How To Grow Tomatoes

So you want to know how to grow Tomatoes? Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables to grow in your garden. They can be sliced, chopped, diced, cooked, or made into a sauce. Tomatoes are easy to store if you have too many, and are relatively easy to grow. 

Just a few plants will give you a bumper crop that you can use for weeks and weeks or give away to friends and neighbors. You first need to decide what type of tomatoes you are going to grow. 

There are multiple varieties ranging from slicers to sauce tomatoes, to small cherry and grape tomatoes. How to grow tomatoes is pretty straight forward but the type you grow will obviously depend upon your individual needs and the type of Tomato you enjoy. Slicers work for sandwiches, or eating straight out of the garden!

Sauce tomatoes such as romas make good salsa, spaghetti sauce, and are good for soups. The smaller varieties are generally best for salads, or for popping right into your mouth. Good slicers are Brandywine and Big Boy. A good sauce tomato is an Amish paste. 

Terrific small tomatoes are sun cherry and sweet million. How to grow tomatoes perfectly is achieved easily. Tomatoes should be started indoors six to eight weeks prior to the last frost or you can buy transplants from the garden store. 

If you start your own, you will have a greater choice of what type you will grow. Place seeds in a small container, and place on a sunny enclosed porch or in a window. Water them regularly, and ensure that they are getting good sun, or they can become spindly. You should make sure to thin seedlings to only one per pot for the best growth.

When you are ready to plant tomatoes in the garden, make sure that you do not plant them in the same place that they were planted the year before. This will help to avoid disease and pests who have wintered over in the soil and are just waiting for the plants. 

Planting in a new spot does not guarantee that you will not have some insect destruction, but it will help. Pests to look out for include tomato hornworms, and aphids. Encourage beneficial insects like ladybugs and parasitic wasps in order to take care of the problem. 

Tomatoes need to be fertilized until they set fruit. Select an organic fertilizer from the garden center, or use fish emulsion when you water. This will encourage steady growth and will get you to your tomatoes more quickly than not fertilizing at all. 

For all-around feeding of the soil, incorporate compost into the garden before planting. Hopefully, this article has given you an insight into how to grow tomatoes quickly and easily.