Top Tomato Growing Tips
Every tomato lover dreams of growing the ultimate tomato. A firm, but juicy. Sweet, but tangy. Aromatic and blemish free. Perfection.
Unfortunately, there are few vegetables that are prone to more problems than tomatoes. The trick to growing great tasting tomatoes is to choose the best varieties, start the plants off right, and control problems before they happen. Start here with some time-tested tomato growing tips, to ensure your tomato bragging rights this year.
1.Don't Crowd Tomato Seedlings
If you are starting tomatoes from seed, be sure to give the seedlings plenty of room to branch out. Crowded conditions inhibit their growth and lead to disease later on, so transplant them into their own individual 4-inch pot, shortly after they get their first set of true leaves. Here are some detailed tips for growing tomatoes from seed
Tomato seedlings need strong, direct light. Days are short during winter, so even placing them near a very sunny window may not provide them with sufficient natural light. Unless you are growing them in a greenhouse, your best option is to use some type of artificial plant lighting, for 14-18 hours every day.
To ensure the plants grow stocky, not spindly, keep the young plants only a couple of inches from fluorescent grow lights. You will need to raise the lights (or lower the plants) as the
3.Mulch Later
If you are not going to leave plastic mulch on the soil (see Tip #4, above), hold off on putting down mulch until after the ground has had a chance to warm up. While mulching does conserve water and prevents the soil and soil born diseases from splashing up on the plants, if you put it down too early it will also shade, and therefore cool, the soil. Tomatoes love heat.
4.Preheat the Soil to Your GardenTomatoes love heat. Cover the planting area with black or red plastic a couple of weeks before you intend to plant. Those extra degrees of soil warmth will translate into earlier tomatoes.You can lift the plastic before you plant, but some research contends that red plastic mulch has the added benefit of increasing your tomato yield.
Plant your tomato plants deeper than they come in the pot, all the way up to the top few leaves. When planted this way, tomatoes are able to develop roots all along their stems. And more roots will make for a stronger plant.
You can either dig a deep hole or simply dig a shallow trench and lay the plant sideways. It will quickly straighten itself up and grow toward the sun. Just be careful not to drive your stake or cage into the buried stem.
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