Tomato - Brandywine Red
Bench Card
Heirloom tomato known for it's exotic, sweet flavor. Compact plant, potato leaf habit. Large fruit, inconsistantly shaped, with pinkish-red flesh. Fruit ripens gradually over the season. To reduce cracking, pick early and allow to ripen indoors. Stake or cage for best production. Indeterminate habit.
Water Day/Week -- Water regularly for one week after setting plants in the garden. Tomatoes need at least one inch of water per week, maybe more depending on the weather. Water early in the day, deeply at the roots. Avoid splashing on leaves as moisture retained on the foliage overnight could trigger disease on your tomatoes. Do not overwater.
Harvest -- Prone to green and ribbed shoulders and some cracking. You can reduce this damage by picking early and ripening indoors. Take a ripe apple and place it in a paper bag with your tomatoes. The apple give off ethylene gas which will help ripen the fruit.
Spacing -- 24 to 36" apart
Exposure -- Full Sun
Mature Size -- 90 days
Feature -- Exotic Flavor
Heirloom Variety -- Yes
Kid-Friendly -- Yes
Container Friendly -- No
Soil pH -- 5.5 to 7.0
Time to plant -- After danger of frost has passed and temperatures warm
Fertilizer -- Apply 10-10-10 at two to three pounds per 100 square feet of garden space. Work into the top 4-6" of the soil, then transplant. When fruits reach 1", start side dressing every 2 weeks using one level tablespoon 6" from the stem and work it into the soil. Water plant immediately after.
Pests to avoid -- Aphids, cutworms, hornworms, whiteflies, nematodes, flea beetles
Companions -- Carrots, Queen Anne's Lace, basil, nasturtium, parsley, lavender, borage, thyme, lemon balm, asparagus, marigolds and foxglove (digitalis)
Avoid planting by -- Corn, kohlrabi, mature dill plants (harvest before seed heads form) and fennel
Price: $0.00
