How to Grow Tomatoes

Buy seedlings. You can buy tomato plants at a plant store, garden center, or farmer’s market. Choose plants that look healthy, and be sure to buy them near the time you plan to plant them.

Apply plenty of compost to the garden soil. Tomatoes require a growing medium rich in organic matter. If you don’t compost your own, you can use a store-bought compost that contains granite powder and topsoil. You need about 25-40 kg of compost for 1 square meter of land. Mix fertilizer into 6-8 cm of topsoil. ^[5]

• Before planting the seedlings in the ground, drop a handful of compost or eggshells at the bottom of the hole. When the roots penetrate deep, it will meet this layer of nutrients just in time to push the tree to bear fruit.

Monitor soil pH. Tomatoes grow well in slightly acidic soil. Soils that are highly acidic will draw calcium from the plant and lead to flower stem rot. Maintain a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. If the test shows that the pH in the soil exceeds 6.8, you need to water the mixture of cold coffee and water in equal proportions. You can also add a layer of pine needles. If the pH is below 6.0, add dpomite lime or other sources of calcium such as crushed eggshells or calcite. ^[6]

Choose a sunny location. Place the tomato plant in full sun. If you live in a colder climate, you should try to choose a place that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. If you live in a warm or hot area, you should choose a location with shade in the afternoon. ^[7]

• Remember that tomato plants can tolerate full sun, even in warm climates. You just need to keep the soil loose and water enough.

Plant the tomato plants about 45 to 90 cm apart. This distance is enough for you to get in between the plants to water, weed, and harvest. If you live in a hot area, you should plant the plants about 25 to 45 cm apart. This distance allows the trees to intertwine to shade the fruit of other trees, preventing sunburn. ^[8]

Dig a deep hole to transfer the plant to the soil. Fill with soil to about 50-80% of the tree’s height. Compact the soil around the roots. Make sure the roots are completely covered. ^[9] It’s okay to cover some of the leaves growing below with soil. New roots will grow along the stem buried in the ground and help the plant grow quickly.

• When removing the plant from the pot, pat the bottom of the pot gently to loosen the roots and soil from the pot. This is very important because if you break the roots, the tree will be hurt.

Mount a trellis or stake for tomato plants. This will help support the tomato branches. Make a truss or stake right after planting. Do not wait more than 14 days. ^[10] If you like, you can make your own tree trellis.

• Truss for tomato plants must be at least 1.2 m high. Trusses can bend if the tree becomes too heavy and sometimes collapse during summer storms. You need to prune leaves and stems as the tree grows. ^[11]
• The stakes for tomato plants should be at least 1.5 x 5 cm wide and 1.8 to 2.4 m long. Bury the stake deep into the ground (about 30 cm to 60 cm) and at least 5 cm away from the tree. Secure the tree to the stake by tying it loosely 2 loops with string so that it doesn’t tighten. You can use bamboo, wood, insulating pipes or iron rods to make piles. ^[12]

Every 7-10 days watering once. Do this after the first week. Water each day about 500 ml of warm water for each plant. It is better to put the dripper towards the roots rather than over the plants to avoid creating conditions for disease to develop. ^[13]

• To prevent fungal or mold diseases, you should water in the morning.
• After the first 10 days, you should water less. Make sure the tree receives enough rainfall every week from 2.5 to 7.5 cm. Otherwise, you will need to water the plant about 7.5 liters of water per week, starting around the end of the second week after planting. ^[14]
• Increase watering as the plants grow larger and when the weather gets hotter. Irrigate 2-3 times per week, 3-4 liters of water each time. Make sure the soil is moist but not soggy. ^[15]

Apply coating. After a week or two, you should cover the ground around the plant with a layer of straw or hay. This mulch will restrain weeds and retain moisture in the soil during dry weather. The mulch should be about 2.5 cm thick and surround the trunk with a diameter of at least 30 cm. ^[16]

Choose fertilizer. Tomatoes can grow very well if the soil is rich in organic nutrients. If using chemical fertilizers, you need to choose a vegetable fertilizer. Use half the recommended concentration per liter of water (follow the directions on the package). ^[17]

• Do not use lawn fertilizers. The proportion of minerals in the lawn fertilizer causes branches and leaves to grow.
• Over-fertilizing can cause plants to grow too quickly, making them more susceptible to pests and diseases.

Gently shake the truss or stake. This will aid the plant in fruiting as the pollen is more evenly distributed. Do this once or twice a week for about 5 seconds, starting when the plants flower. ^[18]

Check the axillary buds. These branches grow between the nodes of the trunk and other branches. As they grow, they will absorb nutrients from the plant. When the axillary buds are left, the plant will produce more fruit but the fruit will be smaller. You should cut off these shoots to make the tree bigger. ^[19]

Heat stress. If you live in a hot climate, you should grow heat-tolerant varieties like Phoenix, Heatmaster, and Spar Fire. Find a location with full sun in the morning and filtered light in the afternoon. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., you need to protect your plants by covering them with a fabric shade.

• If tomatoes begin to ripen at the right time in hot weather with night temperatures exceeding 24 degrees Celsius, daytime temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, you should harvest early. Tomatoes will stop ripening when the weather is too hot. ^[20]

Humidity control. Tomatoes need high humidity (80-90%) during the day and moderate humidity (65-75%) at night to bear fruit. Humidity exceeding 90% or less than 65% can cause flower stalks to rot. If you grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, you can use a hanging hygrometer to measure the humidity. To increase humidity in your home or greenhouse, try misting your plants. Reduce the humidity in the greenhouse by using an exhaust fan. ^[21]

• If you live in a humid climate, it’s best to plant varieties of tomatoes outdoors that tolerate high humidity like Ferline, Legend, Fantasio. ^[22]

Prevents stem rot. Flower stalk rot is a phenomenon in which the tomato fruit turns black and rots at the bottom of the fruit. When you see this phenomenon, it is too late to save the tomato plant. Prevention is still the best measure. A calcium deficiency can lead to stem rot. ^[23] To prevent this, you should:

• Bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon juice to a boil.
• Add 6 tablespoons of bone meal to the water. Stirred. No worries about dissolving the solution.
• Cover and cook for about 30 minutes.
• Let cool.
• Water the leaves and roots of each plant about 1 liter of solution.
• Repeat this therapy a second time within 3-5 days. ^[24]

Take bird control measures. Attach red decorations to the top of the tomato rig. The bird will think it’s a tomato and peck at it. The ornamental berries have a hard surface and no flavor that confuses the birds, and they will leave your tomato plants alone. ^[25]

Release chickens and ducks into the garden. You can do this if your city allows it. Chickens and ducks like to eat snails and hornworms. If left unchecked, snails and hornworms can eat away at tomato plant leaves and kill the plant. ^[26]

Control snails with paperboard. Use a toilet paper core or tissue paper core to insert the bottom of the tomato plant when the plant is young. The texture of the paperboard prevents snails from crawling up. ^[27]