Who doesn’t want a fresh summer tomato straight from the garden, is there anything better? Â I think not, I have supplied an easy graphic for you on 10 Tips for Growing Tomatoes that you can keep handy so you are guaranteed those delicious summer tomatoes all season long.
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Top 10 tips to grow tomatoes.
#1 Plant where they will get at least 10 hours of direct sunlight.
#2 Leave enough space between each plant to allow for air to circulate.
#3 Soak you tomatoes at their base once a week, more during the hottest days of summer. Do not spray the plant, water directly on the soil at the base of plant.
#4 Pinch and remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches
#5 Once your tomato plants reach about 3 ft. tall, remove the leaves from the bottom 1 ft. of stem.
#6 Use sturdy cages or stakes and secure the stem to the pole with loose cloth or wire every 8 inches or so.
#7 Once your tomatoes start to ripen, add a bit of compost around the base of the plant and scratch it into the soil
#8 Pinching off the tips of the main stems of Intermediate varieties in early summer will encourage them to start putting their energy into flowering.
#9 Check plants regularly for tomato hornworms (large, green-and-white-striped caterpillars) and pick them off and destroy them when you see them.
#10 Pick your tomatoes when they are fully sized and ripe, but still firm.
Determinate tomato plants: all fruits ripen around the same time and plants are fairly compact in size
Indeterminate tomato plants: produce tomatoes over a long period and shoot out many stems
Don’t miss my post on Companion Planting for Tomatoes, it is not too late to add a few basil, or Marigolds, or my tips on July Gardening; Tomatoes, Garden Pests and the Heat Â
I’m surprised you still recommend tomato cages. Everytime I’ve used cages for tomatoes, the plant gets so tall, it falls over and often breaks. I only use them for peppers and eggplants. I grow about 15-20 tomato plants each year on trellises with no problems.
I don’t get what you mean by “intermediate” tomatoes in #8. Do you mean a variety taller than a patio type, but shorter than a Roma-type determinate variety? Or just shorter than one of the very tall ones like Marty’s Wild?
Thanks for the tips. I head out to remove some of the leaves from the bottom of my plants!
What a wonderful graphic! My dad was a sharecropper’s son, so his garden was always his sanctuary. He could grow some really good tomatoes-every summer, when I bite into a fresh tomato sandwich, I think of him.
Your post makes me smile– pinning too.
Thank you for these tips! I have pinned this. Have a GREAT weekend.
Thanks for these tips! I chose this as my favorite for this week’s From the Farm blog hop! I only have 2 tomato plants this year since we moved at the beginning of May and don’t really like where the garden was put here at this new house. Tomatoes are my favorite, I’m going to check out your companion planting post too. Thanks!!
Wonderful tips for growing tomatos. I’d like to add a couple points for any of your followers that live in the south east (specificly here in Florida) where hot humid summer nights (June – Sept) pose a challenge for growing tomatos and many types of herbs.
Through trial and error I have found that growing tomatos in 3 & 7 gallon pots, using a mushroom compost (airy, and drains well) in an area that has mainly early morning light and dappled light after high noon- as opposed to direct afternoon light. I hand water (daily) but have also used a simple drip irragation line, though I do prefer to be a “hands on gardener”. For me Husky Cherry and Roma produce the best results (high yield, tasty and juicy) in the summer time.
Right now as we round the end of June I am getting 3-5 plump ripe Romas and about a dozen sweet Husky Cherry a day.
For my herbs…I grow them in pots too and keep then under cover of my car port where they receive bright but non direct sun light. I can and do move them out from time to time, but only in the early morning or when it is lightly raining, (never when we are having one of our famous heavy down pours). I found that this, along with daily morning watering, keeps my garden happy and thriving during the hottest times of the summer.
Cheers,
Ron in Sunny Florida
Hi Ron,
Nice to hear from you and thanks for sharing your tips. Hope your having a great gardening year.
Amy