Tomatoes are delicious fruits that can make a variety of delectable dishes and have a place in many cuisines. There are several techniques to growing large, healthy tomatoes.
Soil Requirements
The type of soil you need to plant your tomatoes in needs to be loamy. The soil also needs to be drained well. In order to grow large, healthy tomatoes, the soil needs to be a certain pH. The pH should fall between the range of 6.3 to 6.8.
There are special kits to test the pH of the soil at local stores. If your soil isn’t the right pH, try adding lime to raise the pH or sulfur to lower it.
Location
Plant the tomatoes in an area that will get a lot of sun exposure. To help stop blossom end-rot, try adding around a cup of Epsom salt into a patch of soil about the size of 100 square feet.
Planting Technique
Try digging little trenches in the soil and planting the tomato plants in the trenches. Trenches are beneficial for aeration. For heavy tomato plants, putting a stake in the ground and using wire fencing can help bear the weight. Remember to tie the stems around the stake as the tomato grows. Tomato cages work as well.
Mulch
Don’t forget mulch. Items that can be used as effective mulch include newspaper, pine or wheat straw, and bark mulch that is shredded. Put the mulch around the tomato plants to help keep in moisture.
Watering Your Tomato Plants
How much water your tomato plants will need depends on the amount of rainfall you get. The general rule is to give your plants 1.5 inches of water every week. If the weather is especially hot and dry, you may have to give them more.
Make sure to avoid watering your plants during the night because it could lead to a fungus problem.
Using Fertilizer
Although fertilizer is important for growing large tomatoes, remember not to over-fertilize. It’s best to buy fertilizer that is made especially for tomatoes. Try using some sea kelp for an extra nutrient boost, too.
Prune
If you’ll prune your tomatoes, you will end up having larger tomatoes, but they will be fewer in number. Pinching flower clumps and pruning suckers is good to do around July to enhance the size. If you’ll just allow three or four fruits to grow, they’ll get even bigger.
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