Forsyth
County North Carolina
Top Q&A Homeowner Questions June 2008
Tomato Time! Tomatoes are the hot topic for June in the Piedmont and no wonder. They are a thrilling fruit that we treat and eat as a vegetable. . There are so many varieties and so much to talk about, especially over the fence. Truly their proof is in the tasting.
An excellent site for information on vegetable gardening in general written by Larry Bass, Horticultural Agent, at NC State is available at Call the Forsyth County Cooperative Extension at 703 2850 to request a copy. A shorter version, by Bass, on just tomatoes is available at
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Tomatoes Q.What can I do about blossom end rot on my tomatoes? A. Douglas Saunders at NCSU offers several suggestions which include liming, fertilizing, mulching and watering approaches at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8107-a.html Q. The leaves on my tomatoes are turning yellow and dying. What can I do? A. This page from Master Gardeners in Cumberland County identifies some of the diseases tomato plants are susceptible to and makes hopeful suggestions. Some tomato varieties known to do well in the Piedmont include Brandywine, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Cherokee Purple and Sungold. Whopper, Celebrity and Better Boy are varieties which carry resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt and root-knot nematodes. (Publication AG-12)
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According to Barbara Damrosch, author of The Garden Primer (2008), tomatoes are America’s favorite vegetable and the gardener’s pride and joy. She recalls that her “father once grew a tomato so enormous that he placed it on a platter and carved it as if it were a crown roast.” Tomatoes are not without their growing issues, some of which are addressed here.