How to Grow Tomatoes
The first thing you need to decide when thinking about how to grow tomatoes is whether or not you are going to start with seeds, or with small tomato plants. If you live in a northern region, that will be an easy decision as the growing season is so short you have no choice but to put them in the ground as plants. Still, you can start them from seeds in the house and then replant the seedlings outside once all danger of frost is past. Usually the best choice is to go with seedlings unless you have a deep desire to grow heirloom varieties. These are old types of tomatoes which people preserve by planting seeds from their own tomatoes plants year after year.
Tomatoes are fun to grow and are a popular garden fruit, high in vitamins and minerals.
When deciding how to grow your tomatoes you also have to choose between determinate types which grow on bushes, or indeterminate, which grow on vines. If you have a lack of space or wish to grow your tomatoes in containers, the bush variety is the best choice. Vine tomatoes can be left to grow on the ground but are usually staked or placed in wire cages, which can be bought at a gardening store or made by hand. Tomatoes left to grow on the ground often rot before they are ready to eat.
When you go to pick out your tomato plants, make sure to buy the ones with healthy green leaves. Bypass any with yellowing leaves. If you are at a gardening center every plant will have a tag with a row of letters indicating the diseases to which that particular plant is resistant. In alphabetical order they are (A) Alternaria leaf spot, (F) Fusarium wilt, (FF) Fusarium Race 1 and Race 2, (L) Septoria leaf spot, (N) Nematodes, (T) Tobacco mosaic virus, and (V) Verticilium wilt. So, if the tag on the plant reads FNV, you will know it’s resistant to Fusarium wilt, Nematodes, and Verticilium wilt.
Next, choose a variety of tomatoes that will mature early, medium-season, and late so that you can have fresh tomatoes for as many weeks as possible. Every locality has tomatoes that are particularly suited to its climate so ask around. Also, ask the salesperson if he or she has any advice on how to grow tomatoes. You should try to pick up as many tips as possible.
All tomatoes need lots of sun to ripen so don’t plant them in a shady area. They also need a lot of water so if it’s a dry season, hand-watering will be in order. Tomatoes grow well in pots on the deck, in raised beds, or normal garden conditions. Fertilizing with manure or a 5-10-10 mix from the store is always a good idea, especially if you want to grow really large tomatoes.
Don’t put the tomatoes into the ground until all danger of frost is past or make sure you are able to cover them up on cold nights. Give them lots of room to grow by planting in holes three feet apart and rows three feet apart. When putting them in the hole take off the two leaves on the very bottom layer. Put on a collar for cutthroat worms by wrapping a tiny piece of newspaper around the spot where the stem comes through the ground--it should run approximately one inch below the dirt and one inch above the dirt. If you don’t, you may come to the garden one day only to find that all of your plants have been cut off where the stem meets the ground.
Next, put the plant in the nice hole you’ve dug--the stem of the plant should go into the dirt to allow for about 3 inches between the ground and the first set of leaves. Do not separate the roots--just plant the whole little clump in the hole. The top inch of your cutthroat collar should be visible above ground.
It’s easier to stake the tomatoes when they are young so put a branch or a pole in the ground approximately six inches from the plant and tie the plant to it. Or buy those tomato cages that come in metal or plastic and place one over the top of the plant.
Then just wait for the plants to grow, weed them as necessary, and in 60-120 days you will be eating some delicious tomatoes. You will never want to buy a store-bought tomato again.