1. Everyone knows that Southerners love their tomatoes! With seafood Fried green ones Warm off the vine Bright, juicy red ones The tomato is as much a part of the Southern culture as beaches, festivals in the park and hot humid days. Anyone who gardens strives to grow perfect tomatoes. Only to be thwarted, year after year, by bad soil, bad weather and bad bugs and diseases. Often the gardener In the northwest part of Florida is lucky to harvest ten tomatoes a year! This course seeks to provide the information needed to succeed in Growing Tomatoes in Northwest Florida. We even write books and make movies about them We use them In our art

2. Navigating the Course Click to move to next screen. Click to move to previous slide Click to return to start.

3. Growing Tomatoes in NW FloridaOverview Land and & training room has been provided by Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce. This class is part of the future Building a Community Garden course. The first of several modules on different topics of interest to the gardeners Hybrid class: basic learning occurs in the classroom and in the garden and online in a Wiki. Learner support and interactions occur online in a blog in the Wiki and in the garden. The course will cover: weather and soil issues pests and other ongoing care best cultivars planting (seeds vs. plants).

4. Learning Objectives Learning Objectives/Outcomes: The student learning outcomes for this class are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy with learning outcomes as described by Yeh (2003). For this course the learner will: be able to identify at least three cultivars of tomatoes that grow in the Panhandle area of northwest Florida. be able to identify soil issues and the amendments needed. be able to identify common pests and describe solutions for each. explain the rationale for the specific cultivars and amendments they have chosen to plant. demonstrate planting and caring for the tomatoes in the garden then utilize the blog to discuss with other learners. analyze the progress of each cultivar and its chosen amendments, any pests or other growing issues that occurred and solutions tried. reflect on their choices of plants and amendments and determine which produced the most and best tomatoes for them individually and write a synopsis on the blog. Participate in a group evaluation and make recommendations for the next season.

5. What are the Issues?

6. “The Southern Coast covers coastal regions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. Sandy soil, tidal marshes and a climate influenced by the Gulf of Mexico affect gardeners in the Southern Coast region. ”. (Home Depot Garden Club Editor, 2011). Natural habitat is sandy/clay soil with no nutrients Tomatoes will only grow in soil that is thick, rich and enhanced with compost and natural fertilizers. 1 part compost, 1 part sand to 1 part vermiculite 1 part compost, 1 part sand to 1 part redwood or pine bark 1 part compost, 1 part sand to 1 part peat moss Amending the soil is hard work but worth the effort An alternative to growing in ground is growing in pots or raised beds with added soil that is rich in nutrients. (Stephens, 2010) What are the Issues?The Soil is Sand and Clay

7. What are the Issues?Weather Conditions The weather is cloudy and rainy in spring. During the months of March – June the area receives an average of 2 inches of rain per week. Along with the rain, comes the loss of sunlight causing problems for tomatoes which need at least six hours of sun per day ( Florida State University 2011). The weather is too hot in June, July and August when the average temperatures stay in the high 90⁰ range with high humidity and little rainfall day and night. (Florida State University, 2000)

8. What are the Issues?Pests Decimate the Plants or Fruit Before Harvest Tomato Hornworm 3” long, ½ “ wide Greedily eat leaves for about a month killing plant Handpick & drop them into a jar of soapy water After harvest, till soil to kill 90% of larvae Nematodes Microscopic predators in ground Feed on the leaves & roots Plants become stunted, yellow and die Plant nematode-resistant varieties of tomatoes Gardener's Supply Company (n.d.)

9. General Considerations View this video for a discussion of seeds vs. plants, sun requirements, feeding and general growing of tomatoes. (Clean Air Gardening, 2010) (Clean Air Gardening, 2010)

10. Best Cultivars Determinate vs. Indeterminate Determinate cultivars are compact, produce fruit all at once and need no staking. These are best for this area. Indeterminate cultivars produce fruit on a vine for a season, need staking, are subject to diseases in this area. Cultivars may be grown in this area with extra care. Some indeterminate cultivars that might grow here are Floradel, Bragger and Manalucie. Be sure all tags include the lettersTSWV. Three best cultivars for NW Florida gardens All resistant to wilt diseases All determinate varieties Amelia Bella Rossa Talladega (Williams, 2010) and (Friday, 2011) Determinate Indeterminate

11. Ongoing Care Weeding, Fertilizing and Watering The conditions that are unfavorable for tomatoes are quite favorable for weeds. Weeding must be done regularly so tomatoes have room to grow. Mulching can decrease the need for weeding. Use 20-20-20 fertilizer in 6 gallons of water once a month -- Substitute calcium nitrate for the fertilizer every two weeks Tomatoes require approximately 1 inch of water per week from rain or irrigation. (Stephens, 2010) Fertilizers and supplements

12. Ongoing Care Diseases Three Soil Borne Diseases Bacterial Wilt Plant wilts completely Caused by high temperatures and wet soil at 85-95⁰ Fusarium Wilt Older leaves and stems wilt Caused by soil an air temperature at 82-86⁰ Fusarium Crown and Root Rot Stunted growth, lower leaf yellowing, cankers Solutions Choose disease-resistant varieties Watch moisture levels Remove and dispose of any diseased or infested plants (Gardener's Supply Company, n.d.)

13. Ongoing care Supporting, and Suckering Tomatoes and Pinching Suckers Watch this video to get step by step instructions about how to support and sucker indeterminate/trellis variety tomato plants..

14. Interactive Garden Planning Exercise

15. Take a Test

16. References 1 ClassMarker Pty Ltd. (2005). Quiz maker for professional online testing. Retrieved March 3, 2011 from http://www.classmarker.com/ Clean Air Gardening, (Producer). (2010). Growing tomatoes: try these gardening tips. [Web]. Retrieved February 12, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuTyh7kZV8g Florida State University, (2000). Florida climate center pensacola regional airport. Retrieved February 22, 2011 from http://coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/data/1971-2000normals_pensacola.shtml Florida State University, (2011). Precipitation data: pensacola. Retrieved February 22, 2011 from http://coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/data/precip_pensacola.shtml Florida State University, (2011). weather planner. Retrieved February 22, 2011 from http://coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/data/weatherplanner_pensacola.shtml Friday, Theresa, (2011). Lecture, Growing Tomatoes in Santa Rosa County, Fl, at Gulf Breeze Community Gardens. Front Porch Farm, (Producer). (2010). How to step by step instructions about how to string and sucker indeterminate/trellis variety tomato plants. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJgA4n-sCE8&feature=related Gardener's Supply Company (n.d.). Kitchen garden designer. Retrieved February 12, 2011 from http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Page-KGPPreplanned#printbed

17. References 2 Gardener's Supply Company, (n.d.). Troubleshooting tomato problems. Retrieved February 27, 2011 from http://www.gardeners.com/Troubleshooting-Tomato-Problems/5086,default,pg.html Home Depot Garden Club Editor, (2011, March 2). Choosing garden center plants. Retrieved from http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/Dimensions/Article.aspx?contentid= 3849&cm_mmc=hd_email-_-030211_GC_30D-_-030211_GC_1-_-Read+More-CTA&et_rid=28301029 Momol, T, Perenzny, K, Ji, P, McGovern, R, & Olson, S. (2009). Three soilborne tomato diseases caused by ralstonia and fusarium species and their field diagnostics. Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp127 What is a tomato trellis? (2010). [Web]. Retrieved March 1, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMhSXMcndEU&feature=related Stephens, J. (2003, May). Tomatoes in the florida garden. Retrieved March 2, 2011 from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh028 Stephens, J. (2010, March). * | stephens, james m | container gardening minigardening (growing vegetables in containers). Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh032 Williams, L. (2010, March 28). Keys to growing tasty tomatoes in florida. Retrieved from http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/varieties-27280-florida-tomatoes.html