 125
Thinning--132
Thrip--114-115
Tobacco-Mosaic diseases--123-124
Tomato fruit worm--114
Transplanting seedlings--into pots, 44-47; into larger containers, 54-59; into grow-
boxes, 58, 72, 75-78
Tying--instructions for, 61-62, 68-69; weekly process, 87-88
U
Units of measure--140
V
Vibrating plant vines--125-126
Virus disease--122-124
W
Watering--never use fertilizer solutions on unsprouted seeds, 42; water flats
daily, 52; when transplanting, 54-55; daily, 89-92; aim in watering, 128
Weeds--control difficulties in regular gardens, 38-39
Weekly Feeding--78; formula, 48
Wilt--tomatoes slow to, 92