FAQs
Devote a prime, sunny spot to growing tomatoes. Tomatoes need at least 6 to 8 hours of sun to bring out their best flavors. You will need to stake, trellis, or cage most tomato plants to keep them off the ground. Decide on a support plan before you set out your plants, then add that support directly after planting.
How to make your tomato plants thrive? ›
More Sun Equals More Fruit
Aim for plants to get seven hours of sun a day. Give your plants room to grow, too. Plant seedlings 30 to 48 inches apart, with rows set 48 inches apart. Leaving space between tomato plants will let light into the lower portions of the mature plants, improve air flow and help prevent disease.
Should I pinch off tomato flowers? ›
Remove flowers until plants are 12 to 18 inches tall, so plants can direct more energy to the roots. Remove all leafy suckers beneath the first fruit cluster so they won't slow the development of the fruit.
What is the best month to plant tomatoes? ›
Tomatoes are warm-season plants that do not tolerate frost or chilly temperatures. We normally recommend planting early to mid-May when the danger of frost has past and soil has had a chance to warm. Be sure to save the sunniest spots for your tomatoes, this will give you optimum fruit production.
Do eggshells help tomato plants? ›
Most of us have heard that eggshells can help increase the calcium in our garden soil, and some of us may have even tried it in our own yards. The goal is to help prevent blossom end rot on tomatoes and other plants affected by calcium deficiency. As it turns out, using eggshells really doesn't fix anything.
What should I put in the hole when planting tomatoes? ›
Loosen the soil dig a small hole, I scatter triple phosphate lightly in the hole mix into the soil, then take your tomato plant lay it in the hole cover the root ball and part of the stem and bring a third of the stem up out of the ground press dirt around the plant and water in.
What is the best fertilizer for tomatoes? ›
Some growers prefer to use a high-phosphorus fertilizer, indicated by a larger middle number. You can also keep things simple with a fertilizer especially formulated for tomatoes – usually with a ratio like 3-4-6 or 4-7-10. Most importantly, don't over-fertilize.
Do tomato plants like to be watered everyday? ›
Water correctly: Do not overwater. The first week tomato plants are in the ground, they need water every day, but back off watering after the first week, slowly weaning the plants down to 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.
Should I remove lower leaves on tomato plants? ›
The advantage in removing the lower leaves is that the plants energies go into producing fruit rather than a lot of foliage. Also the lower leaves tend to get powdery mildew so it is good to remove them to stop disease spreading.
How to prune tomatoes for more fruit? ›
Most tomato pruning involves removing suckers -- the shoots that form in the axils where side branches meet the stem. Remove suckers when they're small by pinching them off with your hand or snipping them with pruners. If your goal is to maximize the harvest, prune suckers sparingly.
Now that you know how to pinch them out and also stop them, you can ensure most of the energy will go towards producing the trusses that in turn produce the fruit. Not doing this will mean you have a fantastically aromatic yet bushy plant that only produces tiny green unripe tomatoes by the end of the season.
How to grow tomatoes for beginners? ›
Tomatoes require rich, well drained soil in a full sun location, which means at least 6 hours of direct sun per day, and ideally more. This is especially important in colder northern climates (zone 5 and below) with shorter growing seasons.
How do you prepare soil for tomatoes? ›
Compost and composted manure are great additions to the soil for tomatoes and lots of other plants. Compost adds basic nutrients and improves soil structure. Composted manure provides nutrients all season long. Composted manure: This provides a slow release of nutrients over the growing season.
Do tomatoes prefer morning or afternoon sun? ›
Too much bright direct sunlight on plants can raise temperatures too high for ripening and lead to cracking and sunscald. It can also create problems caused by high humidity or dry soil. Do tomatoes prefer morning or afternoon sun? Tomatoes need both morning and afternoon sun and at least six hours of sun a day.
What can you put on tomatoes to make them grow better? ›
Eggshells. Calcium is important for the development of tomato roots, stems, and new growth, and helps prevent blossom end rot. Adding eggshells in the soil below your tomato plants helps provide good drainage, aerates the soil, and provides a slow release of calcium which helps make the soil more porous.
How do you encourage fruit to grow on tomatoes? ›
Prune off about a third of the leaves (and flowers, if any are present) at the top of the plant, removing the newest, smallest leaves. This will stimulate the plant to branch out lower on the stem, and eventually to produce flowers and fruit throughout its height.
How do you get high yield of tomatoes? ›
INCREASE TOMATO PRODUCTION
- SUNLIGHT, SUNLIGHT, SUNLIGHT. Tomato plants need 10+ hours a day of direct sunlight. ...
- DON'T OVER WATER. One of the biggest issues people face when gardening is over watering. ...
- SUPPORT THE PLANT. ...
- TRIM LOWER BRANCHES. ...
- PINCH THE SUCKERS. ...
- FERTILIZE AT THE RIGHT TIME. ...
- "TICKLE" THE BLOOMS.