Having a supply of homegrown tomatoes can make all the difference to your meals. And with just a few tips, you will be growing ripe, juicy and perfectly firm tomatoes in no time.
The sweet-smelling homegrown tomatoes are an essential part of a balanced and healthy diet owing to their nutritional profile. And fortunately, tomatoes are incredibly easy-to-grow from seeds at home in India. Even if you are short on space and do not have a garden, you can grow delicious and juicy tomatoes in containers without much effort. Simply choose your favourite variety to grow and follow our guide to enjoy a bounty of sun-kissed tomato harvest.
About selecting Tomato Seeds
Tomatoes are one of the most versatile varieties of vegetables (or fruits, pick your clan) used almost routinely in most cuisines around the world including salads, sandwiches, for juices, sauces, or for salsas and ketchup and authentic Indian recipes. The tomatoes you plan to grow at home will largely depend on the way you plan to use the harvest.
Some of the popular varieties of open-pollinated heirloom tomatoes are San Marzano, Paste Tomato or Plum Tomato, Cherry Tomato, Amish Paste, Yellow Pear, Rose, Black Krim, Cherokee Green, Cherokee Purple, and Nepal.
All these varieties can largely be divided into determinate and indeterminate type of tomatoes. The determinate varieties will produce shoots until the flowers have blossomed on the vine while the indeterminate varieties will form flowers along with the shoots and continue to grow until the weather conditions are no longer favourable.
The thick-walled plum tomatoesare especially popular on account of the fact that there is more flesh content than seed compartments. The sweet tanginess of the tomatoes is favoured by cooks for their chewy flesh and low water content. Cherry tomatoes, on the other hand, are an extremely flavourful variety that is often eaten raw in salads, pasta, and pizzas. If you are looking for a juicy variety of tomatoes to grow, these bright round red cherry tomatoes are your go-to variety of seeds to pick. Both varieties of tomatoes are high in vitamin A, C, iron, and lycopene making them an ideal ingredient for a healthy diet that boosts immunity against cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
You can now buy heirloom open-pollinated variety of tomato seeds onlinefor all your home gardening needs.
How and when to grow tomatoes at home in pots: Seed Starting and Germination
Tomatoes are a summer-season vegetable and are usually grown as summer annuals. Tomato seeds must be started indoors between March to June.Here’s how to grow tomatoes in your pot garden.
- To start, plant the tomato seeds indoors in small pots 3 to 4 inch deep or seed starting trays about ¼ inches deep in moderately fertile soil.
- The soil pH ranging from 6.0 to 6.8 is best for tomatoes. Tomatoes will grow in almost any type of garden soil except for heavy clay soil.
- The ideal temperature required for germination of tomatoes seeds ranges between 21 to 27℃ (70 to 80℉). For best germination results, keep the pots in a warm and dark place. The seedlings should appear in 10 to 14 days.
- The secret to growing healthy tomatoes at home is in the soil. Maintaining optimum soil moisture is essential for successful tomato growth.
- Seeds require very little watering till germination. Use a spray bottle to mist the seedlings to keep the top of the soil moist. In case you feel the soil has become too moist, just place the potted plant to an area with increased airflow.
How about growing Cherry Tomatoes at home?
With their sweet-tasting flesh and juicy texture, Cherry tomatoes can do more than just add colours to your meals. Low in calories, high nutritional content and limited space requirements make Cherry tomatoes a great pick for home gardens. Growing cherry tomato in containers is recommended since you can move and place your tomato growing container anywhere with minimum 5 to 6 hours of sunlight. Here’s are a few pointers to note for a flavourful harvest of Cherry tomatoes grown in containers:
- Choose a container that is at least 20 inches in diameter and 18 to 24 inch deep. Stick to one plant per container rule to avoid diseases like early blight.
- Place your container at a place that receives plenty of sunlight. Tomatoes are a cold-sensitive plant so only put the container outside once temperatures are within the range of 24 to 26℃
- The soil moisture can dry out rapidly in midsummer heat and cause the cherry tomato plant to become slender.
- Water at least once a day to soil to keep the top layer of the soil evenly moist. Simultaneously, good drainage from the container is also very important to avoid root rot.
- Organic liquid seaweed fertilizer can be fed to the plan to improve the yield.
Pick cherry tomatoes once they are almost completely red and you can also let them ripen after plucking. Once they are soft and completely coloured, slice them and enjoy. Growing cherry tomatoes is easy and fun and the payoff of tomato harvest from your own garden is worth the wait.
Transplanting and Plant Care
The seeds must be sown at least 6 to 8 weeks before you plan to transplant them outside. For example, if you plan to transplant the seedlings by early June, the seeds must be planted indoors in mid-April. Once your tomato seedlings are five to six inches in length, it’s time to take them out of their small indoor pot to deeper and spacious pots or your home garden outdoors that receives 6 to 8 hours of good sunlight. This is also called hardening off the plant. Follow these steps to easily transplant young tomato seedlings outside.
- A good tip to remember to decide on transplanting is to wait until the seedlings are three times the length of the pot.
- Start with large clean pots. Mix together a well-draining type of soil and compost(if available). Choose the healthiest plants to transplant outdoors. Pinch off the lowest branches of the plant to promote healthier tomato plant with a healthy stem with a few branches at the top.
- Begin by gently loosening the root area of the young plants and lift them with some soil at the roots. Do not pull the plants off the stems.
- Place the tomato seedling inside the new container filled with potting soil and cover with soil leaving some part of the stem outside. To grow stronger tomato plants and bigger tomatoes, bury two-third of the plant inside the soil while transplanting.
- Water the seedlings immediately after transplanting for letting them settle well. Keep watering once every two days to keep the top layer of the soil moist.
- In case you are repotting the plants directly in the garden, be watchful of the dry soil since the water can evaporate easily and cause damage to the plants.
Solving common tomato plant problems
The tomato plant is susceptible to a number of garden pests including Aphids, Cutworms, Flea Beetles, Whiteflies and Hornworms. The garden pests can be avoided by keeping a regular check on the plant and pinching off the affected foliage where there is a large concentration of the pests.
In addition to these, a few common diseases that can affect your tomato plant are:
- Late/Early Blight: It’s a common fungal disease of tomato plants which can damage the entire plant. Blight can also spread to potato, peppers, and eggplants.
- Blossom end rot: As the tomatoes ripen, a dark blotch will appear at the bottom. It means that plants are lacking calcium. Hence organic compost rich in calcium can be added to the soil before transplanting to avoid this problem.
- Leaf Roll: Fully grown plants may start curling their leaves near the bottom due to very high temperatures, over-moist soil, and pruning.
- Blossom Drop: Tomato plant will flower but fall off without any fruit. This happens due to variations in temperature, lack of moisture or lack of pollination.
- Fruit Cracks: Ripe tomatoes will develop cracks due to humidity or insect bites.
Organic insecticides like neem fertilizer is another option if you want to ward off the common pests and diseases of the tomato plant. Also, frequent checks of the plant are another way to save the plant from some common problems. Moreover, organic seaweed fertilizers are a great way to promote more fruit in the plant. You can also dilute the liquid seaweed concentration depending on your plant needs.
Harvesting and usage
Tomatoes are best enjoyed right off the vine for their taste and flavours. After transplanting, you will start to see the fruit appear within 65 to 70 days. A fully ripe tomato will be softer than the unripe ones. Ripeness also varies with each variety of tomato but most tomatoes will be ready for harvest by late summer in planted in early spring.
Grasp the fruit with your hand and gently pull from the stem. Store tomatoes at 13 °C to 21 °C(55 to 69 °F) or cooler if you would like the tomatoes to last longer, and check regularly for ripeness.
In addition to using fresh tomatoes in salads, pizza, and pasta, you can use them in a variety of Indian cuisines for chutneys, pickles, etc.
Growing tomatoes is an easy way to get going on your home gardening and get fresh ingredients for your soups, salads, sandwiches and more. Start with a variety to grow and enjoy a delightful harvest from your home garden.
