The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-03-24
Tomatoes.
How to Grow Them without
Blighting
BY j. L. Hughes

BY j. L. Hughes
The food value of the tomato is
quite generally recognized. Under
proper conditions the tomato plant
is one of the most prolific producers.
Further, the tomato may be served
in greater variety Of ways than
any other plant food. Any proceed
ure that will improve the quality or
increase the yield should merit con-
Sideration.
Will Rogers would say, "All I know
is what see in the papers," After
three years of public supervision
of family gardening and canning
my comment might be "All I know
is what see in the gardens" Last
year 1000 gardens shared in our
program. The winners averaged
better than $50 quarts of vegetables
and fruits per person. The NEAR
winners" averaged 100, and the
''honorably mentioned" averaged
IS quarts per person in the family.
The most significant observation
I have made is how to grow toma-
toes so they will not blight. I have
not found any cure for blight, but
I have observed how blight can be
prevented, which is worth more
than a cure. My observations have
all been made in family gardens,
where the required and regular sup
ply of water is furnished by irri-
cation. The annual rainfall in the
Yakima valley approximates seven
inches. The soil is volcanic ash.
Dig trench a spade wide and a
spade deep (6 inches); mellow the
soil in the bottom as you would for
any seed, and plant the seed in the
bottom of the trench. Where irri-
cation is used, place the ditch along
the side of the trench, being care
full that no water gets into the
trench. Let all the moisture come
from beneath. This insures the
first requisite: viz. constant and
uniform supply of moisture the
deep trench helps to keep the ground
moist about the plants Do not pull
up any plants. Let them all grow.
Some Of the plants will outgrow and
smother the others. This insures
the second requisite: viz, q dense
shelter crop to keep the ground
moist and keep down the |
weeds. Later on this heavy growth
helps polarization. This plan pre-
pares the way for the third requisite
which is the most important of all !,
and which is most generally over /
looked in growing tomatoes. The
stem of the tomato plant, when 1t is
small, is very delicate and very
easily bruised. Here is where the
six-inch trench comes in. Spring
winds are the most fatal to young
tomato plants. whipping them
against q soil that fire. |
luently has hard crust on the sur
lace, thus bruising the stem at the
ground line. This lowers the vital
ty of the plant and so makes It sus-
;eptible to disease, blight later.
With the plants growing In the
;rench, they are six inches high be-
lore they reach the surface of the
ground, hence the wind cannot in
lure them. and, by leaving all the
plants to grow together, they pro-
ect each other from injury. So the
bird requisite in preventing blight
S to protect the plant stems, when
'oung, from the wind.
As the plants grow, trellises may
re used, as a railing a foot or SO
Ibove the ground, on either side of
he row, adds to the yield, and con-
'enience in harvesting. To those
vl10 would have tomatoes earlier
" growing the plants in dollhouse
eds, then transplant into hills the
sual way, would urge them to do
II possible to insure:
1. Uniform supply Of moisture.
2. A shelter-crop to protect that
noisture.
3. Shelter from the winds when
lants are small.
Some Observations Bearing on
'hese Deductions: Those who grew
heir tomatoes as mentioned have
ad no blight, and have been grow
ag them this way for five years. To
ct shelter crop, some plant car