Most nurseryman would agree that Lycopersicon esculentum are one of the most rewarding intellectual nourishment to grow . The texture , fragrance , and smack of a homegrown tomato plant altogether outshines that of memory board - grease one’s palms choice , specially since many of the best varieties are n’t even sell in stores . Here ’s how you’re able to experience this for yourself …
Growing Tomatoes: A Quick Snapshot
When to Sow : Feb - April
When to found : May - June
When to reap : Jul - October
intermediate Yield Per Plant:10 - 20 pounds
Spacing:20 - 40 column inch ( look on variety show )
Depth:12 inches
How to Grow Tomatoes at Home
Source
Although an easy vegetable to grow , tomatoes have a few specific necessity when it come to produce stipulation . Meet these , and you ’ll be enjoying an abundant harvest home in just a few months .
Temperature/Climate
Being a sub - tropic works , tomatoes have sex the heat . They need both warm air and ardent filth .
Ideal temperatures for tomato plants are between 15 ° Cand 30 ° Cduring the mean solar day , with a drop to no colder than 12 ° Cat night . Consistent temperatures are a must in order for tomato plants to properly set fruit .
If temperature get high than 30 ° Cat night , fruits wo n’t color properly . Anything hotter than 35 ° Cwill stimulate tomato plant plants to entirely halt spring up .
Too much oestrus may be a job for some , but many gardener have the opposite problem – they last in an surface area that ’s too cold for rise tomatoes outside . In these cases , a greenhouse or a polytunnel is the best way to grow tomatoes at home .
Space
There are three main types of tomato plants :
call back about how much space you have and then grow the character that best suits the condition you could offer .
Soil
Whether you ’re growing your Lycopersicon esculentum in containers or in the ground , love apple do well in productive and fertile ground .
A serious quality compost ruffle with well - moulder creature manure is perfect . If growing outdoors , this can be unify into the top 8 inches of stain in your growing area .
While tomatoes will put up poorer soils , thehigher in tone your grime is , the bountiful and more productive your tomato plants will be .
How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed
While it ’s pretty easy to purchase young love apple plants that can be planted out directly away , growing them from seed has its advantages .
Not only does this give you access to so many more varieties , but it ’s also much sleazy than buying in plant life .
When to Sow Tomato Seeds
Ideally , you should be engraft your tomato plant out about two weeks after your last frost date ( you may find these dates online ) . They ’ll take about 4 - 6 weeks to reach this stage , soaim to sow in your tomato seeds about a month before your last frost date .
What You Need to Grow Tomatoes from Seed
To spring up love apple from germ , you will need :
How to Sow Tomato Seeds
part by gear up your ejaculate tray , filling them with your seminal fluid set off mix . forget just under an inch of blank space at the top . Do n’t pack the grime in – you want it to stay clear and fluffy so that your seedlings can easily produce long roots .
Place your seeds over the top of each cell . Two seeds per cell is idealistic – this allows you to pick the healthiest seedling in each , while also giving you a number of policy in lawsuit some seeds do n’t spud .
sum another fourth part inch of your come starting premix over the top of your seeds and then mildly pat it down .
utilize a spray bottle to water your seed trays . attempt to keep the grime systematically moist , but do n’t leave it get soggy .
pose your seed trays in a lovesome and bright room in your business firm , or in a dusty build or greenhouse if temperature are warm enough .
How to Look After Tomato Seedlings
After about a hebdomad , you ’ll notice sprout appear in your seed trays .
At this point , make certain that your seedlings are receiving plenty of light . A sunny windowsill figure out well , but you ’ll postulate toregularly revolve your traysas the seedlings will lean towards the light as they uprise .
Once your seedling have two band of true parting , remove the weakest one from each cell .
You may also want totransplant your seedling into larger potsat this point to make indisputable that the roots have enough room to properly grow .
Remove any leaves from the bottom one-half of your seedling so that you could plant it deeper in its new pot . rootage will spring up from any part of the fore that touches the soil , so this will give you a much stronger root system .
How to Plant Tomatoes Outside
Before planting your tomato outside , you will need toharden them off . This essentially means help them to adjust to the temperature in their Modern environment .
How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
Start doing this about a week before you destine on planting them out . Move your come tray outdoors for a duo of hour on the first day before convey them back in .
step by step increase the amount of time they drop outside , but verify that you keep them protect from the wind .
Transplanting Tomatoes Outside
Dig a hollow that ’s just slightly larger than the sizing of the pot your seedling is presently in .
ensure that your seedling are well watered before mildly slew one out of its flock . Keep the tooth root ballock intact if possible .
Plant your Lycopersicon esculentum deeply , just like you did when repot them , before backfilling the hole .
Staking them at this degree is a right ideatoo . If you hold off too long , you risk damaging the roots while you ’re staking . Bamboo cane and string work well , or you could also habituate a wire cage .
Water well after planting , ensuring that you keep your plants well watered as they produce .
How to Plant Tomatoes in a Greenhouse
When planting tomatoes in a nursery , use pots that are as bombastic as you have space for . Aim forcontainers that are at least 20 inches in diam and 24 inches deep .
Half - fill each container before placing your plant in and backfilling . Just like when planting outdoors , do n’t be afraid to slay lower leaves and set them deeply .
Water well after planting .
How to Care for Tomatoes
Once your tomatoes have been planted out into their net location , you ’ll need to take unspoilt forethought of them to ensure a serious harvesting .
Water
Your tomato plants will need abouta duet of inches of water a week . Do n’t get them ever dry out out , but check that that the roots are n’t always sat in swampy soil either .
Daily wateringis usually sufficient for tomato . If you live in an especially raging climate , then you may need to water them double a twenty-four hours .
try out to do this in the morning – this gives the water enough meter to evaporate during the day , which prevents diseases from developing .
Fertilizer
Once you ’ve planted out your tomato plant industrial plant , you ’ll need tostart feeding them every duo of weeks . Use a balanced , slow - outlet fertilizer , or one that has been devise specifically for tomato plant plant .
Keep fertilise your Lycopersicon esculentum until you have finished harvesting them .
Pruning
While determinate tomato varieties do n’t want to be pruned , undetermined ones do .
As your undetermined tomato plant grows , it will produce side shoots . Also known as suckers , these grow from the base of leaf bow .
As soon as your tomato plant has six solidification of honest leave , you will demand to start removing any suckers you see . If not , you ’ll terminate up with a Lycopersicon esculentum hobo camp featuring deal of foliage but very few fruits .
just practice your fingers to bust off each sucker at its base . If you happen to omit one and it grows too grownup to snap , snip them off with some shears .
How to Harvest Tomatoes
It ’s leisurely to narrate when your tomato are quick to be reap . Their color will turn from green to a vibrant red or yellow ( or other ghost , count on the variety show you ’re get ) , and the fruits will feel plump , juicy , and slimly soft .
A patrician tug on the stem should let go of the tomato easily .
How to Store Tomatoes
Keep your tomatoes cool , butdon’t put them in the fridge . A cellar or a cold larder are great places to store them , so long as they are n’t expose to the sun either .
endeavor to stash away them upside down , so that the top part of the tomato that was attached to the stem is what sits on a surface . This part is much strong than the more delicate bottom , which aid the fruits to last for longer .
How to Prepare and Cook Tomatoes
Nothing quite beats the appreciation and smell of a freshly picked tomato , so before thinking up of ways to prepare and cook your harvest , check that that you ’ve sampled a few straight aside first !
Tomatoes do n’t call for much preparation . just pick off any green stem at the top and they ’re ready to habituate .
refreshed Lycopersicon esculentum are delectable run through raw , but they can also be make in so many tasty ways :
Common Tomato Problems
Are your Lycopersicon esculentum plant not looking quite correct ?
Here are some common tomato problems you may experience :
Popular Tomato Varieties to Grow
When it comes to the best tomato varieties , every gardener will have their own favorites . However , there are some that truly shine , outperforming the others in terminus of both sapidity and yield .
The Best Cherry Tomato Varieties
Small , scrumptiously odoriferous , and incredibly blue – cherry tree tomatoes are a must in your garden .
These are the best varieties to grow :
The Best Plum Tomato Varieties
Although they do n’t taste very special when exhaust off the vine , the flavor of plum tree tomatoes intensifies during the cookery operation , making these the tomato of option for sauce and canning .
These are the near plum tomato assortment to grow :
The Best Beefsteak Tomato Varieties
Being impressively large in size of it , with a unbendable texture than other tomato type , beefsteak tomatoes are perfect for sandwich and salad .
These are the best beefsteak varieties to produce :
The Best Standard Tomato Varieties
Looking for some medium - sized , all - purpose tomato , just like what you would buy in the shop ?
These are the unspoiled standard varieties to mature :
Conclusion
While tomato plant plants do require a sure amount of maintenance and attending , the crop that they allow make them well worth the attempt . So long as you are able to meet all of their growing requirements and ensure that your plant are well - fed and well - watered , you ’ll be well on your way to enjoy your own delectable crop of fresh tomatoes in just a few months !
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