Tomatoes are delicious on a salad, sandwich, burger, or just on their own. Fresh ones are even more delicious, but they can be finicky plants to grow yourself. With a lot of attention, some helpful tips, and a little love you can grow your very own tomatoes in your backyard. If you don’t naturally have a green thumb, check out these hacks to grow your tomato garden.
Prepare your soil
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Tomatoes are particular about their soil. They like rich, drained soil that make it easy to take root, so take some time before you plant to prepare your soil. Fill in the first 6 inches of soil with organic manure, eggshells, etc. in the fall.
Cover the soil with black plastic to keep it warm in the winter. In the spring, put the plants into the beds in 12 inch deep holes. Remove lower leaves on the plants before placing them into the soil holes.
Provide Support
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We all need a helping hand every now and again. Tomatoes are no different! When tomatoes grow without support they will grow straight up to start, but will then end up doubling over and will grow all out of sorts.
If they begin to grow horizontally they will produce a lot of branches and fewer tomatoes. Vertical plants give your tomatoes good air circulation and sun exposure. Use wire frames or tomato cages to encourage the plants to grow upwards and get the most tomatoes from your plant.
Water Deeply
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Different plants respond to different kinds of watering so one size does not fit all. For your tomato plants, water them deeply and in longer intervals. When you water them in long intervals they develop stronger roots.
They also get nutrients that are deep in the soil and will not be affected if the top soil dries out. Be consistent with your watering and your tomatoes are sure to prosper!
Prune
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This is one of the most important steps in growing your tomato plants to become big crops. When your first cluster of tomatoes appears, remove all of the leaves that are below it and tie the plant to a support.
This will help the plant focus on producing flowers and will not spend energy growing branches that don’t produce. Keep an eye on the plant throughout the process because you’ll need to consistently prune to have the best results.
Fertilize
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Fertilizing is an important step for growing any plant. Tomatoes are no exception. Once you have fostered a good root system and allowed the plant to grow, you have laid the foundation for a beautiful fruit plant. To help the process along, you’ll need to fertilize.
Use a good quality compost and fertilizer at the planting stage. Nitrogen is good for the seeds and stems. Phosphorus is important for root growth. Potassium helps the flowers and fruit to set. You may have to try different fertilizers to see which yields the best results. It will also depend on the environment, season, etc. Take care to check on your tomato plants often and to care for them diligently to enjoy fresh tomatoes from your garden!
