Growing Tomato Tips Archives - PlumpTomatoes.info

Backyard Tomato Gardening Tips – Dealing With Overgrown Tomato Plants

When you think about pruning tomatoes, you have to figure there are three different strategies based on where in the growing season you are. There will be different tomato gardening tips to use with the ultimate goal being avoiding overgrown tomato plants. Everyone has their own opinion about this, so reading more tomato gardening problems and how to solve them will be a good plan. This article talks about the issues based on personal experience, not the textbook version.

At first when the young plants are growing, your pruning tomatoes activities center on the new leaves and new growth shoots that appear between the leaves and the main stem. You only want one main trunk and that can grow to be large and sturdy by snipping off the lowest leaves on the vine. By eliminating the side shoots, all the energy goes to the new tomatoes and lets them grow larger. Once the tomato plant gets tall enough, about the height of the stake, things start to change.

Tomato plants at this size become more difficult to keep up. What you will do is turn things around and let the new shoots form and cut off new growth at the top. With this tomato gardening tip you keep the same principal, but in reverse. You will get a bushier plant, but it will not outgrow your stakes or cage. You can pinch back some of the new growth, but let some of them grow out. Keep pulling unnecessary leaves off, but be aware that this is the hot time of the summer and the ground and the tomatoes need the shade the leaf provides. Your goal is to still channel the nutrients to the tomatoes and not the foliage.

Tomato Gardening – 5 Tomato Gardening Tips For Great Tomato Harvest

Growing Tomato Tips tomato plants

If you are planning to start out with vegetable gardening, you have made the right choice for choosing tomato gardening. Tomato gardening is one of the simplest form of vegetable gardening that a newbie gardener can get started with. In this article, I will show you 5 tomato gardening tips that you can use to grow red and juicy tomatoes over and over again.

Space Up When Planting

This is the basics of all gardening but many new gardeners still make the mistake of not giving enough space between tomato plants. Crowding them up will lead to intense competition for nutrients, sunlight and water. Such competition is not healthy as they are unable to get an adequate amount of the elements.

14 Tips to Grow Happy Tomato Plants

Growing Tomato Tips DETERMINATE tomato plants, indeterminate tomatoes, tomato plants

Just dropping in for a quick list of successful tomato tips.

DETERMINATE tomato plants produce a heavier yield at one time and are best for canning.
INDETERMINATE tomatoes bear fruit throughout the summer and tend to sprawl. Best for continual eating enjoyment.
Transplant tomatoes when all danger of frost is past. Put in well drained soil, and mix in some humus or compost if needed.
Putting plastic jugs over the plants creates a greenhouse effect and can help them grow faster. Just keep an eye on daytime temperatures.
Transplant on a cool evening to prevent wilt and transplant shock. Space plants two feet apart in rows three feet apart.
Snip off bottom leaves and plant DEEP. Leave about 4-6 inches of crown above the ground with the leaves on. The plant shoots roots from the entire stem underground, developing a better system.
“Mud in” your new tomatoes. Dig the hole three times larger than the root ball, place the plant in, and fill halfway up with water. Then carefully pack dirt around the plant.
Always “side dress” your new tomatoes. Make a ring around the plant about one foot away, sprinkle 10-10-10 garden fertilizer in the ring, and water well. READ THE DIRECTIONS on all fertilizers so you don’t burn your plants.
Keep the plants watered according to weather conditions. Don’t overwater, as this results in poor aeration and stem rot. Mulch if desired.
Keep the area weed free, but don’t hoe too close to the plant. This breaks off the roots that supply water to the fruit.
Before they start setting fruit, dust the plants about every ten days with a good combination insecticide and fungicide. Do this before they show symptoms, because it’s difficult to stop blight once it’s started. If blight does infest your plants, DO NOT plant tomatoes in the same area the next year.
Two common problems with tomato plants are “leaf roll” and “white shoulders.” Leaf roll is caused by too much fertilizer or herbicide spray. White shoulders appear on the tomatoes and are caused by extremely high temperatures.
Plants may be allowed to sprawl over the ground, but they produce better fruit if tied to stakes at least four feet tall. All indeterminate plants should be staked.
Before first frost, pull up your tomatoes and hang them upside down in a protected place. Many of the green tomatoes will ripen. Keep dry or mold will occur.

These tips will keep your tomato plants happy, and you happy, all summer long.

Tomato Gardening Tips – Some Problems Growing Tomatoes Are to Be Expected

Growing Tomato Tips Gardening Tips

My father was a great one for giving tomato gardening tips since when he was a little boy in the Depression his family worked on a tomato farm when my grandfather was laid off. True all American story. The fact of the matter is that we always had tomatoes in our garden, so that juicy tomato flavor that only comes from a tomato picked straight off the vine is something dream about all winter. This article discusses some of the problems growing tomatoes.

Face it, tomatoes are easy to grow and most people should not have any problems growing tomatoes. However there are some common issues that seem to come up each year.

Here is a list of five tomato gardening tips that identify problems.

Best Tomato Growing Tips

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We love tomatoes, especially those fresh and homegrown ones. However, there are questions that you might be asking, “How can I grow tomatoes and have the best abundance of them?” Here are easy tomato growing tips that can be extremely helpful for you that will give you rewarding results during harvest.

First, tomatoes are heat lovers. Before you plant the tomatoes you must preheat the soil where you will be planting them. Give time allowance before you plant them by covering the area with red or black plastic for a couple of weeks. Plastics can give extra degrees of warmth which can help you harvest early tomatoes.

Next, you must plant tomatoes deeply into the soil. It will make them healthy. Make sure that the seedlings that you will be planting have already developed six leaves.

Eggshells The Secret To Great Tomatoes

Growing Tomato Tips tomato plant, tomato plants

If you are a gardener trying to produce the best growing tomatoes possible, you have probably come across many different ideas along the way. Have you ever wondered if using eggshells will help you have a healthier tomato plant? Crushed egg shells are an exceptional way to add calcium and nutrients to the soil.

An eggshell contains about 95% calcium carbonate. The remaining 5% is comprised of calcium phosphate, magnesium carbonate, and proteins. Because tomato plants have a tendency towards blossom-end rot, increasing the calcium level in the soil can help the plant avoid that disease.

As an added bonus, eggshells help deter cats from the garden as the shells irritate their paws. Slugs, cutworms, and snails will also be discouraged from bothering your garden due to the sharpness of the eggshell pieces.

Secrets To Growing Organic Tomatoes

Growing Tomato Tips Organic Tomatoes, tomato plant

In this day and age, the importance of eating healthy has increased tenfold. The focus has specifically gone upon how our food is grown and the consumption of that food. Organic foods have grown in popularity and are considered a sublime option in terms of nutrition.

The awareness about pesticides used has increased the demand for organic farming. Many people have started planting and growing their own organic foods and this includes tomatoes.

This article will talk about the 5 secrets to plant and grow organic tomatoes.

Secret #1: Understand the Importance of Sunlight

3 Tomato Growing Tips to Get Your Plants Off to a Great Start!

Growing Tomato Tips tomato growing tips, tomato plant

A friend of mine wanted to grow some tomatoes because I gave him some of my home grown tomatoes, he said it tasted so much better than the store bought ones he usually eats. Before I get started planting my own tomatoes, he said, I want you to give me some tomato growing tips that will make my tomatoes taste every bit as good as yours.

If you want to grow your own bigger, juicier even tastier tomatoes; perhaps you too would like some tips on what tomatoes and their plants love! After all giving your plants a good strong start will be putting the goal of growing better tomatoes within your reach.

The first tip may not be for everyone but is important for people living where they have cooler winters. Most tomato growers know that tomatoes love heat, so to get them off to a good start some growers preheat the soil they will be planting their tomato plants.

Companion Planting for Tomatoes

Growing Tomato Tips Companion Planting, vegetable plants

Are you growing tomatoes in your vegetable garden this year? And with all that effort, you’re definitely going to want to grow bright, juicy, red fruit that tastes heavenly. Growing tomatoes together with other, very specific vegetables, herbs or flowers can be of great benefit to the health of the plants you are putting all your time and effort into.

Companion planting is a gardening method that involves pairing vegetable plants together so they thrive better when they are grown together. It has been shown that strawberries and green beans grow better together than they do when they are grown separately. Another known pairing is Bibb lettuce with spinach. These plants are known to have complementary physical needs, thus making them great companions.

Every beginner gardener needs to know that when growing tomatoes, the plants need to be pollinated to produce fruit. Attracting pollinating insects is the best way to pollinate your fruit. If there are no insects around, an alternative is to gently shake the plants by hand so that the pollen from the males reaches the female receptors. Companion planting with flowers is a terrific method for attracting pollinator insects such as bees. Try planting petunias or heliotrope beside your growing tomatoes. Pollination is just one of the benefits of companion planting.

11 Tomato Growing Tips to Help the Beginning Enthusiast to Grow Tomatoes From Seeds the Right Way!

Growing Tomato Tips tomato growing tips, tomato plant

How to sow tomato seeds is challenging but also very rewarding. Hopefully the following tomato growing tips will help you to get started the right way. You may obtain your seeds from reputable stores. You may also opt to use heirloom tomato seeds, they are considered as a variety that has been passed down through generations because of its valued characteristics. Whatever variety you choose homegrown tomatoes usually produces succulent fruit crops.

Basically planting tomatoes seeds is done indoors for about 6 to 8 weeks prior to spring frost in your area. Transplanting tomato seedlings outdoors takes another 2 weeks after that.

Here are some tips on growing tomato seeds:

1. The initial step is to grow tomato seeds indoors. Using a flat tray or pot, plant your tomato seeds about 1/4 inches deep using fertile soil mix. Soil mix is usually a combination of peat moss, perlite and sphagnum.

2. Water it consistently keeping soil moist. Dry soil makes the tomato seeds die. You may cover the tray with plastic to conceal moist. Germinate tomato seeds in soil with 75 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you see leaves starting to sprout remove the plastic immediately.

3. Ensure that your tomato seedlings are exposed to sunlight at least 6 – 8 hours every day. If not possible you may use a fluorescent lamp fixture at least a couple of inches away from your growing tomato seedlings. Sufficient supply of sunlight makes your plant grow sturdy. Lack of it will cause them to grow leggy. Another way to help your plant grow sturdy is to lightly brush the plants with your hands twice a day.

4. When leaves begun to grow before it becomes root bound transfer them to a bigger pot to allow root growth and development.

5. When you see potential growth of about 6 leaves you may already transplant your tomato plant outdoors or in a bigger container where you plan to grow tomato plants. Remember to hold only the cotyledon leaves when transplanting and not the stems. The stems are still at their fragile stage.

6. But before transplanting, harden off your tomato plant meaning gradually expose your growing tomato plant to outside temperatures. Harden off your plants by bringing it outside during the day and then bring it back indoors during the night with longer exposure to outdoor temperatures each day until ready for outdoor gardening.

7. Planting tomato plants outside must be done 12-24 inches apart for the determinate variety and 30-36 inches apart for the indeterminate varieties.

8. Plant your growing tomatoes deeply to allow root expansion and growth. This will aid in building strong foundation for your growing tomato plant. Make sure that when adding soil to your plant it is evenly spread around the stem. Press the compost soil lightly to ensure contact of roots and soil. Sprinkle with water immediately.

9. Consistently water and ensure sunlight exposure to your tomato plants. Lack of sunlight will result to bent stems and is prone to blossom end rot and bacterial contamination.

10. Prune excess leaves to eliminate pests and other bacteria. Cutting some of the leaves will allow sunlight penetration to your tomato plant up to its soil. However do not excessively cut off leaves for they are the source of photosynthesis which is the source of the sweet flavor of your tomatoes.

11. Staking is also helpful to avoid blossom end rot to your tomatoes.

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