Enjoy Growing Your Own Tomatoes

Tomatoes are relatively easy to grow and taste so much better fresh from your garden.  Read more to get some great tips for growing fantastic tomatoes.

Here's an excerpt from our Wenke Wisdom sheet on how to grow great tomatoes!

1. Plant in Full Sun – Not morning sun, not partial sun.  You want eight hours per day, minimum.  Take up the front lawn if you have to, but give your tomatoes bright, hot sun.

2. Amend Soil – Organic planting mix, devoid of chemical fertilizers and municipal sewage sludge, is teeming with nutrients and beneficial bacteria, which is what your tomatoes need to grow healthy and strong.  Suck it up and pay the ten bucks.

3. Plant Deep – Bury your seedlings-stem, leaves and all-until just the top set of leaves is above the soil line.  It may seem weird, but it will promote adventitious (sporadically occurring) roots and help create a bigger root ball, which equals more tomatoes for you.

4. Address Stress – Don’t tax your seedlings by planting during the heat of the day.  Instead, transplant them on a cloudy, overcast day or in the very early morning or evening.  Make sure to water your seedlings before removing them from their containers and be gentle when working with them.

5. Prune the Suckers – As the plant grows, remove suckers (small shoots that sprout between the main stem and the large branches) by pinching them off with your fingers, allowing the more productive branches to thrive. You’ll get a smaller, tidier plant with larger and often more fruit. Keep on it, as plants grow quickly when summer’s heat turns on.

6. Prevent Disease – Don’t be too surprised when something goes wrong.  Pests love your plants as much as you and disease, while avoidable, is very common.  Cleanliness is your key to success. Keep insecticidal soap and Neem oil on hand to knock out pests; antifungal sprays, to stop the spread of blight.  Remove diseased leaves, keep the area under each plant clear of fallen leaves and swipe your pruners with bleach before moving from plant to plant.

7. Feed and Water Wisely – Tomatoes are not heavy feeders, so fertilize them sparingly with an organic product.  Too much nitrogen-the first number on the label-promotes rampant growth but not much fruit, and it contributes to blossom-end rot.  Feed when you first plant, then every four weeks thereafter.  Water well after planting, but know that overdoing it during the growing season can inhibit fruit production.  Plus, too little water one day and a big soak the next can lead to dropped blossoms and cracked fruit.  Instead, water generously until soil 8 to 10 inches deep is moist but not soggy.  How frequently depends on several factors, but as a general rule, plan on watering two to three times a week.  Also, try to do it in the morning.  Moisture left on leaves overnight can promote disease. Plant in Full Sun – Not morning sun, not partial sun.  You want eight hours per day, minimum.  Take up the front lawn if you have to, but give your tomatoes bright, hot sun.