If you agree that there’s nothing better than the taste of a ripe and juicy homegrown tomato that’s just bursting with flavor, you might be interested in growing a few (or even a lot) of your own. If so, here are a few tips for growing the largest, tastiest tomatoes around:
1 – Choose the right tomato plants. Arguably, the most important step in growing great tomatoes is choosing a great tomato plant in the first place.
Most any of the beefsteak varieties will make a great choice but my favorite tomato plant of all for a number of reasons is the “Giant Belgium”. Another of my favorites is the “Hillbilly”. You should be able to find either of these plants at your local greenhouse or farm supply store.
2 – Choose or create the proper soil conditions. Another critical requirement of growing awesome tomatoes is making sure your plants are allowed to grow in the right kind of soil. Choose a place with loose, fluffy soil and mix in some organic matter for good measure. If your property has compacted soil, loosen it up with a tiller after spreading a generous layer of organic matter on top. Be sure to choose a place where your tomato plants will be in full sunshine for most of the day.
3 – Plant your tomato plants early to ensure that they will get a jump on the growing season. Make sure you cover them with overturned 5 gallon buckets or “tented” newspapers on nights when a frost is possible. Early planting ensures an early and long-bearing crop. For best results allow plenty of space between adjacent plants.
4 – Beginning immediately, weed and water your tomato plants daily, planning your watering schedule to provide a total of approximately an inch of water per week. The best time to water your plants is late in the evening in order to allow the water to soak into the ground overnight instead of evaporating.
5 – Once the plants begin to bloom, place a layer of mulch around them to help retain water in the soil during the intense heat of the impending summer. You can use most any type of mulch you want (I usually opt for the cheapest mulch I can find).
6 – Apply a tomato-friendly fertilizer in moderation every two weeks to keep your tomatoes growing at a strong pace. Personally, I prefer to use Miracle Grow Tomato Plant Food, but most any of the “generic” brands should work almost as well.
7 – As the plants begin to get a little size on them, remove all but the strongest looking stem from each plant. This will ensure that all the water and nutrients are fed directly to a smaller number of potentially larger and healthier tomatoes. Be sure to keep all the “suckers” pinched off as well. (Suckers are small stems that sprout out after the plant has first been pruned).
8 – If your desire is to grow the largest tomatoes possible, remove all but the largest three or four tomatoes from each plant early on. If your primary goal is a relatively large crop of average size to large fruits, you can leave seven or eight. It’s usually best to choose to keep the larger (and more mature) tomatoes near the bottom of the plant.
9 – Stake your growing tomato plants to keep the branches from breaking off under the weight of the ever larger and heavier tomatoes and to prevent the entire stalk from falling over or growing crooked. Loosely tie the plants to the stake with strips of cloth cut from old articles of clothing.
10 – Enjoy your plump, juicy and tasty tomatoes one by one as they ripen. If you have a large crop you can pick them a little green and allow them to ripen on a windowsill to prevent most of them from going bad before you can consume them. And of course you can always can them for use the following winter. But always remember that the very best flavor will come from tomatoes that are allowed to ripen right on the vine, then picked and taken straight to the kitchen table!
Conclusion
For many of us, tomatoes are the cream of the garden crop. For me, there is nothing better than a thick slice of homegrown tomato on a piping hot homemade biscuit! However you like your tomatoes, the tips detailed above will help ensure that you have plenty of your own to enjoy or give away to friends and family.
About the author: Julian Scott has been growing award winning vegetables for over 25 years. He is also an editor for the gardening section of RLROUSE Infoblog. Photo credit: Graham Soult