Many problems of tomatoes can be prevented by proper variety selection. There are two wilt diseases present in Stanly County soils. Choose a tomato variety that has VF after the name. This indicates resistance to verticillium and fusarium wilts. Some popular varieties with wilt resistance are Celebrity, Better Boy, Whopper and Mountain Pride.
Tomatoes are either determinate or indeterminate .
They are good choices for canning due to the concentrated production period. Indeterminate varieties will continue to grow and produce fruit during most of the summer. They need taller supports and frequent fertilization for best production. To help prevent blossom end rot, put a handful of gypsum into the planting hole. Space plants two feet in the row with rows three to four feet apart.