Gardeners know that nothing brings them more pride than showing off a big, juicy, bright red tomato that they nursed to life from a seedling. Once they’ve shown it off, nothing brings them more joy than biting into it and tasting their fresh work of art. So many people, though, are stumped at the process and wind up with plants that don’t produce any fruit, or that die quickly after plantation. So, what’s the secret to growing tomatoes?
Location
When you’re growing tomatoes, location is everything. First and foremost, you need to plant in an area that gets 6-8 hours of sun a day. Any less and your tomato plants will barely grow and their branches and stems will be flimsy and under-grown, making it prone to easy breaks.
Soil
Understand that more often than not, ground soil isn’t conducive to growing big, juicy tomatoes. You’ll need to buy some garden soil in order to grow anything good. You can purchase garden soil from your local nursery or hardware store. You’ll need at least 8 inches of soil for your roots to take hold and really grow. As your plants grow, spread more soil around them (an inch a week), as this will provide fresh nutrients for the roots to grow.
Adequate Irrigation
Your tomato plants are thirsty little things, and will need to drink a good bit of water at least once a day. As the summer rolls on and heats up, you’ll just want to make sure that your tomato plant’s soil is always moist one inch below the surface. Over-watering is really not an issue, unless you put a hose on and forget it’s there for about an hour. With that, aim to have your plant watered before the sun shines on it. Keep in mind that as your tomatoes ripen, if you don’t water them daily, they will prune or crack in dryness.
Protection
Too many people lose their fruit to animals and pests, so protection is key. First things first: If you can’t fence your plants in to keep deer and other creatures out, consider keeping them in a container and up on a deck, where those animals won’t venture. No matter where you choose to plant them (or how), you’ll need a support rod and a cage for them to lean against. If they’re growing well, they’ll grow up and out. The bigger they grow, the more prone to breaking they will be. Cages will keep them contained and supported.
Organic Fertilizer
We don’t recommend juicing your maters up with a bunch of fertilizer or Miracle Grow chemicals. Rather, it’s better for your plants to be fertilized organically with a manure compound, and rarely. Mix about a quarter of a cup of fertilizer in with a few cups of soil, and sprinkle it around your plants once every couple of weeks.
Pick them Early
Don’t wait for your tomatoes to fully ripen to pick them. Once they become a little orange, give it a day or so, and then pick them. Let them ripen fully in a window sill or somewhere that gets good sun all day.
