Four Top Tips For Growing Tomato Plants
When growing tomato plants there are few things to remember that are additional to growing other plants.
Home grown tomatoes taste so much better than their store bought counterparts and you have a much greater range of varieties to choose from.
However, your tomato plants will require a certain amount of attention to ensure that they produce a decent crop.
This article sets out some tips to ensure that you have healthy plants that produce a good crop of tomatoes throughout the season.
1.
If you are growing your tomatoes outside, as with all plants, you should make sure that you harden them off properly before you plant them into their final position.
What this means is that prior to planting them out you should put your posts with your plants in (which are usually started off in the greenhouse) outside during the day and then bring them in at night.
You should do this for three or four days prior to planting out.
2.
Make sure that you have some means of supporting your plants.
One problem with tomato plants is that they are not able to support their own weight.
This is particularly true when the fruits appear.
Therefore you need to use bamboo canes, trellis or other such structure to tie your plants to in order to support them.
Make sure that you do not tie your plants too tightly otherwise the stem will become damaged as it grows bigger.
3.
Another issue with growing tomato plants is that they have a tendency to develop side shoots.
This does not harm the plant as such, but if they are allowed to develop your crop will be substantially reduced.
Therefore, you will need to remove them as soon as they appear.
You should keep a close eye on your plant for these as they can grow surprisingly quickly.
4.
In order to maxmize your crop, your plant will require feeding.
Although you can use any vegetable plant feed, it is better to use specialist tomato feed that is high in potash which encourages the growth of your fruit.
Other plant feed tends to encourage leaf growth which is not particularly what you want.
By following these tips you should find growing tomato plants fairly straightforward.
Home grown tomatoes taste so much better than their store bought counterparts and you have a much greater range of varieties to choose from.
However, your tomato plants will require a certain amount of attention to ensure that they produce a decent crop.
This article sets out some tips to ensure that you have healthy plants that produce a good crop of tomatoes throughout the season.
1.
If you are growing your tomatoes outside, as with all plants, you should make sure that you harden them off properly before you plant them into their final position.
What this means is that prior to planting them out you should put your posts with your plants in (which are usually started off in the greenhouse) outside during the day and then bring them in at night.
You should do this for three or four days prior to planting out.
2.
Make sure that you have some means of supporting your plants.
One problem with tomato plants is that they are not able to support their own weight.
This is particularly true when the fruits appear.
Therefore you need to use bamboo canes, trellis or other such structure to tie your plants to in order to support them.
Make sure that you do not tie your plants too tightly otherwise the stem will become damaged as it grows bigger.
3.
Another issue with growing tomato plants is that they have a tendency to develop side shoots.
This does not harm the plant as such, but if they are allowed to develop your crop will be substantially reduced.
Therefore, you will need to remove them as soon as they appear.
You should keep a close eye on your plant for these as they can grow surprisingly quickly.
4.
In order to maxmize your crop, your plant will require feeding.
Although you can use any vegetable plant feed, it is better to use specialist tomato feed that is high in potash which encourages the growth of your fruit.
Other plant feed tends to encourage leaf growth which is not particularly what you want.
By following these tips you should find growing tomato plants fairly straightforward.
