5 Tips For Growing Healthy Tomatoes

People often wonder what some of the best ways to grow tomatoes are. Sometimes we do the wrong thing without even realizing it. Here are some tips to help get your tomatoes looking and tasting their best.

Tip 1. Choosing your Tomatoes

It's a good idea to choose several types of tomato to grow. Also ensure that the types you choose are suited to where you want to grow them. Seedlings are a good way for first timers to start out. When deciding how many plants to get, note the number of people your growing them for. Give each person two plants as a general rule.

Tip 2. Feeding

Feeding your tomatoes is important. Being careful not to over feed them is also important. Tomatoes require a balanced fertilizer that has fairly equal parts of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Too much nitrogen, for example, will give more energy to the leaves rather than the fruit. It's best to look for a fertilizer that is designed for tomatoes. Of course, there is no substitute for a shovelful of compost put around the plant every other week or so.

Tip 3. Watering

Watering is essential for a reason you may not realize. Calcium! All plants require calcium and the only real place your tomatoes are able to get it is from water. If water becomes limited, the plants may develop blossom-end rot or a brown, dry, leathery spot found on the bottom of the fruit. The only way to resolve this is to apply a little calcium carbonate prior to planting and to keep the plant well watered. Use mulch as well to help with moisture conservation.

Tip 4. Foliage

You may think that removing foliage from around the fruit of your tomato plants is a good idea to allow more sunlight on the fruit. This is not necessary. Pruning the plant before there is any fruit is fine, but do not remove foliage from a mature plant. Doing so can lead to the fruit developing sun-scald.

Tip 5. Refrigeration

DO NOT put tomatoes in the refrigerator! A balance of sugars, acids and other flavour inducing compounds will be destroyed in temperatures below 55 Fahrenheit. The best thing to do is to leave the tomatoes at room temperature. keep them away from sunlight, and if you also want them to ripen more quickly, put them in a brown paper bag.

These are just a few tips to help you 'get growing' with your tomatoes. For more information and great advice, download our 'How to Grow Tomatoes' eBook today.

For your complimentary copy of 'How to Grow Tomatoes' eBook, visit our Gardening eBooks web page.