Growing The Best Tomatoes

Did you know that April snows that many of us hate so much is actually a great fertilizer? Or that you can learn the ph balance of your garden soil for just $2. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County hosts a, "Grow Your Best Tomato" class that teaches you many things.

In an earlier story we talked about the Master Gardener program this Wednesday, May 6. Here are the things you'll learn. In addition to choosing the right tomato to grow, the class we'll teach the secrets from the ground up.

How to take a sample of your garden's soil for a ph test. CCE will test it for $2 per sample.

Dig 6 to 8 inches below the surface in several places in a garden bed and mix in a pail. Place a sandwich size baggie sample from the pail.

You'll also learn how to cope with different diseases such as blight, as well as insect issues and how to take care of them. Discover which types of tomatoes grow best in this area. The right tomato to grow in CNY and the proper handling of them.

The class will be conducted by Master Gardener Volunteers as well as local grower Froschauer's Greenhouse from Rome. The “Grow your Best Tomato Class” is from 6 to 8 p.m.this Wednesday at the Oneida County Extension offices in Oriskany. Cost for the class is $10 and you can register online. You can also call the Horticulture Hot Line on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. at 736-3394.

And for those April snows, Holly Wise says they are "like fertilizer" for the gardens and fields.

There are trace amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in our snow. As you will recall, plants use the nitrogen for leaf growth, the phosphorus for root and flower growth and the potassium for plant vigor and disease resistance.

SOURCE: Holly Wise Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County

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