Tomatoes are a staple crop that you’ll find in most home gardens and most gardeners know the best tasting tomatoes are the ones you grow yourself. There are lots of different types of tomato varieties in different colors for every climate. The best way to growing great-tasting tomatoes is by choosing the best varieties, use the correct planting method and control any problems before they happen.
How to grow tomatoes
Tomatoes are very easy to grow, but there are some things you’ll need to factor in to ensure you grow healthy tomatoes.
Seed or seedling
You’ll need to decide if you’re going to start your tomatoes from seeds or seedlings and this will depend on your timing and how much planning you’ve already done. The length of your season will also determine how soon you should start planting, but most tomato varieties take 70-90 days once the seedlings are planted to start producing fruit. The seedlings take 2 months to grow before transplanting.
Determinate or indeterminate
Determinate tomatoes only grow to a certain height, about 4-5 feet, and produce a certain amount of fruit in a very short time. Indeterminate tomatoes will keep growing and producing fruit all season long until something kills the plant.
When to plant
Tomatoes don’t like cold weather either do they like extreme heat. Tomatoes stop setting fruit when daytime temps are 85-90 degrees and 75 degrees for night temps. They grow best at temps between 65-85 degrees. Wait 2 weeks after the last frost date to give the soil a chance to warm up.
How to plant
When planting, bury at least half of the stem into the soil because this will help your plant to produce more roots which will make it more tolerant to drought. It will also protect it from blossom end rot that’s common in tomatoes.
Sunlight
Tomatoes need at least 4-6 hours of sunlight a day to produce ripe fruit, but if they receive too much sun they will wilt in the afternoon and their leaves will begin to burn. They’ll also need some shade from the morning and afternoon sun.
Nutrients
Tomatoes need a lot of nutrients to be fruitful. Manure mostly contains nitrogen which is great for healthy leaves and stems when your tomato plants are getting established. Tomatoes will do well in well-drained, fertile loam soil with a pH of between 5.8 and 7.0.
Mulch
Mulch will keep your plants cool, keep weeds down and retain moisture. The most common mulch is wood chips.
Support
The biggest challenge of growing tomatoes is providing adequate support as they grow taller. Stakes work very well for indeterminate tomatoes that grow 5-6 feet. Combine cages and stakes to help support the weight of the fruit.
Pruning
This needs to be done correctly since it can affect plant production. Keep the bottom 6″ of the plant free of leaves to avoid fungal diseases. And remove everything below the first flowering branch. Also, have a good balance between the leafy branches and fruiting branches.
Conclusion
Anyone can grow tomatoes, it’s an easy process if you know what to do at every stage of growth.
FAQ
What months do you plant tomatoes?
The best time to plant tomatoes is in late spring and early summer when it’s warm.
Can you water tomatoes at night?
No, it can cause issues in the plant like tomato fungus, but the best time to water is early in the morning so the plant has time to dry out.