Tomatoes are one of the best vegetables (well, they're technically a fruit!), that you can grow at home. Because tomatoes have SO many uses, they really should be the star of any garden. If grown correctly, tomato plants can yield a LOT of tomatoes and you'll never have to use store bought tomato sauce or paste ever again. How cool is that? Today, we'll share with you 10 tips for growing tomatoes in your garden the RIGHT way!
10 Tips for Growing Tomatoes
These 10 tips for growing tomatoes will ensure that you have the biggest, most beautiful, juiciest and tastiest tomatoes you've ever had!
#1. Give Them Space & Sun
Source: VegetableGardener
Tomatoes always thrive best when they're planted at least 36 inches apart, and 4-5 feet apart in rows. Give them plenty of space, and they'll reward you with plenty of fruit. Choose a spot that will get the MOST sunlight possible in a day (at least 10 hours!).
#2. Rotate Your Crop
To ensure healthy tomatoes, alternate your tomato beds between different spots in the garden. This will diminish the risk of soil-borne diseases.
#3. Say No to Overgrown Transplants
Did you know that tomato seedlings with lush green starts have poor root systems? Get rid of them before they have a chance to grow, otherwise they'll take twice as long to produce!
#4. Bury the Stems
Source: TomatoDirt
Plant your tomato seedlings up to the first true leaves. New roots will sprout very quickly onto the stems, and that means more fruit!
#5. Water Deeply and Infrequently
At the height of summer, soak your plants once a week and directly onto the soil – never on the leaves.
#6. Pinch the Runts
Pinch off non-fruiting branches so that your tomato plant can focus all of its energy into producing bigger, healthier fruit.
#7. Stake Them
Source: Todayshomeowner
When growing tomatoes, keep in mind that they love the climb. Stick a stake that's at all 6 feet tall right at the time of transplanting. Doing it later can cause root damage.
#8. Trim and Compost
While your tomatoes are growing, encourage more growth by adding compost around the stem and trimming some of the upper leaves.
#9. Plant Again
About three weeks after your transplant, go ahead and plant again. This is important because you don't want all of your tomatoes coming it all at once.
#10. Harvest
Source: Keywordhut
Harvest your tomatoes at just the right time – once they're the right size and they reach the right color!
Happy Planting!
