Every spring,celebrity tomato like any types of tomatoes top the list of favorite backyard vegetable to grow among gardeners.
No store bought contender can match the vine-ripened goodness of a home grown Celebrity tomato. Growing this juicy tomato variety will cause a rush to the garden center when neighbors spy your first fruits of the season, in hopes of cultivating their own tomatoes!
The hybrid Celty tomato ebriis often selected for its disease resistant to many common plant viruses and wilts. It is also a popular choice due to its resistance of garden pests like nematodes. The high yield of the flavorful fruit makes the Celebrity tomato hands down winner for beginner and avid gardeners alike.
This mid-early season variety produces a bumper crop under a diverse range of growing conditions. It is 72 days from transplanting until harvest time. When planting from seeds add 6-8 weeks until maturity. The fruits ripen over 3-4 weeks on bushy vines that typically do not require staking.
Planting
Start seeds indoors 8 weeks before time to transplant in the garden. Cover seeds lightly, pack soil firmly, and water. When plants are around 2 inches tall, transplant to pots. After all danger of frost has past, set transplants 3 feet apart in garden. Harden the plants by slowly exposing them to the outdoor temperatures for about 7 days before planting.
Even under adverse conditions, the plant shows good blight tolerance and resists cracking. The determinate Celebrity tomato performs well in nearly every climate zone. Although, they grow best in areas that experience hot summers of consistent temperatures over 90 degrees. New determinate plants can be planted in July for a fall tomato crop in these zones.
Soil
Fall or early winter is the ideal time to get a soil analysis. Take a soil sample to your county extension agent or purchase a do it yourself test kit. Since soil improvement is a work in progress, save your test results. Then you can compare them to next years and see how your soil is improving.
Fertilizer
Tomatoes are heavy feeders that need ample quantities of compost and aged manure. Organic gardeners recommend fertilizers of bone meal for phosphorus, animal manure for adding nitrogen, and wood ashes as a source of potassium. Coastal celebrity tomato growers can beef up their crops with a compost of seaweed.
Watering
Mulch and water during dry weather to maintain soil moisture and prevent blossom end rot.
Avoid watering plants from the top. Water deeply from below. Give plants at least 1 inch of water a week. A deep soaking is better than several light waterings. Avoid wetting the foliage.
Cultivating
If you smoke, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before working in the garden. Tomatoes are susceptible to diseases transmitted through tobacco.
Harvesting
Once tomatoes start ripening, check vines almost daily. Cut or gently twist off fruits while supporting the vine at the same time.
Pests
Sprawling plants may be better producers but they use a larger gardening space and may encounter more pests.
Disease
Disease resistance is frequently sought after when growing tomatoes because unlike most vegetables, they prefer to grow in the same place year after year. These tomato plants are good candidates for container gardening as well. If you want perfect, delicious fruits for your summertime picnics, reach for the Celebrity tomato.