In this article we share with you 5 best tomatoes growing tips for better garden season.
There are thousands of varieties of edible fruits, veggies, roots, tubers, herbs, edible flowers, mushrooms, and grains that might adorn your garden throughout the year. However, tomatoes have managed to capture the American gardener’s imagination more than any other type of produce.
The trick to growing great-tasting tomatoes is to choose the best varieties, start the plants off right, and control problems before they happen. Start here with some time-tested tomato growing tips to ensure your tomato bragging rights this year.
Keep reading for our best 5 tomatoes growing tips for better garden season…
CHOOSE THE PERFECT LOCATION
Most people just think about keeping their tomatoes in any location. But then, where will it get the sunlight from. Choose a spot near the window where your tomato plant gets an apt amount of sunlight. Also, it might help if you could keep them away from each other as that will help in air circulation.
CHOOSE WHEN TO PLANT THE TOMATOES
Well, tomatoes grow better when the weather is all frosty. Don’t worry; it won’t do anything to the fruit as well. So, getting it the right amount of rain will be a great idea. That way, you don’t have to water them again and again. However, make sure that the rain isn’t too much as well. You don’t want your tomatoes to rot now, do you? Taking proper care regarding the time to plant is really important when it comes to the tomatoes.
PREHEAT THE GARDEN SOIL
Tomatoes love the heat. They won’t really start to grow until both the soil and air temperatures remain warm. You can speed things up in the soil by covering the planting area with black or red plastic a couple of weeks before you intend to plant. Those extra degrees of soil warmth will translate into earlier tomatoes.
You can lift the plastic before you plant, but some research contends that red plastic mulch has the added benefit of increasing your tomato yield.
MULCH TOMATOES AFTER THE SOIL HAS WARMED
Mulching can help to insure an even supply of moisture is available to the tomato plant. Try putting down a layer of newspaper 5 to 10 sheets thick between the rows (soak the papers in water first, so they won’t blow away) and then cover the newspapers with dry grass clippings, bark mulch, etc. Something new in mulches is Burpee’s Red Mulch. It’s a reflective material that works like black plastic to warm the soil early in the season, and it increases production of top quality early tomatoes.
WATER REGULARLY
Tomatoes need even watering to prevent blossom end rot. Water thoroughly but not too often (twice per week should suffice at first) and try to water early in the day so that plants will dry off before evening. This helps to reduce disease problems. Using drip or soaker hose irrigation is the best idea. Water is used more efficiently this way and the leaves don’t get wet.
6 Delicious Tomato Varieties
Sungold – tomatoes are sweeter than sweet. They’re an indeterminate hybrid that performs well with staking and pruning. Graze on them when out in the garden, and be prepared for summer long eating. Plant in containers at least 24 inches wide and deep or grow in beds or veggie plots. 55 days to maturity.
Patio Princess – tomatoes are sweet, juicy and perfect for a small space container garden. A determinate hybrid that takes 65 to 70 days to mature, it’s a wonderful salad tomato for most any garden.
Yellow Pear – is a lovely, vining heirloom tomato that takes about 78 days to mature. It’s high yielding, super sweet, salad tomato.
Brandywine – tomatoes come in all sorts of hues. They’re a quintessential heirloom tomato growing on indeterminate vines. They take to summer heat and humidity, maturing in about 80 days. Expect plump, flavorful fruit that, in my mind, is delicious fresh, sliced, or cooked.
Amish Paste – is a fabulous cooking tomato. If you’re looking for a tomato that is just as good cooked as it is eaten fresh, this is the tomato for you. It’s an indeterminate heirloom that matures in 65 to 80 days.
Black Krim – is an all around wonderful eating tomato — roast or eat fresh. An heirloom, it takes about 70 to 90 days to mature and, as an indeterminate vine, produces fruit all season.