How to Plant Tomatoes, Tips for Planting Tomatoes, Fertilizing and Watering Tomatoes
Learn how to plant tomatoes in your vegetable garden! Here are some easy tips for planting tomato plants, and how to care for, fertilize and water them in your garden. Design Your Own Vegetable Garden Layout Using our Free "Vegetable Garden Planner" Software! Summer would not be the same without red, juicy, full of tangy goodness tomatoes growing on the vine. Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables for home gardening. They are easy to grow, and there are so many wonderful and tasty varieties to choose from. Of course, we cannot forget to plant yellow tomatoes or those chocolate tomatoes the neighbors are raving about or the miniature type for salads! There are so many varieties; it is a good idea to look closer at how to plant tomatoes. How to Plant TomatoesNo matter how many vegetable gardening tips you may hear on how to grow tomatoes, there is always room for some more! Here is some timely advice gathered from the experts:* When planting tomatoes, you can bury the stem horizontally in a shallow trench so that only the top leaves show. First, strip off the leaves along the part of the stem to be buried. Many vegetable gardeners report this technique produces higher yields. * Sprawling tomato plants may produce more but it can be a trade off because they also use a larger space which often equals more problems with pests. * Exposing young tomato pants to nighttime temperatures below 55 degrees F. will prevent fruit from setting. Be sure to protect the sun-loving plants from chilly nights. Download Free Garden Planning Worksheets, Garden Diary, Zone Chart, Or Planting Guide How to Plant Tomatoes : Watering and Fertilizing Tomatoes* Growing tomato plants need one inch of water per week. A deep soaking is better than several light waterings. Avoid wetting the leaves. * A weekly dose of liquid seaweed extract increases health to the plants. At flowering time, side-dress with compost. As small fruits appear, feed with manure tea. Pruning Tomato Plants* Snapping or pinching off young suckers between the main stem and leaf axils encourages larger fruits and earlier produce on staked plants.* When the tomato vine reaches the top of the stakes, pinch back the tip. * If your tomato plants are so vigorous that they overgrow their cages, first, congratulations are in order! Second, add stakes to anchor the cages in place. Secure the cages by weaving two stakes through the cages and driving them into the ground. The stakes give you the additional benefit of extra height. Tie the plants to the stakes if they outgrow their cages. How to Plant Tomatoes : Caring for Tomato Plants* Check tomato vines almost daily once tomatoes begin ripening. While supporting the vine to prevent damage to it, gently twist or cut off fruits.Tips for Harvesting Tomatoes* Harvest all tomatoes, fully ripe or not, at the first signs of a heavy frost.Green tomatoes eventually will ripen when located in a warm spot out of direct sun. Do not refrigerate tomatoes, as this stops the ripening process and changes the texture of the fruit. Once the tomato harvest is in full swing, ripe, juicy tomatoes are practically rolling off the vines into your kitchen like on a production line. The best way to savor that vine-ripened flavor is not to slice open a tomato until just before you plan to serve it. In just three minutes after slicing, the wonderful aroma and taste begins to fade. Avoid storing tomatoes in the refrigerator because they lose their treasured good taste that way as well.  Soil Preparation Before Planting TomatoesPlanting Hairy Vetch as Cover CropFertilize, add organic matter, and control weeds by sowing hairy vetch. Sow vetch one to two pounds per 1,000 square feet in late summer or early fall wherever you plan to grow tomatoes next year. Vetch is a biennial cover crop that fixes nitrogen. The following spring, mow the cover crop to a height of one inch.Leave the vetch clippings as surface mulch. Instead of plowing the garden bed, plant your tomatoes at the usual spacing through the vetch. The decaying mulch slowly releases nutrients, adds organic materials, and controls weeds without needing to be plowed under! Researchers' report that the tomato yield is greatly increased using this technique.
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