Growing Tomatoes
HOW TO GROW TOMATOES STEP BY
STEP
GROWING ON
Tomato plants grow rapidly, but aim to produce short, stocky plants. If they start to get tall and leggy, they aren't getting enough light, and if they look pale, they should be potted into bigger pots or given a liquid feed. Keep them well watered but take care not to overwater, othervise they will rot.
You can skip these early stages altogether by buying young tomato plants prom a garden center. Look for dark green, stocky plants. When roots start to fil the pot completely, move them into slightly larger pots. They should end up in 10-12,5 cm pots in late April when they are ready for hardening off and transplanting to garden. If you plan to grow tomatoes in pots not in garden, plant two plants to a growing bag or one plant to a 12 inch pot containing multi purpose or growing bag compost. By this time you should notice the first truss od flowers forming.
GROWING TOMATOES OUTDOORS
Tomatoes should be set in the garden when the weather has warmed and the soil temperature is above 60°F. Temperatures below 50°F impair tomato growth. Before planting, remove pots or bands from the transplant root ball. Peat pots can remain. Set the plants slightly deeper than they originally grew so lower leaves are close to the ground. If only leggy plants are available, lay them down in a trench long enough to leave only the top six inches of the plant exposed after covering the stem. This will allow roots to develop along the buried portion of the stem. If the plant is growing in a peat pot, be sure the pot is covered with soil, as exposed portions of the pot act as a wick, allowing the root ball to dry rapidly. Make the transplant holes three to four inches deep and two to four feet apart in the row. Space rows at least three feet apart for staked or caged plants. For unsupported plants, leave three to five feet between rows. Set out tomato plants in the evening or on a cloudy day to keep the plants from wilting and getting too dry. Before planting, fillthe transplant holes with water and let it soak in. Pack the soil loosely around the plant.
With determinate varieties, you can simpy let them get on with it, though you may end up with a mass of leaves and the fruit hidden underneath.
If the fruit isn't ripenig quickly, later in the summer, try pruning off some of the excess foliage to let more of the sunlight in. Indeterminate varieties are easier to pick, but take more work. Start by providing some form of support – a stake at least 1,5 m tall. Tie the main shoot to the support.
Fith fingers and thumb, pinch out any side-shoots (suckers) that grow where the leaves join the main stem. This will encourage a single strong stem. Take care not to damage the flower trusses, which will become your crop. Pinch out the growing tip. This will stop the plant from producing more stems and leaves and concentrate its effort instead on ripening the fruit. Keep pinching out the side-shoots as they develop.
NEXT: CARE DURING THE SEASON
