Growing tomatoes in the desert are worth the effort! They do take a lot of TLC, but it the end
results are very gratifying.
The most important thing to keep in mind, aside from good
soil, is the variety. Many species sold
in nurseries do not do well in the desert.
I have had excellent success with Early Girl, Celebrity and Heatwave
(for slicing tomatoes) and Viva and Roma (for paste tomatoes). Cherry and grape tomatoes also do well here,
as do yellow tomatoes. Be sure the
varieties are disease resistant (against verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt)
which will be identified on the plant tag or seed packet. These are viral soil diseases that affect
mainly tomatoes.
I prefer to start my plants from seeds since my plot is quite
large. A smaller plot with room for only
a dozen or so plants would not be too expensive if you bought 6 packs or 4”
pots.
You aren’t the only one that will enjoy tomatoes-birds think
they are just great too, so unless you have a completely caged in enclosure,
you will need to cover the plants securely with bird netting. Birds are pretty tenacious, so make sure the
bottom of the netting is secured with rocks, metal pins, or in my case, metal
T-posts. Birds will check the edges
regularly, so you will need to as well.
Tomatoes also prefer afternoon shade. If your garden plot is in full sun, then you
will need to provide shade by building a structure to hold shade cloth (minimum
30%) over the plants. I use my tomato
cages to support the shade cloth (placed over bird netting, of course). Be sure to stake the cages with rebar and
wire so they don’t blow over.
Soil diseases are a big problem for tomatoes, but
fortunately there are few pests. The one
that will cause you the most trouble is the tomato hornworm. Once you see one of these, you will do
anything to never see another. They can
get quite large if you let them, growing to several inches long and over 1/2” wide. They are green with ‘horns’ and blend in
perfectly with the green leaves of the plants.
You will recognize their damage immediately. Seemingly overnight there will be leaves
missing on the tops of the plants, and tiny brown droppings on the lower
leaves. You can hand pick them, but I
prefer to use Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a non-toxic bioinsecticide the USDA
has designated safe for use on organic produce.
Make sure you don’t plant your seedlings too close together,
or you will have fruit that won’t ripen.
One side will be forever green while the other side turns red. Be prepared for some varieties to get 4’ tall
and 3’ wide, especially Roma, Viva, Celebrity and cherry tomatoes. Allow at least 3’ or more between these
varieties.
