Ruud Kleinpaste: Growing tomatoes

<p>Growing tomatoes is one of the big hobbies of New Zealanders, especially males!</p> <p>It’s great to have a go at these fruit – there are many many varieties too and everybody has their favourite ones. But there are some problems that can occur, whether you’re raising them in an open garden bed, or in a tunnel house</p> <p>Tomato – (potato) thrips are a nuisance; they got here a few decades ago and will attack Solanaceous plants (potatoes, tomatoes, nightshades, poroporo, and such weeds)</p> <p>Tomato thrips adults and nymphs</p> <p>I used to get heaps of them when growing tomatoes in Auckland, but in CHC they seem to be prevalent only in autumn (takes longer to develop plague proportions);</p> <p>My best preventative action is to pull Solanum weeds out everywhere. It prevents them from settling on these hosts and survive during winter.</p> <p>When you have a hassle: spray the plants with oil (Conqueror Oil or Neem Oil) on a regular basis (every 10 days or so); aim for the newer leaves/growth on the tomato plants.</p> <p>Sprays with insecticides need to commence well before you see the first psyllids; it keeps their populations down too.</p> <p>I generally don’t grow potatoes (only the early season varieties of potatoes (before Xmas)</p> <p>Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes has always been translated as a deficiency of calcium. Apparently that is a myth in itself; it has more to do with the inability of the plant to transport calcium through the plant. Gibberellins appear to be playing an important role in that job and most NZ soils are not deficient in calcium; so: try some fertilisers with gibberellic acid (Seafood Soup/Seaweed Tea!)</p> <p>Often the first tomatoes of the season show some Blossom End Rot. With settling temps and regular fertilisation/watering these symptoms often disappear.</p> <p>Early Blight and Late Blight on stems and leaves can move pretty quickly through the plants.</p> <p>Here comes the watering again!!! Only water the soil (NOT the leaves); remove the lower leaves as soon as practicable, s