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Happy official start to Spring, Grow Guiders!

We’re feeling energized by the longer days and warm sunshine that March has brought. But don’t be fooled…we are a long way from “real Spring” here in the Canadian Prairies.

Here’s the fun meme Maggie references in this pod. We’re right in between ‘Third Winter’ and ‘Mud Season’ here in Manitoba!

Maggie & Dave’s Upcoming Workshop Schedule:

Saturday March 29 - Maggie’s FREE Seed Starting Talk at the St.Norbert Farmer’s Market, more info here
Saturday April 5 - Dave’s Seeding Workshop at The Leaf, tickets available here
Saturday April 5 & Sunday April 6 - Maggie’s Talk on DIY Backyard Greenhouses at the Winnipeg Home & Garden Show, tickets here. Code SOUL50 for 50%
Thursday May 15 - Maggie’s Backyard Bouquets Workshop at Pineridge Hollow, more info here

Today’s Guest: Karen Olivier from Northern Gardener Canada

Karen Olivier is an independent tomato breeder and avid Canadian gardener. She started breeding tomatoes in 2012 in Edmonton, Alberta. Today her tomato breeding operates out of Vancouver Island, BC. She’s breed thousands of tomatoes over the last 15 years with several successful varieties now distributed by garden centres across Canada.

*Karen’s ‘Pumpkin Spice Tomato.’ Green flesh multiflora beta carotene cocktail. One of a kind on potato leaf plants.*

*Karen’s ‘Yellow Brick Road’ tomato. A compact dwarf variety with lots of beautiful citrusy mini beefsteaks and a subtle tone on tone stripe. Perfect for containers!*

For more information on Karen and her tomato breeding projects, follow her @NorthernGardenerCanada on Instagram and Facebook. Email Karen directly for information on purchasing her tomatoes truenorthtomatoes@gmail.com

Tomato Breeding Glossary: Definitions of terms mentioned in this episode:

Terms that describe tomato growing & production:

Determinate - tomato varieties that produce fruit for a time-limited period, often on bushy-type plants

Indeterminate - tomato varieties that produce fruit in multiple flushes for as long as growing conditions will support fruiting, often on tall vine-type plants

Dwarf - a specific genetic variant in tomato lines characterized by unusually compact, sturdy plants; dwarf crosses are famously used to produce the wide range of plants breed in the Dwarf Tomato Project and other compact tomatoes

Micro-Dwarf - extra-compact genetics that yields tomatoes small enough to grow in 6” in containers

Multiflora - a genetic mutation that results in tomato plants bearing exceptionally large numbers of flowers and fruit in clusters; these are cherry-type tomatoes

Potato Leaf - a style of tomato with leaves that are broad and larger, resembling the leaves of potatoes; this is a recessive genetic trait

Regular Leaf - the classic leaf style found on the majority of tomatoes

Rugose Leaf - a style of tomato with leaves that are wrinkled and textured, unlike most tomatoes which have relatively flat and smooth leaves; most common in dwarf tomatoes

Terms that describe tomato plant breeding:

Filial - in biology, this means the generations that come after a particular parent generation

F1 - the first (filial) generation after a genetic cross (subsequent generations in breeding are the F2, F3, F4 etc)

Hybrid - a plant produced by specific genetic crosses with the goal of producing novel traits

Open Pollinated - a seed variety that can be saved and regrown with the expectation that resulting seedlings will be very similar to the parent (unlike an F1 hybrid, which requires specific crossing of two parent plants to yield the special characteristics of that F1 variety)

Pistil - the part of the flower containing female reproductive structures and organs

Stamen - the male reproductive part of the flower that contains the pollen on the anther

Perfect Flower - a flower that has both male and female reproductive organs, making it self-fertile

Recessive - a genetic term that describes a situation where a particular trait is only expressed if two recessive alleles are present on a gene

Dominant - a genetic term for traits that are expressed so long as a single (dominant) allele is present on a gene

Terms that describe outcome on tomato plants:

Blossom End Rot - a physiological disorder caused by poor distribution of calcium to the blossom end of the fruit, resulting in a dark spot or blemish that makes the fruit unappetizing; the root cause of this is poor water regulation, sometimes in combination with inadequate calcium in the soil

Catface - a physical deformity characterized by a puckered blossom end

Locules - the cavity that holds seeds in tomatoes, the shape and size of which have bearing on the texture, size and shape of tomato fruit

Mealy - describes a dry, unappealing texture of the interior of the tomato caused by excess nitrogen, dry growing conditions or certain tomato genetics

Maggie & Dave’s Top 8 Tomato Growing Tips For Northern Gardeners

Tip 1: Start seeds approximately 4 - 6 weeks before your local planting out date… but not earlier (they get hard to maintain indoors when large, and are difficult to transplant if overgrown).

Tip 2: Plan ahead for the size of the particular tomatoes you are growing. Indeterminate types will require staking while determinate bush-type tomatoes can be successfully caged, provided a short stake or even left unsupported (market gardener style!).

Tip 3: Grow tomatoes in a location that receives a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight.

Tip 4: Plant your tomato seedlings deep, or at an angle in the soil, to help the plants become deeply anchored.

Tip 5: Water tomatoes deeply, and with the goal of maintaining consistent soil moisture. Soil that goes through cycles of wet and then dry sets up many potential problems in tomatoes. That said, soggy soil is not healthy, so finding balance and ensuring drainage remain critical for tomatoes.

Tip 6: Mulch your tomato plants to keep weeds down, reduce disease that is transferred from water and soil splash-up, and to help with the consistent root-zone hydration.

Tip 7: Feed tomatoes with an organic plant food specifically for fruiting veggies (contains appropriate NPK + specific micronutrients for fruiting plants). This will ensure strong plant growth, excellent flowering and healthy fruit development.

Tip 8: Prune large tomato plants, focusing on reducing leaves and non-flowering stems from the bottom up.