Planting Juicy Tomato Plants

Planting tomato plants is fun and exciting! Not to mention the satisfying reward of eating your own home grown ones. Here is an easy to follow guide for growing sweet, juicy tomatoes.

How To Plant Your Tomatoes

Tomatoes produce best if they are planted once the weather begins to get warmer, during the onset of spring. Aim for at least a three month period of weather that will be free from frosts, as this will ensure best produce from your plants.  Tomatoes love being warm, much like us humans.  They can be started indoors from seeds, if you like, but just make sure to give them enough room to spread out, as close proximity an inhibit growth.

When they produce their first true leaves, the little ones will be ready for the outdoors.  Lightly break the plants apart, if grown together, and place them gently into the soil roughly 40cm apart.  Basically, with the soil, you want it rich and light, so that it drains well.  You can mix your soil with sand if it is on the heavy side.

Positioning And Support

Your soil needs to allow for good drainage, as tomatoes like dry conditions, and they will want plenty of sunlight too.  Tomato plants become prone to windy conditions the taller they get, and some varieties of tomatoes can grow quite tall indeed!  There are many methods to supporting your tomato plants while they grow.  An easy solution is to position your plants close to a wall or trellis fence, or simply to put stakes into the ground before the seedlings go in. This will prevent damage to their delicate root system.

Feed And Water Your Plants

Your tomato plants require frequent watering and must not be allowed to dry out.  When the small fruits start to appear, they will become very hungry and thirsty, so you would do well to feed them fortnightly and water more regularly.  Tomato fertilizer is high in potash which encourages more flowers and more fruit.  To conserve moisture during summer, mulching is a good idea.

Do Tomato Plants Need Training?

Yes, tomato plants will need pruning to produce their best results, especially if they are of a tall variety.  Pruning increases the fruit quantity and size, as more and more sunlight finds its way to the main stem leaves and less energy is spent growing extraneous foliage.

Watch Out For Pests And Diseases

The first leaves to usually develop fungus problems are the leaves from the first foot of stem.  Trim these off once the plant has reached three feet tall. Any fruit or foliage that is showing signs of disease, remove them to stop it spreading.  Encouraging air circulation, via pruning, can reduce the risk of disease.  It is also recommended to spray fortnightly to reduce the risk of fungal diseases and harmful insects.

Eating Time!!

As soon as you see color in your tomato fruits, it is time to pick them off the plant.  Let them develop and produce sweet sugars in a warm place, out of the direct sunlight.  Be sure not to place them straight into the fridge at this time, as this inhibits the ripening process and you will end up with a less sweet fruit.

This article will give you a great start on your tomato growing journey. I strongly recommend researching further as there is still a lot you will need to know. I highly recommend reading Growing Organic Tomatoes, as it covers EVERYTHING you need to know about growing Mouth-Watering, Organic Tomatoes. You can access this book on the panel to the right. ==>