Posts Tagged ‘Planting Tomatoes’

Benefits of Growing Your Own Tomatoes

November 22nd, 2009

One of the easiest plants to grow and from which you can reap fast rewards is the ever popular tomato.

With just a little planning and not much hard work, you’ll find growing tomatoes will satisfy your sense of achievement. They can be grown almost anywhere, in containers, greenhouses, balconies or the garden bed.

You can start them from seed easily; the varieties and choices you have to suit your tastebuds are endless, and you can expect abundant harvests, with few guidelines to follow. Home-grown tomatoes taste a lot better than commercially grown ones because you can pick and eat them fresh from the plant. You can get a better quality, tasting tomato from the seed catalogues and they give you a much wider range of tomatoes than any supermarket could possibly offer. The descriptions will help you find tomatoes that are exceptional and suited to your taste and environment.

You can start from seed or seedlings, why not experiment with both if you’re a novice. If you are starting from seed then sow them indoors several weeks before you expect the last frost in your area and they will be ready to transplant outdoors when the soil warms up. Aim to give them a minimum six hours of sunshine. Prepare the soil, ensuring that it is well drained. To give a flying start to your season adding mushroom compost to the soil which works wonders for the seedlings.

When transplanting seedlings, bury all the seedling stem below the ground, leaving only the top leaves exposed. This encourages roots to grow the full length of the stem, which is below soil level, giving you a large root system. This in turn gives you larger healthier fruit and is a little trick my grandfather taught me; works fantastic too.

If your particular plant requires staking, put the stake in the hole first to save damage to the rooting system. Be sure to water your plants as soon as you have transplanted them, you can use a seaweed fertilizer at this point.

When growing tomatoes make sure the conditions remain constant throughout the growing season, that means maintain a moist soil and do not let them dry out as you risk them being exposed to the disease blossom end rot, or you may find that the fruit will crack. Check the soil regularly; cheap gauges are readily available for this purpose. On the other hand don’t over water as waterlogged soil causes fungal diseases.

When growing tomatoes keep a sharp eye out for the first flowers to appear, you can then use a liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks and a little potash can be added at this stage. Do not make the mistake of thinking the more fertilizer the better; this will only result in excess foliage growth and reduced fruit production.

When the weather warms up use organic mulch around your plants to save precious water; to encourage more root growth and a stronger plant you can build the level of the mulch right up to the level of the bottom leaves.

If you have no garden or limited space then all is not lost; you can grow tomatoes in pots or containers; there are many miniature and cherry varieties to choose from. A 16 – 20 inch pot is about right, just use a potting mixture instead of soil. Remember to check your pots regularly for water as they will dry out quickly, especially in summer. A self watering container makes the job easier and if you can install a tap on the balcony, it would save carrying water through your apartment. Don’t limit yourself to tomatoes, with a little thought you can grow lots of other things like herbs, lettuce, egg plants, etc. just by using containers.

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What Type Of Tomato Should I Grow ?

November 22nd, 2009

Deciding on the tomato type you will grow depends not only on the climate you live in but also on the way you will use the fruits. There are varieties designed specifically for certain climate conditions that can thrive in a very wet weather while others can survive real droughts. Let’s get a bit deeper into different factors that need to be considered while choosing tomato plants.

So, depending on where it is that you live, you will have to choose the varieties to put in the garden. In order to start on the right foot visit your local nursery or garden center first. These folks are experts at what they do and they will have a good handle on what thrives in your area, and what will not do so well.

Still yet, there are other things to consider as well. Primarily these considerations will include things such as tomato size, acidity and use. Many people will use nothing but a good beefsteak tomato. Coming from a thriving plant, the beefsteak tomato can more than cover an entire sandwich with only one slice. There are other people, who choose the early girl variety, when tend to produce the luscious fruit early in the season. For sauces, tomato pastes, salsas etc. the best choice will be plum tomatoes.

Many people don’t realize it, but there is yet another characteristic to consider. This is to choose whether you want determinate or indeterminate plants. Let me explain what this means. The first one grows up to 3 feet high and has a bush-like shape. An indeterminate plant is one that simply continue to grow, and can achieve heights of 15 feet or more. Each individual has his or her own preference, based on the climate that they live in, and what will actually thrive in their area.

So deciding what types of tomatoes to grow depends on several factors as we now know. Armed with the information we now have, it’s time to take a trip to the local garden center, where we will learn which varieties work best in the region we live in. While we’re there, we want to make sure that we lay in all the supplies that we will need to grow our garden and keep our tomato plants happy. Food supplements, stakes, cages or garden tools are among the most important items that will help in keeping the plants in a good shape.

Growing tomatoes is among one of the most favorite things I do in the summer, and the winter months are spent in anticipation of the coming growing season, as tomatoes are my favorite fruit! Good luck in your growing!

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Growing Juicy Organic Tomatoes

November 22nd, 2009

Growing juicy organic tomatoes is not hard to do. The hardest part about it is going to be keeping the insects from destroying that tasty fruit when it comes time for the plants to bear.

Home grown tomatoes are the absolute best. There’s no doubt in my mind about it. The only thing that makes them better is when they are grown organically without the use of pesticides. The first thing you want to do when growing organic tomatoes is to find a good seed. The local nursery or garden center will have some valuable information to give regarding the variety of tomatoes that grows best in your area. Don?be afraid to ask them questions. They are happy to help you!

Now, you’ll want to plant the seed perhaps an inch deep in loose compost. You can do this anywhere from 5 to 7 weeks before the last frost hits your area. You want to make sure that the soil stays damp while you are awaiting germination. You will notice that seeds germinate around the 10 day mark ( possibly day or 2 earlier or later ). After the seeds have germinated and grown 2 more leaves other than the germination leaves, you can transplant the seedlings to a different container by themselves. Plant band or cup can make a good container.

The location you choose outside for the plants should be carefully considered. Organic tomatoes prefer aerated soil that contains a lot of rock minerals. The soil needs to drain well and should also contain a lot of compost. Fallen leaves are a good suggestion to use as compost.

After about 7 weeks, your plants will be ready to transplant into your outdoor bed. You want to make sure that you include a handful of compost to each plant when you transplant it, and do so with great care to minimize the shock. You should place the plants about 18-24 inches apart and plant them deep. The role of stake is to support the plant as it grows by tying it around. This keeps them off the ground. Use a soft yarn to tie them off.

Feed the plants once about every three weeks when waiting on them to start bearing. Once the fruit sets, you’ll want to feed the plants about once a week or so. Water them on a daily basis, but not too much. Too much is just as bad as not enough. Keep the soil moist and you’ll be fine!

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Tips On Watering Tomato Plants

November 20th, 2009

While growing tomato plants you need to pay as much attention to watering as you do with pruning, preparing soil and fertilizers. Over-watering your plants can lead to funguses and quick death of entire tomato garden. Keeping them dry and thirsty for too long will have similar results. You need to find the right balance by paying attention to the weather conditions in your area.

Tomatoes love the moisture, but at the same time, they can’t stand being drenched. Avoid pouring too much water as it makes air exchange in the roots and soil harder. So, how much water is too much? If you grow tomatoes outdoors run the garden hose on them for up to 2 minutes. Adjust the length of time to your local weather conditions. You will want to water more if you live in an exceptionally dry climate. However, if you live in a rainy climate you shouldn’t water your plants for more than 30 seconds.

If you grow tomatoes indoors you need to consider different rules. Don’t stop running water on them until you see that it comes out of the bottom of the pot or container. This is of course, assuming that proper drainage has been allowed for in the bottom of the container in which you are growing the plants.

Personally watering your tomatoes, rather than using an automatic system helps to improve plant production. The reason being is that if you are watering them personally, then you will be seeing them every day and you will notice if there are any problems such as pest infestation, or if a plant is diseased. Noticing these things early can not only save the plant, but the rest of your tomato harvest as well.

Taking good care and watering your tomatoes on a regular basis will not only keep your plants happy and healthy, but they’ll keep you happy as well with all the tasty fruit the plant will serve you! It’s no wonder that the tomato is the most popular item grown in a vegetable garden. Tomato plants do not require a lot of work and the reward is absolutely worth it – sweet and juicy fruits that taste like no other before!

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Learn How To Grow Tomatoes From Seeds

November 20th, 2009

While deciding to grow tomatoes from seeds few issues need to be addressed as they directly influence further stages of tomato growing process. You will have to spend some time choosing the right soil and planting the right amount of seeds in order to get the best results. This way you will end up with the anticipated quantity of tomato plants ready to be transplanted outside in your garden bed in time for the growing season.

The first thing you will want to do is to start with clean potting soil. Do not use the soil from outside to start your plants. The best thing to do then is to go to the local nursery or garden center and pick up some good organic potting soil. You will then want to add the soil to nursery trays, or better yet, to flats that separate the pants from one another. This is beneficial when transplanting them when the time comes.

Let’s suppose that your target is to end up with 100 plants ready to be transplanted outside into your garden bed. Planting 20 % more seeds than the amount of the pants you want to end up with is a good idea. The reason for this is that not all seeds will germinate. Then there will almost always be a couple that will germinate, but the plants will not thrive. So generally speaking, if you want to put out 100 plants, then plant about 120 seeds. This way you will also provide yourself with few additional plants that can be used later on as a substitution for the ones that died out.

If you plant several different varieties of tomatoes, you’ll want to make sure that you label them. The plants will all look alike! Once all the plants have gotten their real leaves, it’s time to begin the first transplantation. They should be moved to individual growing containers such as a paper cup in order that they be able to better thrive and grow. If plants are bunched up, the growth will be stunted and you’ll end up with plants that are poorly producing. The best way to remove them from their starter pot is to use a kitchen fork. It works well with lifting the plants from the soil and causes less shock on the plants roots.

Now, depending upon the size of the paper cup or other container used in this first transplantation, you may or may not have to transplant them again before they go into the garden bed. It is then, in your best interest to plant them in paper cups large enough to hold them until they are about 6 inches or so tall, and ready to go into the outdoor garden bed. As soon as the last frost has passed and the plants achieved the required height you can put them outdoors.

The best way I have found to do this, and it causes very little shock to the roots, is to tear or cut away the paper cup from the entire thing, leaving the existing soil in place and putting them in the garden exactly that way.

Good luck in your growing! It won’t be long before you’ll be enjoying fresh juicy tomatoes, straight from the vine!

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