Growing tomatoes can feel like a daunting task, especially if you weren't gifted a green thumb. The truth is the most important thing is to be consistent with your plants. These sensitive plants demand your attention, so sticking to a schedule and being aware of their needs is a must. Over the years, I have spent hours planting, watering and obsessing over my tomato plants to ensure they produce as possible. Here are a few of my tips and trick that have helped me grow fruitful tomato plants.
Planting
Tomatoes are quite picky about where they are grown. While you can grow them in raised beds, pots, the ground and even bags, they have at least eight hours of sunlight each day. The plants should always be planted in pretty deep into the ground or pot. The plant should be planted with only half the stem above the ground because each plant has little roots around the stem of the plant that resemble tiny hairs. Planting these roots under the soil allows for the plant to grow stronger and be more fruitful. After the plant is planted, it should be kept in a straight vertical position. To do this, you can use metal cages that allow the plant to grow up in the cage. Tomato plants should be planted by late spring and with care can be fruitful up until the first frost.
Care
Once the tomato plants are in the ground, you must be consistent with the care of the plant. Watering should be done twice a day for the first few days, ideally in the morning and evening. After that, the plants will only need to be watered once a day in the morning or the evening. When watering the plants, it is essential to water around the plant focusing more on the roots than the flowers or leaves. It also helps to feed the plant nutrients to supplement anything it could be lacking. Fertilizers can help plants be fruitful and should be added when the plants are initially planted, as soon as the first tomatoes begin to form and once two weeks after that.
Troubleshooting
The number one complaint that gardeners have, no matter how greed their thumb is, is their tomato plants being attacked by bugs, rabbits and birds. Fortunately, there are many ways to combat this common problem. One way is to add some Marigolds to your garden bed. This colorful flower grows well under the same conditions as tomatoes and is said to keep tomato hornworms and other pests away. Another useful method is to create your own bug-away spray. The spray can be used at the watering time after the plants are watered. This is a common recipe for a bug-away spray and one I have used on my own plants for years. All You will need is spray bottle and a few common ingredients.
Bug-Away Spray
What you will need:
1 12-ounce spray bottle
5 ounces of beer
5 ounces of water
1 pinch of tobacco
1 tablespoon of dish soap
Add every ingredient to the spray bottle. Be sure to add the soap last to stop bubbles from overflowing the spray bottle. Lid the bottle and shake to mix!
Once your tomato plants have produced ripe and juicy tomatoes, you're going to want to eat them within a week of picking to are ensure freshness. Be sure to check out this Spoon University article for some great Italian tomato recipes to showcase your tasty fruit. Also, If you are ever in doubt Bonnie Plants has a lot of great information on dealing with everyday problems with tomato plants.