A master gardener shares 6 secrets for planting tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to growing good tomatoes? ›

Like many vegetables, tomatoes prefer a goldilocks soil that is moisture retentive yet well drained and, of course, rich in nutrients. The very best way to achieve that is simply to add plenty of well-rotted organic matter to the surface of your soil in the weeks or months before planting.

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.

Lono – For Improved Yield

Lono is Levity's flagship nitrogen fertilizer which greatly improves fruit number and size and promotes good root growth.

Look for a fertilizer that has a high middle number, which represents phosphorus, in the N-P-K analysis. Commonly available fertilizer analysis that are great for tomato seedlings include 8-32-16 and 12-24-12. Mix the fertilizer with water according to package directions.

Tomatoes are prone to magnesium deficiency later in the growing season, which can show with yellowing leaves and diminished production. Ultra Epsom Salt treatments at the beginning of their planting and throughout their seasonal life can help to prevent and remedy magnesium deficiency in your tomato plants.

Tomatoes have deep root systems and frequent shallow watering, which moistens the top inch or two of soil, will do little to supply the amount of water that tomatoes require. A weekly deep watering that moistens the soil at a depth of 12 to 14 inches will produce more and larger fruit than frequent shallow watering.

Coffee grounds are packed with nutrients that tomato plants love, like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. They help improve soil structure and promote microbial activity, which can lead to healthier, more robust tomato plants. Plus, they may even help deter certain pests.

So long as the soil is in balance what goes in the hole is a tomato plant, some water in the bottom and the dirt taken out of the hole. The bed is always tilled in the fall and in the spring a layer of newspaper topped by 6-8 inches of weed free straw is put down as mulch.

Tomato plants have big appetites and need a steady supply of plant food to grow their best. Miracle-Gro® Performance Organic® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules feeds both your plants and the beneficial microbes in the soil (which help plants take up all the nutrition they need) for up to 6 weeks.

Banana peels are also brimming with potassium, which is excellent for plants like tomatoes, peppers or flowers. “Banana peels also contain calcium, which prevents blossom end rot in tomatoes,” the Cape Gazette adds.

How do I get the most yield on my tomatoes? ›

Until the plants begin flowering, you can use a balanced fertilizer with a 1-1-1 ratio such as 20-20-20. Once flowering, change over to a high potassium fertilizer. Most fertilizers blended for tomatoes fit this description.

Adding plant food and fertilizer can help find the right balance. If soil is too acidic, add dolomite lime. If it's too alkaline, add sulfur or composted organic matter.

If the tomato plant isn't watered well before being fertilized, it can take up too much fertilizer and get burned. After watering, spread the fertilizer on the ground starting approximately 6 inches (15 cm.) from the base of the plant.

Tomatoes love the sunshine so placing your tomato plants in full sun (an average of at least eight hours a day) gives the best results. However, the hours of sunlight do not need to be consecutive. Tomatoes thrive in full sun and fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8.