20 Tips For Planting And Growing Beautiful Tomatoes

 

 

TIPS FOR PLANTING AND GROWING BEAUTIFUL TOMATOES

garden Fruit, Vegetable October 20, 2014fruit, Growing Beautiful Tomatoes, growing tomatoes, seedlings, tomato, tomato garden, tomato plants, tomato seedlings, tomato tips, tomatoes.

Tomatoes are a favorite plant amongst beginner and expert gardeners produce a good crop of tomatoes by following these tips to maximize tomato  yield in your vegetable garden. 

1. When looking for seedlings avoid ones that are lush and leafy green with poor root systems, they will take a very long time to grow.

2. Get rid of non-fruiting branches (suckers) at the base of the tomato plant by snapping them off with forefinger and thumb;

There should not be a need to use scissors or pruning shears, the branches should still be small and tender. The first leaves usually develop fungus problems, getting rid of these leaves will help. Do this for indeterminate plants only!

 

3. Tomato plants can grow roots all along the stems, bald and plant up to the first true leaves when it is time to plant outside.

 

4. Use either a greenhouse or artificial light to give tomato seedlings the light they need through winter.  Keep the tomato seedlings only a few inches away from the artificial light source.

 

5. Turn on a fan for 5 – 10 minutes a day to simulate the outside breeze for tomato seedlings this will help the seedlings strengthen up, growing stocky and strong.

 

6. Only plant seedlings outside when there is no risk of frost left.

 

7. Before planting tomato seedlings outside, warm up the soil by covering that area of the garden with clear plastic for a greenhouse effect. This will also help tomatoes to fruit earlier.

 

8. To help stop the spread of diseases and bacteria through the plant, alternate your tomato bed if possible.

 

9. Don’t damage the roots when putting a stake or cage into the ground, put them in when planting the tomato seedlings into the ground.

 

10. Using a 6-foot support system,  whether it is a steak or a tomato cage, for indeterminate tomato veins from the beginning so you don’t have to change it later.

 

11. Water tomato plants once a week and don’t forget or the blossom ends can rot or crack!  Water deeply, at least 1 in. of water per week.

 

12. Use the “soaker” option on the hose to help avoid the fruit or foliage when watering tomato plants.

 

13. Adding compost and trim while the first fruit and ripening will help encourage the plant to grow bigger, stronger, and more produce fruits.

 

14. Mulch tomato plants using a clean straw to help retain moisture in the soil and using plastic mulch will help retain heat, don’t mulch too early in the season wait for the ground to have warmed up.

 

15. Thin out a few leaves to help ripening fruits get some sunshine, remember not to think too much as the leaves are what creates the sugar in tomatoes (grade 6 science, photosynthesis!).

 

16. Space tomato harvesting by planting three weeks apart, this will space out the harvesting time avoiding having to pick all the tomatoes at once.

 

17. Tomatoes that are too ripe can be mealy so harvest when tomatoes are full-sized and beautiful healthy color. Don’t over-ripen on the vein.

 

18. Putting unripe tomatoes in a paper bag with one ripe tomato to help ripen those green tomatoes.

 

19. Refrigerating tomatoes do not reduce ripening but will lessen their flavor; leave them on the counter instead.

 

20. Remember, the tomatoes will grow!  Patients are part of gardening.

 

 

WHATTYPES OF TOMATOES TO GROW IN YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN?

 

Fruit size, fruit usage, time to maturity, growth habit, and disease resistance may be some of the things to consider when choosing a type of tomato to plant into your vegetable garden. The tomatoes you want to produce in your garden depend on what you want to use the tomatoes for.

Tomatoes are a very versatile fruit to use; slice big beefsteak tomatoes to put into a sandwiching, cherry or grapes tomatoes to eat plain, with sugar or with ranch as a snack, cook into your pasta, or paste tomatoes to be canned for later use. Decide what you want to use your tomatoes for, if you have a big garden you can plant many different types of tomatoes but if you have a smaller garden you will have to choose your favorite.

 

Keep in mind when choosing what tomatoes to grow in a vegetable garden is size. There are two types of tomato plants, indeterminate and determinate, and they are quite different in size. Indeterminate tomato plant vines grow between 6 feet to 20 feet long needing a bigger garden while determinate tomato plant (bush tomatoes) vines grow to about three feet tall only, perfect for container gardening.

 

Asides from the size difference, indeterminate tomato plants take longer to mature and will grow fruit until the first frost has set in (lack of nutrients and diseases infesting the plant can also kill a tomato plant). Determinate tomato plants on On the other hand flower early in the season and will grow only until flowers form at the vine tips, about a two-week period of fruits from each plant. 

 

The smaller determinate tomato plants are perfect  for planter gardening, apartment gardening, indoor gardening, raised garden bed, and other small gardens (or you just like that type of tomatoes).

 

Indeterminate tomato plants need more care in general though determinate tomato plant will need a good amount of work on them as well. Pruning is a must for indeterminate plants as they grow to be so long but don’t prune too much: too much pruning will take away from the sweetness of the tomatoes.

When planting your tomato seedlings into the ground outdoor there are a few steps to ensure an easy and stress-free transition for your tomato plants while aiding in growing sweet and juicing tomatoes, which includes:

 

Stakes, cages, or ladders will be needed to support the tomato vines and their fruits. Even though indeterminate tomato plants need more care they will produce fresh tomatoes all summer long.

 

The last thing to remember is that tomato plants are very prone to many types of diseases; these diseases will make the plant weak and reduce the yield. Looking for tomato plants that are disease-resistant is important and the best place to find out what kind of diseases are in your areas that are prone to tomatoes is by asking your local nursery or garden center.

If a tomato plant is disease resistant it will be marked on the package, like if the tomato plant is resistant towards verticillium or fusarium then it will be marked with a ‘V’ or an ‘E’ on the package.  Diseases are not the only thing that can prevent your tomatoes from growing beautifully in your garden as every garden is different depending on so many factors like:

 

Again, it would be wise to consult your local garden center or nursery keeping in mind that your garden is a very specific growing space so you may find that certain tomatoes will not grow as well as other types in your garden. You really will need to just grow different types of tomatoes to see what you like and what your garden likes.