When is the best time to spray my fruit trees? We hear this question a lot. The generic answer is when the blooms appear in the spring. If you have fruit trees you should be spraying on a schedule. Contact your county A&M AgriLife Extension office for more details.

Decision time comes when choosing an insecticide to spray. There is a wide selection of products to choose from but Malathion has been the go-to fruit tree insecticide for years and rightly so. It works well, doesn’t stay in the environment as long as some other synthetic insecticides, and is inexpensive. The bad news is that it is toxic to fish, bees, and us humans. The other option is Fruit Tree Spray from Bonide. So read and follow the label directions.

This brings us to Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) and Spinosad. Both are all-natural alternatives to Malathion. Just because they are all-natural doesn’t mean that they will not have an effect on non-targeted species. Malathion doesn’t need a sticking agent, Bt and Spinosad do. I find that liquid molasses works well as a sticker for both products. Liquid molasses will gum up a sprayer so keep an eye on it. The alternative to liquid molasses is a spreader sticker. It’s easy to use and won’t gum up a sprayer. When I spray any of these products I do it in the late evening. Read and follow label directions.

They say tomatoes should be planted March 25 to April 15. However, the historical last freeze date are March 17 to April 10. So what is as gardener to do? At this point, have the garden ready. Plant tomatoes when you feel we have had the last frost but be prepared to cover them, just in case.

If you didn’t know, the most popular garden crop worldwide is the tomato. Hopefully, the following will answer the most common tomato questions.  

I recommend a pre-plant fertilizer application 2 to 4 weeks before planting. Since I try to keep my garden all-natural, I pick fertilizers accordingly. I have had excellent results with Wells Brothers Dirt Diet 4-1-2 and Medina’s 3-2-3. Once the plants are growing, choose a fertilizer with an equal or lower nitrogen (1st number) than phosphate (2nd number) and potash (3rd number). Too much nitrogen will grow large plants with little or no fruit. My go-to fertilizer is Espoma’s Tomato Tone with a 3-4-6 ratio. Synthetics with an 8-10-8, and 7-22-8 can also be good choices. If you like liquids, it’s hard to beat Medina Hasta Gro 6-12-6.

Heirloom vs. Hybrid vs. GMO

The term Heirloom is used to describe any type of plant or seed that has been saved and grown for a period of years. Heirloom seed must be of the openly pollinated type. Heirlooms are simply varieties that are capable of producing seeds that will produce seedlings just like the parent (true) plant.

Hybrids mean crossbreeding compatible types of plants to a plant with the best features of both. Many modern plants are the result of these crosses. Seed from hybrids will not produce plants with identical qualities. Plants can cross-pollinate in nature and hybrids repeatedly selected and grown may eventually stabilize into Heirlooms.

GMOs, (Genetically Modified Organisms) can be any plant, animal or microorganism, which has been genetically altered at the molecular level. Wells Brothers sells NO GMO plants or seeds.

The two most important terms:

Determinate: relatively compact (bush) plants that do most of their growing before setting a limited number of fruit that tends to ripen all at once. As a rule, determinates set fruit the fastest.

Indeterminate: a vining plant that can grow very large (needs support), blossoms, and produce tomatoes throughout the growing season.

The Celebrity is the exception to the rule; it is called semi-determinate even though the tags say it is determinate. It grows like a determinate (bush) and in some cases will produce more than one crop. All tomatoes are planted the same way regardless of variety. From 70% to 80% of the total plant (including the roots) should be below ground. Remove any container material, including the fiber pots. I add Wells Brothers’ “Jump Starter” to the prepared hole. Then lightly break up the root ball and dip it in water just before planting. Now is the time to install any support structure that the plant will need.

Everything you ever wanted to know about tomatoes click here:

Some tomato names to remember:

Celebrity
Sweet 100
Arkansas Traveler
Big Boy
Better Boy
Roma (paste)
Porter
Patio
Husky Cherry Red
Grape
Brandi Wine
Yellow Pear
Super Fantastic
Better Bush
Rutgers
Indigo Rose
Homestead
Cherokee Purple