Tomato Dirt Newsletter
Volume 5, Number 17

Dear Tomato Dirt reader,

Welcome back to Tomato Dirt! Once or twice a month, we’ll send you this newsletter packed with tips about growing tomatoes and using them.

Halloween Is Just Around the Corner ...

Best Tips for Growing Tomatoes

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FEATURE: Tomato Garden Fall Cleaning Checklist, Part 1: Clear Out Tomato Plants

Image: Tomato Dirt

You have to face the hard fact: the inevitable (winter) is coming.

But you can get a head start on next season now. Take just a few simple steps at season’s end and you can save a lot of time in the spring and help ensure a healthier tomato crop next year!

• Make sure your growing season is over. Know your local frost date and follow the weather to know when your tomato plants are done producing.
• Mark rows. Use a stake, post, rock or other marker to notate your tomato plants’ home in the garden this year. By marking your tomato growing spots, you will avoid planting them in the same row or area next year.
• Pick up fallen fruit. Dropped, “mummified,” or rotten tomatoes on the ground can breed tomato diseases. Prevent that by collecting them and destroying them.
• Remove tomato plants. Pull up spent tomato plants, including roots (as well as bean, squash, pea, cucumber, pepper, other vegetable plants, and weeds that surround tomatoes) that are finished producing or have been killed by frost. If they’re disease-free, compost them. If any are diseased, either burn them or discard them separately.

Learn more about clearing out tomato plants …

… and get more helpful tips on our Fall Garden Clean Up Pinterest Board.

Tomato Growing Tip #17: Pick Up Fallen Tomatoes to Prevent Diseases

Image: Tomato Dirt

Get more tips for growing tomatoes on our Tomato Growing Tips Pinterest board.

To Help You With Tomato Garden Clean Up

Fiskars Traditional Bypass Pruning Shears	5-Cubic Feet Poly Yard Rover Green Wheelbarrow

More About Fall Gardening for Tomatoes