How to Grow Tomatoes Successfully

Interested in learning about growing tomatoes but not sure where to start? Read on to find useful tips on how to grow tomatoes. The first thing to note about growing tomatoes is that they come in many different varieties, and they are classified into two main categories. There are heirloom tomatoes and hybrid tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes is all the rage with home gardeners today.

Introduction to Heirloom Tomatoes

There are over six hundreds varieties of heirloom tomatoes. They are so named because they are tomatoes with a history. They were introduced many generations ago by family tomato growers. They are open-pollinated, non-hybrid cultivars which come in all shapes, colors and sizes, including cherry and grape tomatoes. You will also find pear shaped tomatoes and oblong tomatoes. A major advantage to growing your own tomatoes is that you will have the opportunity to enjoy as many varieties and flavors as you like; which you will never find in the supermarket. To achieve a better flavor, you should stay clear of picking and transporting your commercial tomatoes too early. If you are capable of growing your own, then you can wait until your tomatoes are fully ripe before you pick them.

Another advantage of growing heirloom tomatoes is that you can save the seeds from one season to the next to create more varieties. Creating more varieties begin with closely observing the tomato crop that you have planted. When you are in your garden, you should observe the varieties that are thriving beautifully and those that are not. There would be some traits in certain plants that you would love to see return for the next cropping season. A tasty tomato or a plant that could withstand a drought are usually the kind of traits that one should be looking for. As you watch your plants, you would observe those that are thriving beautifully and those that are not. For the plant that seems to be growing well you may want to start collecting its seeds so that you can enjoy a good crop when next season comes around. Over several seasons when you are ready to plant the saved seeds, you would realize how well it blends in with weather conditions and the soil in your garden.

Advantages of Growing Hybrid Tomatoes

If you are planting with hybrids instead of other varieties, you will notice quite a few things, one of which is that it yields a higher volume of tomatoes when planted. Hybrids also get to the stage of maturity very quickly and the fruit that it bears is of a high quality. In addition, since the breeding in hybrids are usually controlled, you would find that they exhibit greater disease-resisting qualities than heirlooms.

How to Grow Tomatoes Successfully in the Soil

So, your decision on how to grow tomatoes and when to grow tomatoes depend on whether you want to plant heirlooms or hybrids or both. For example, if you prefer disease resistant tomatoes, hybrids would be your choice. Next, you need to consider the requirements for growing tomatoes. You would need light, sun, good soil and containers. How do you grow tomatoes successfully?

Give your tomatoes a good start with good soil. Purchase a good potting mix and some clay or plastic containers in which to sow your seeds. Garden soil alone is not recommended since it may be mixed with weed and debris as well as insects and diseases. When the tomatoes are ready to be transferred from containers to the soil (usually after about two to three weeks of sowing) provide soil that has a pH of 5.5 – 6.8, and is fertile, deep and well-drained. Try also to provide soil that is rich in organic matter to grow tomatoes. You need soil that will hold water as evenly as possible. An uneven uptake of water is liable to cause all sorts of problems to tomatoes such as flower drop or fruit splitting as well as blossom-end rot.

In order to grow tomatoes successfully, tomatoes need a lot of nutrients. Improve the soil by adding two to three inches of compost or organic matter. A general guide would be 3 inches (7.6 cm) of organic matter into the top 6 inches (15.2 cm) of soil. If your soil is not too stony, sandy, or clayey, and also not compacted, you can simply spread the compost over the top of the garden area. To help cover up the crop while building the soil, you can plant a grain or a legume crop for chopping and add it to the soil. This is sometimes called green manure. Another way is to plant a nitrogen-fixing legume known as Vicia villosa in the garden bed during the fall season. Cut it down during the spring and till the residue into the soil.

Sunlight Requirements for Growing Tomatoes

Another way you can grow tomatoes successfully is by following the instructions on your seed packet. More than likely the packet would advise that you choose a sunny location in which to grow your seeds. Tomatoes fit this bill more than any other vegetables, because they thrive on heat and light. In order for them to flourish, they need full sun and less than three hours of afternoon shade. Your tomatoes should enjoy about 8 hours of sun daily; if not they will become spindly and produce not much mature fruit. However if temperatures in your area regularly soar above 90◦F, you should try to provide some shade for your crop. This can be achieved by using a thin screen to cover your plants. You can also use straw or mount a makeshift tent using shade cloth. If not having enough sunshine is the problem, then you can always supplement heat and light. You can do this by spreading black plastic over the soil around your tomatoes. This will help the soil to absorb and retain heat. You may also want to consider putting a fence behind your tomato plot. Any fence would do, especially if it is a black color; it will reflect sunlight and heat onto the tomatoes.

Planting and Fertilization Requirements for Growing Tomatoes

When it comes to growing tomato plants, it is a good idea to put some balanced organic fertilizer down into the soil and work it in before planting. You should use a small amount, but do not over-fertilize until the plant is a well-established flower. By putting down a small amount of balanced fertilizer, you are giving your plants a good and healthy start. To grow tomatoes effectively, plant them deep, and on their sides. After planting, firm the soil evenly. This will ensure that the plant is well settled.

There are tomatoes that you can plant next to some vegetables as well as there are some vegetable that you have to avoid. As a rule, tomatoes flourish well next to beans, peas and other legumes. This is because these deposit nitrogen which is an important nutrient for tomatoes. Bush beans are excellent to be planted around and among tomatoes. This practice is called intercropping. Basil plays a double role as a companion crop for tomatoes. It helps repel a number of insect and since it is much smaller and can fill in areas between tomato plants, it helps in crowding out weeds.

How to Avoid Diseases when Growing Tomatoes

In learning how to grow tomatoes, you need to know how to break the disease cycle of tomato diseases. Many of these diseases reside in the soil. They affect crops in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family, such as peppers, eggplants and potatoes. In order to break that diseases cycle and assist in getting rid of the disease-causing organisms, you should rotate tomatoes with crops that are unrelated, like corn, beans or lettuce.

The fungus can survive in soil and in infested crop and weed residues. It may be seed-borne and carried by wind, water, insects, workers and farm equipment. The spores that land on tomato plants will germinate and infect the leaves when they are wet. Spores can enter the leaf, steam or fruit. The fungus is most active during mild to warm temperatures and wet weather. The disease is worse during the rainy season. Early blight is most severe on plants stressed by a heavy fruit load, nematode attack, or low nitrogen fertility.

Learning how to grow tomatoes can be an enjoyable hobby. It can also be a worthwhile and aesthetic endeavor. When you grow tomatoes using all the expertise you have gained, you get a thrill out of eating and enjoying your own homegrown tomatoes, and you may never want to go back to eating store-bought tomatoes again.