Growing tomatoes is often the impetus for starting a vegetable garden, and every tomato lover dreams of growing the ultimate tomato: firm yet juicy, sweet yet tart, aromatic and flawless.
Unfortunately, few vegetables are more prone to more problems than tomatoes. The trick to growing tasty tomatoes is choosing the best varieties, giving the plants a good start, and controlling problems before they arise. Start here with some tried-and-true tomato growing tips so you can boast tomatoes from your own vegetable garden this year.
10 important tips for growing tomatoes:
1- Do not overcrowd the tomato plants in the pots
When growing tomatoes from seed, give the seedlings plenty of room to branch. This means thinning the seedlings to one strong plant per small pot. Cut the weakest and smallest seedlings in favor of the best producer. Cramped conditions stunt their growth, which stresses them out and leads to disease later on. Plant tomato seedlings in their own 4-inch pots shortly after they grow their first true leaves.
2-Make sure you have plenty of light
Tomato plants need strong, direct light. The days in winter are short, so even near a sunny window they may not receive enough natural light. Unless you are growing them in a greenhouse, it is best to use some type of artificial plant lighting for 14 to 18 hours a day.
To ensure tomato plants are stocky and not spindly, keep young plants just a few inches away from fluorescent grow lights. You will need to raise the lights (or lower the plants) as the seedlings grow. When you’re ready to plant them outdoors, choose the sunniest part of your vegetable garden as the location.
3- Keep plants well ventilated
Tomato plants need to move and sway in the wind to develop strong stems. Of course, this happens outdoors, but if you’re growing your seedlings indoors, you’ll need to provide some sort of air circulation. Create a breeze by turning on a fan for five to 10 minutes twice a day. This little time will make a big difference.
Another option is to curl the tomato plants by gently rubbing your hand back and forth over their tips for a few minutes several times a day. It’s a little more effort, but their wonderful tomato flavor will rub off on you as a bonus.
4- Pre-warm the garden soil by covering the soil
Tomatoes love warmth. They won’t actually start growing until soil and air temperatures remain warm. You can speed things up in the ground by covering the planting area with black or red film a few weeks before planting. These additional degrees of soil heat will result in earlier tomatoes.
You can lift the plastic before planting, but some research claims that red plastic mulch has the added benefit of increasing the yield of your tomatoes.
5- Bury the stems of the plants sufficiently
Plant your tomato plants deeper than they will go in the pot, down to the first leaves. When planted this way, tomatoes can develop roots down to the stem. And more roots make a stronger plant.
You can either dig a deep hole or simply dig a shallow trench and place the plant on its side. It quickly stands up and grows towards the sun. Just be careful not to drive your stake or tomato cage into the buried trunk.
6- Mulch the tomato plants after the soil warms up
If you don’t leave plastic on the ground, don’t mulch until the ground warms up. Although mulching saves water and prevents soil and soil-borne diseases from splashing on plants, if you put it down too early, it will also shade and cool the soil. Since tomatoes like warmth, allow the sun to warm the soil in the spring. If temperatures remain warm during the day or night, you can add a layer of mulch to retain moisture.
7- Remove lower leaves and diseased leaves
Once your tomato plants are about 1m tall, cut off the lower leaves. These are the oldest leaves and are usually the first leaves to develop fungal problems. As plants develop, the lower leaves receive the least sun and air circulation. Because these leaves are close to the ground, soil pathogens can easily splash them. Removing them helps prevent fungal diseases. The weekly compost tea spray also seems to be effective against fungal diseases.
8- Pinch and prune for more tomatoes
Pinch and remove suckers that develop at the joint of two branches. They will not bear fruit and will drain energy from the rest of the plant.
However, be careful when pruning the rest of the plant. You may thin out a few leaves to allow the sun to reach the ripening fruit, but it is the leaves that photosynthesize and create the sugars that give your tomatoes flavor. Fewer leaves means fewer red, sweet tomatoes.
9- Water regularly to avoid stressing the plants
Water thoroughly and regularly as the fruit develops. Irregular watering, if you miss a week and try to catch up, will lead to blossom end rot (calcium deficiency) and cracking and bursting. The general rule is to make sure your plants get at least 2 inches of water per week, but during hot, dry periods they may need more. If your plants look wilted for most of the day, give them a drink.
Once the fruit begins to ripen, you can reduce watering. Reducing water encourages the plant to integrate its sugars for better flavor. Use your judgment. Water regularly or your plants will become stressed and lose their flowers and possibly fruit.
10- Make sure your plants produce tomatoes according to the variety
The ripening of tomatoes is quite dependent on the weather, but sometimes we can get things done. Cutting off the tips of main stems in early summer will encourage indeterminate tomato plants (those whose fruit is consistently available) to put their energy into flowering.
Indeterminate tomatoes like to grow tall before they start fruiting, so don’t worry if your tomato plants don’t bloom in the first month or two. Pinching is also a handy tip towards the end of summer when you want the last of the tomatoes to hurry up and ripen.
It shouldn’t be difficult to grow certain tomato plants (those that ripen all at the same time) unless weather conditions are unfavorable and cause a condition aptly called “flower drop.”
It’s up to you to play and may this new season be successful!