For tomato lovers, picking a warm, flavourful tomato right off the plant for a sandwich, burger, or salad is a sure sign of summer!  I eagerly await the day the first fruit begins to turn red, knowing that I am a day or two away from the first of many toasted tomato sandwiches for the season!

By the end of June, your tomato plants should be in the ground or pot, staked, and well on their way to producing fruit. But how do you keep your plants healthy all summer so that you can maximize your investment? Here are a few tips to help keep your tomato sandwiches coming until frost!

Water

Water early in the morning and water deeply. For tomatoes, consistent moisture is best.

Keep the water on the ground, not on the foliage. This is important because damp foliage can lead to diseases like early blight, which can ultimately cause the entire plant to die. Mulching around the base of plants will reduce the amount of water that can splash up onto the leaves. A soaker hose or drip line is also a great way to ensure that water stays on the ground, rather than on the plant.

Pruning

Reducing the amount of foliage on a tomato plant is necessary for a couple of reasons: good air flow, which reduces the chance of powdery mildew forming, and less foliage means that the plant can send energy to growing fruit instead of lots of leaves.

Follow these easy steps when you prune your tomato plants:

• Before you begin, remember to follow the rule for pruning - no more than ⅓ of a plant should be removed at a time. 

• Use clean scissors or pruning shears to cut the leaves off the bottom of the plant. Remove any leaves that are touching the ground. These are particularly susceptible to mildew formation.

When fruit starts forming, remove the leaves from the bottom of the plant up to the first or lowest fruit.

Remove suckers ongoingly. What are suckers? When you look at your tomato plant, you will see the main stem that comes up from the ground, and branches of leaves that come out of the main stem. As the plant grows, suckers begin to form in the “Y” between the main stem and a branch of leaves. Suckers won’t harm a plant; they just make it very unruly and reduce airflow.

If your tomatoes are indeterminate (growing into a tall vine), remove the top of the plant when frost is forecasted at the end of the season. Topping the plant allows energy to ripen the fruit that’s already set, rather than being used to continue growing the vine.

NOTE: Some gardeners like to leave suckers on determinate tomato plants as this can increase the yield.

TIP: Tomatoes ripen from the inside out. That means that by the time you see fruit beginning to flush on the outside, the inside is already ripe. If you have competition for tomatoes from pesky critters, or when there’s a chance of frost in the weather forecast, you can pick fruit that has just begun to turn colour and leave it on the kitchen counter to continue to ripen. 

Fertilizer

Using organic material is one of the best ways to feed your crop. A good layer of compost, 1-2 inches, in the spring when you’re planting and again in the fall each year is one of the best ways to improve your soil structure in the garden, and it also adds lots of nutrition. 

If you missed this step when planting your garden, you can always add a layer of compost around your plants or use other organic fertilizers, such as compost tea, seaweed, worm castings, or fish emulsion.

Alternatively, you can use a fertilizer that’s formulated especially for tomatoes - these usually have a ratio like 3-4-6 or 4-7-10. Follow label directions for amounts and err on the side of caution. Using less fertilizer is always better than using too much, as an excess can stress the plant and make it more prone to disease.

Following these simple steps for tomato care will help to ensure your plants stay healthy and producing fruit, but if you should have problems, here are some great resources to identify tomato issues:

• Ontario.ca: Bacterial diseases of tomato: bacterial spot, bacterial speck and bacterial canker
• Guelph.ca: Healthy Landscapes – Plant List Native and Drought-Tolerant Plants

Pruning is an essential part of gardening. Essential, but a little intimidating at first because it’s a broad subject. That said, there are some basic rules that apply to most trees and shrubs that will get you started.

There are a number of reasons to prune; the most obvious is for safety, to keep a branch from doing damage or harm by falling or rubbing against something like a building or another tree. Other important reasons include:

• Removing dead, diseased or damaged wood
• Shaping to make a plant bushier, reduce the size and bulk, or slow down growth
• Thinning to increase light penetration and airflow and reduce the possibility of disease
• Rejuvenation to encourage growth, blooming and fruit

Correctly pruning trees and shrubs can help with everything listed above and, most importantly, help maintain the health of your plants. Proper techniques and timing ensure the best results.

The Right Tools

You may need fewer tools to prune than you think!  

Secateurs or hand pruners work well on smaller branches.

Loppers or lopping shears have longer handles for more leverage and are ideal for medium-sized branches.

A pruning saw works best for larger branches.

Electric or manual hedge shears are best for cutting a tidy wall of foliage like hedges and shaped evergreens.

The key with garden tools is to make sure they’re sharp and sterile. This can prevent the spread of disease. Clean tool blades with rubbing alcohol after trimming each branch.

When to Prune

Pruning timing requires some research as it depends on the species of the plant and the result you’re aiming to achieve. For example, some trees may be best pruned in the winter while they’re dormant and buds have not yet appeared. To shape a tree, it’s easier to prune before the leaves have formed so that all of the branches can clearly be seen. Pruning early in the gardening season will invigorate the tree. Conversely, pruning after the tree has formed leaves in June will tend to slow down growth.

When pruning flowering trees and bushes, there are other timing considerations. Some ornamentals bloom on branches that grew the previous year. Pruning those branches too early will result in fewer or no blooms. For these plants, it’s best to wait until after they have bloomed.

If you’re unsure about pruning timing for your tree or shrub, this is a fairly comprehensive list to use as a guide. We have also linked other resources below this article.

In general, late fall or early winter is not the time to prune any plant as it encourages new growth, which may be damaged by colder weather.

Pruning Techniques

While some trees may require specific care (pines, for example), here are the basic techniques for pruning trees and shrubs. It’s a good idea to know these basics before you head out to begin cutting branches.

Examine the branch, buds and shoots before cutting. Cutting above a bud facing away from the trunk of the tree will have the branch continue to grow in that direction.

Cut on a 45° angle just above a bud whenever possible. Keep your cut above the lowest bud (the bud closest to the trunk), or the branch will die back.

Before removing a large branch, cut ⅔ off the end of the length to reduce the weight. Once the bulk of the branch has been removed, then cut the rest of the branch away from the trunk by cutting close to, but not into, the “collar” of the branch where it meets the trunk of the tree.

Now You’re Ready to Begin Cutting!

Now that you know the techniques for pruning, where do you begin? Here’s a logical set of steps to follow:

1 - Remove any dead or diseased wood

2 - Remove any branches that are crossing and rubbing together. For a shrub that’s too crowded, remove the thickest branches down to the ground first  

3 - Remove water sprouts

4 - Stand back and observe the shape of the tree. If anything is not pleasing about the look (lopsided growth or branches growing too close together or at a sharp angle to the trunk, for example), begin removing or trimming back one unsightly branch at a time. Observing the shape between each cut

5 - Remove any suckers or stubs

Follow The ⅓ Rule!

Once you start, pruning can be fun, but be careful not to get too carried away. Trim up to ⅓ off of an established plant (not a newly transplanted tree or shrub) in one growing season - maximum. Cutting off too much can stress the plant and impact its overall health.

Lastly, know that you can always hire a certified arborist if the task is too much or the tree is simply too large!

Other Resources:

• City of Moose Jaw: Pruning Trees 
• Landscape Ontario: Pruning Shrubs and Evergreens
• Ontario Government: Pruning Fruit Trees
• University of Georgia: Pruning Ornamental Plants