Weed Control

The area around tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants should be kept free of weeds because of competition for sunlight, soil nutrients, and water. You can do this by mulching, hand pulling, or cultivating not more than 1 to 2 inches deep. Pepper and eggplant roots are particularly slow growing; thus any amount of root pruning can cause stunted growth and flowers to drop. Avoid cultivation when the soil is wet since it can lead to clumping of the soil and soil compaction.

Several insect species damage tomatoes including flea beetles, tomato fruitworms, hornworms, aphids, leafminers, pinworms, Colorado potato beetles, whitefly, and spider mites. In small gardens some of these can be controlled by hand picking them from the plants.

Tomato hornworm damages foliage and fruit on tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers.

The others can be controlled by using approved insecticides at the proper time.

Two of the most common tomato diseases occurring in home gardens are fusarium and verticillium wilts. They are caused by fungi that live in the soil. Before the development of resistant varieties, gardeners were urged to plant in a different part of the garden each year; this is still a good idea. The best control, however, is to grow resistant varieties. Spraying or dusting is ineffective in controlling either of the wilt diseases.

Blossom-end rot is the most troublesome fruit rot for the home gardener. It is caused by a calcium deficiency and is aggravated by any kind of drought stress on the plants. Calcium, in the form of finely ground dolomitric limestone, will help prevent blossom-end rot. It must be applied before tomatoes are planted.

Other fruit rots are caused by fungi. Usually these fruit rots are not a problem when plants are staked. Most fruit rots can be controlled either by spraying with a fungicide or mulching with a suitable material such as black plastic. In areas where the leaves are frequently wet because of rain or dew, leaf spot diseases such as early blight, late blight, gray leaf spot or septoria leaf spot can be destructive. These can be controlled by applying a suitable fungicide at 7- to 10-day intervals. Wetting the foliage when watering can accentuate these diseases.

Virus diseases can cause a mottled discoloration of tomato foliage and occasionally a mottling of the fruit. Since tobacco mosaic virus is transmitted by direct contact, wash your hands and tools before touching the plants. Do not smoke while handling tomato, pepper, and eggplant plants.

Cucumber mosaic virus is transmitted by aphids that may be harbored in some perennial flowers or in nearby weeds. Cucumber mosaic can be controlled by eradicating perennial weeds and by spraying the tomato plants with an insecticide that controls aphids.

Tomatoes are subject to damage by many species of nematodes, but root-knot nematodes are the most troublesome. Affected plants become yellow and stunted and their roots can be galled, pruned, matted, or decayed. If nematodes are known to be present in damaging numbers based on the experience of previous years, they should be controlled before tomatoes are planted. Nematode control can be obtained by using an approved nematicide.

Insects attacking peppers such as leaf miners, aphids, budworms, flea beetles, hornworms, pepper weevils, cutworms, and the pepper maggot can be controlled with timely applications of insecticides used according to the manufacturer's directions.

Common pepper diseases include seedling damping off, bacterial leaf Spot, Cercospora leaf spot, Phytophthora root rot, and mosaic virus diseases. Seed treatment and applications Of fungicides or soil fumigation can help reduce losses. Several fungicides give adequate control of most leaf snot diseases.

Mosaic virus diseases such as tobacco etch virus, potato virus Y, tobacco mosaic, cucumber mosaic and tobacco ringspot virus can only be controlled by using resistant varieties. There are many pepper varieties resistant to tobacco mosaic, but very few resistant to tobacco etch and potato virus Y, and none to cucumber mosaic or tobacco ringspot virus. The release of multiple virus resistant pepper varieties can be anticipated in the future.

Phomopsis rot and verticillium wilt are two serious diseases of eggplants. The Phomopsis rot is characterized by large sunken, tan-colored or black areas on the fruits. It may also cause canker-like lesions on the lower part of the stem and leaf spots which may enlarge until the whole leaf turns brown. The disease may be carried over winter by debris in the soil from the previous crop. To control fruit rot, use clean seed, practice a 3- to 4-year crop rotation, and grow rot-resistant varieties.

Verticillium wilt of eggplant is particularly common in cooler regions and is similar in its behavior to wilt disease of tomato. It seems to persist in the soil indefinitely, and can be distributed by plants from infested seedbeds. Wilt injury ranges from stunting, with decreased productivity, to death of the plant.

Several insects attack eggplants, particularly flea beetles, aphids, lace bugs, and sometimes the Colorado potato beetle. Red spiders occasionally become troublesome on eggplants, especially during dry weather.

Harvesting

To obtain the best flavor and color, harvest tomatoes after they are fully ripe. Tomatoes can be expected to ripen 60 to 90 days after transplanting. If picked green, they can be ripened at temperatures between 55 and 72 F. Light will increase the color of tomatoes somewhat, but light is not essential to ripening. When tomatoes are placed in direct sunlight to ripen, the added heat often lowers their quality.

Green sweet peppers are harvested when they reach a good usable size and still retain their dark green color. Immature peppers are soft and yield readily to mild pressure of the fingers. Red peppers, either sweet or hot, are allowed to develop full red color before picking. Hot peppers can be harvested early for green sauce or canning or allowed to ripen, then harvested.

Pepper fruit will be ready for harvesting between 70 days for early green fruits to 130 days for some of the fully mature red pods. Peppers are generally harvested by breaking them from the plant with the stems left attached to the fruits.

Eggplants may be harvested any time after they have reached sufficient size, but before the skin color becomes dull, the flesh tough, and the seeds begin to harden. Most varieties will be ready for the first harvest in 85 to 90 days after transplanting.

Harvest eggplants by cutting the tough stems with a sharp knife.

Per plant yields for the various crops will vary greatly depending on the variety, the growing season, the area of the country, and the cultural practices you follow. However, it is reasonable to expect tomatoes to yield 10 to 14 pounds per plant, peppers to yield 1 pound per plant, and you can anticipate 4 to 8 eggplants per plant.

Eggplant nearly ready for harvesting.