Tips for Planting Garden Tomatoes
Who doesn’t love home grown tomatoes? I am sure you will agree, that they just taste b the best right off the vine! The best part, is that growing tomatoes is easy even for the most inexperienced gardener.
Before you rush off to your nearest garden center or nursery, there are a some things you need to consider before planting. Do you want just a few tomatoes and avoid having to stake or prune your tomato plants? Then the Determinate tomato plant might be the best choice for you. Determinate Tomatos blossoms grow at the ends of shoots, eliminating the need for pruning or staking, and bloom and produce their fruit all at once. If you prefer to have tomatoes all summer and don’t mind the upkeep such as pruning , and staking, then indeterminate tomato plants would be your best best. Indeterminate tomato plants grow and produce fruit the entire summer, with blossoms and fruits growing along the vines, and stopped only by cold weather.
Next decide what your going to use your tomatoes for. If you want a tomato to compliment a burger, or eat it alone with a pinch of salt or sugar, the Beefsteak tomato is the one for you. These tomatoes are quite large, often weighing over 2 lbs each. If you prefer tomatoes for a salad or include them in your shish-ka-bobs, then cherry tomatoes would be a good choice. Because these tomato plants produce a lot of fruit, you may find that one plant is sufficient. Finally, if you want to make your own tomato sauce, the Pasta tomato plant is the preferred choice. Pasta tomatoes are pear shaped, and often less juicy than other types that you are accustomed to.
Planting and Caring For Your Tomato Plants
Because tomatoes do not grow in cool to cold temperatures and highly susceptible to damage caused by frost, make sure that you plant only after the danger of frost has passed.
Prior to planting your tomato plants, it’s important that you pick and area that will provide good drainage and in an area that gets at least 7 hours of full sun. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to work the soil several weeks prior to planting your tomatoes, breaking up large clumps of dirt, removing debris and adding some peat moss. It won’t hurt to add a little organic fertilizer before you plant your tomatoes, but don’t add an excessive amount until the plant is well established, otherwise you will end up with lots of foliage and very little fruit.
When shopping for tomato plants, look for plants that have sturdy stems, are between 8 and 10 inches in height, are green in color, check the leaves to be certain that the plant is free of insects and has not yet bloomed.
When planting, remember to plant deep. It won’t hurt your plant to dig a hole deep enough to cover 75% of the plant, covering some of the lower leaves. Also, many have found great success planting their tomato plants on their sides. This will allow the plant to develop an extensive root network and solid foundation, they will grow upright in a few days. Because tomato plants double their size every 12 to 15 days, remember to space the plants 2 to 4 feet apart. Consider staking your tomato plants, to reduce the amount of space they take up and keep the vines and fruit off the ground.
After planting water them, being careful not to over water as root decay may occur. In order to prevent over watering but conserving the moisture in the soil, it’s a good idea to spread mulch around the plants.
Tomato plants are annuals, which means you will have to replant every year. It is recommended to change the location of your tomato plants every year in order to avoid disease.
