In order to be able to get juicy delicious tomatoes at home, the three most important things you have to get right are:
1.Buying healthy seeds or seedlings
2.Ensuring that your soil is conducive to growing tomatoes
3.Watering the right amount
Tomatoes are really easy to grow once you make sure that you have satisfied the above three conditions. There is a lot of conflicting advice about what to do to grow tomato plants. Most tomato plant problems stem from not having good genes, not having good soil to start with and over watering. If you start with a healthy seed or seedling, make sure that your soil has the right pH and nutrients for growing a tomato plant, and you do not over water then you should have no problems having a successful tomato growing season.
Lets discuss each one individually.
1. Buying healthy seeds or seedlings
Always get your seeds from reputable sources. Healthy seeds are an important first step toward growing a robust healthy tomato plant. Get your seeds from a local farmer if possible or a friend or neighbor who can vouch for them. If you use a seed supplier see what others have to say about them.
2. Ensuring that your soil is conducive to growing tomatoes
This is the most important step and cannot be stressed enough. This is the step that most home growers skip. You must do a soil test to determine the composition of your soil. This will tell you what if any amendments you need to add to have a great tomato growing season. Home growers tend to over fertilize their soil, when they really don’t have to. Adding chemical fertilizers to the soil actually changes the long term composition of the soil.
3. Watering the right amount
How much should I water? This is an often asked question. Most home growers tend to over water. Or they water too much, then let the soil dry out, then water too much.
Not doing a soil test and not knowing how to water correctly are the two biggest mistakes that home growers make.
Did you know that transplanting your tomato plants early can be harmful? Tomatoes need certain soil temperatures to thrive.