Tomato Growing Tips
Indeterminate tomatoes take up more space and produce more fruit than Determinate type tomatoes. Indeterminate tomatoes will set fruit early if you pinch off the tips of the main tomato stem in early summer. Determinate tomatoes set and ripen the tomato fruit all at the same time if you are looking for a big yield for sauce.
Use black or clear plastic over the tomato growing area to heat the ground for your new tomato plants. Tomatoes love heat and the added warmth will equal earlier tomatoes to harvest. Mulch your tomatoes later once planted after the ground warms up from the plastic covering.
Plant your tomatoes deep to establish a stronger root ball, farther than they are planted in their pot. Strip the leaves along the stem to create a strong plant. Tomatoes can develop roots all along their stems if you plant them deeply.
Don’t plant out tomatoes too early. Tomatoes need warmer nighttime temps of 55° F (13°C) or above to flower and produce fruit.
Once tomato plants are established at 3 feet tall be sure to remove the leaves from the bottom 1 inch of the stem to avoid fungus problems.
Water your tomatoes regularly and evenly to avoid fruit splitting, drying out and Blossom End Rot.
Harvest the tomatoes regularly so new tomatoes may form and old tomatoes do not stay on the vine sapping energy from the rest of the tomatoes.
Watch for frosts because tomato plants will not withstand frost. When frosts begin it is time to harvest all the tomatoes, even the green tomatoes. For your green tomatoes find green tomato chutney and fried green tomatoes recipes to use them up.