3 Tips for Growing Tomatoes in June

June 14, 2017 Author: Ann Clary GardenZeus Southern California / Nothing But Tomatoes / Organic Gardening: Vegetables / The Mighty Garden Archive

Control aphids and hornworms. Insect attacks on tomatoes by aphids and hornworms are common in late spring and early summer. Pick hornworms by hand, and use a strong stream of water to remove aphids.

This closeup photo shows aphids on the back of a leaf.

Hornworms often blend well into the green foliage.

Control ants. Often aphid problems coincide with Argentinian ant infestations because ants move aphids to uninfected leaves and protect aphids from predatory insects. Use a boric-acid ant bait to control ants. Add 8 teaspoons sugar to 1 cup of water and mix; then add 1 teaspoon of boric acid to the mixed solution. Saturate the solution with cotton balls and place in containers where ants are located. The boric acid solution attracts the ants and the ants carry the solution back to the ant colony where it will kill many ants over a several week period. After the ants die off, aphid problems will diminish. Aphid problems may persist as long as Argentinian ants are present.

These cotton balls have been saturated with the boric acid solution and placed in a glass jar in the soil.

Provide shade. You may wish to install 30% shadecloth over your tomato plants before summer heat becomes intense, or be creative in finding ways to shade tomatoes from afternoon heat with trellises, clothes lines, outdoor furniture or canopies, or palm fronds.

To view customized information for growing tomatoes in your area, go to GardenZeus and enter your zip code, then go to tomato.