Tomatoes are grown by more gardeners than any other vegetable.
The taste of a homegrown, vine-ripened tomato just can't be beat.
To ensure that you get the best tomato from your garden, try a few of these simple growing tips: Many people do not grow the right variety.
Ordering seeds from a catalogue can be hit and miss and can lead to disappointment.
Going to your local nursery and asking which varieties do best in your area is often the best way to find the tastiest tomato.
Amend the soil.
Tomatoes are heavy feeders.
Add fertilizers and bonemeal and mix them into about six to eight inches deep.
Watering your plants will help to carry the mixture down through the soil.
Finally, on top of the bed add some calcium as this helps to prevent blossom end rot.
Dig and plant deep.
When planting pony packs of seedlings dig down and stick your plants one or two inches deeper than the pack they came in.
This will give your plants a head start in the race to grow healthy, deep roots.
You can also dig a trench about 2 inches deep, lay the entire plant on its side and cover with soil turning just the tip of the plant to rise above soil level.
This method encourage roots to grow along the stem of the plant and promotes a healthy, well rooted plant.
Stake the plants.
Growing tomatoes on stakes, trellises, or cages helps expose the leaves to the air and sunlight.
This in turn helps prevent disease.
Supporting the branches laden with fruit helps prevent the limbs from breaking.
Water them.
Tomatoes are best watered with drip irrigation or soaker hoses, which prevent the water from splashing onto the leaves and causing conditions for diseases, such as mildew, and late blight.
Don't overwater.
A good soaking once a week or so is enough.
Too much water discourages production and overwatered tomatoes can taste watery.
Cover them.
Tomatoes will not set fruit until nighttime temperatures stay above 55 degrees.
To protect new plants from frost, place two-liter bottles with the bottoms cut out over the seedlings.
In very cold climates, it is best to keep a row cover on the plants.
You can make a simple cover by draping row cover material over stakes around your plants.
Some gardeners use old tires to ring around growing tomatoes to duplicate this idea.
The taste of a homegrown, vine-ripened tomato just can't be beat.
To ensure that you get the best tomato from your garden, try a few of these simple growing tips: Many people do not grow the right variety.
Ordering seeds from a catalogue can be hit and miss and can lead to disappointment.
Going to your local nursery and asking which varieties do best in your area is often the best way to find the tastiest tomato.
Amend the soil.
Tomatoes are heavy feeders.
Add fertilizers and bonemeal and mix them into about six to eight inches deep.
Watering your plants will help to carry the mixture down through the soil.
Finally, on top of the bed add some calcium as this helps to prevent blossom end rot.
Dig and plant deep.
When planting pony packs of seedlings dig down and stick your plants one or two inches deeper than the pack they came in.
This will give your plants a head start in the race to grow healthy, deep roots.
You can also dig a trench about 2 inches deep, lay the entire plant on its side and cover with soil turning just the tip of the plant to rise above soil level.
This method encourage roots to grow along the stem of the plant and promotes a healthy, well rooted plant.
Stake the plants.
Growing tomatoes on stakes, trellises, or cages helps expose the leaves to the air and sunlight.
This in turn helps prevent disease.
Supporting the branches laden with fruit helps prevent the limbs from breaking.
Water them.
Tomatoes are best watered with drip irrigation or soaker hoses, which prevent the water from splashing onto the leaves and causing conditions for diseases, such as mildew, and late blight.
Don't overwater.
A good soaking once a week or so is enough.
Too much water discourages production and overwatered tomatoes can taste watery.
Cover them.
Tomatoes will not set fruit until nighttime temperatures stay above 55 degrees.
To protect new plants from frost, place two-liter bottles with the bottoms cut out over the seedlings.
In very cold climates, it is best to keep a row cover on the plants.
You can make a simple cover by draping row cover material over stakes around your plants.
Some gardeners use old tires to ring around growing tomatoes to duplicate this idea.