Today’s Garden Ideas

There’s nothing better in the summer months than placing juicy, red tomatoes on your table that you have grown and cared for yourself! Planting tomatoes is easier to do than many people think. The most important thing to remember is that tomatoes need two things: lots of heat and lots of water. Growing your tomatoes from seed is also the best way to start growing tomatoes. This method allows you total control as you don’t actually know what has been used on the plant and how it has been grown before you buy it. Following are some other great tips on having the ripest tomatoes this year!

When starting from seed, it’s important light conditions but one has to be careful with what kind of light they provide. Tomato seeds are extremely delicate creatures before they begin to take root. When they are first planted, they need lots of indirect sunlight. Because they are tomatoes, they will need a hot condition where they are absorbing all that light. However, the light needs to come indirectly or else the delicate seed will burn.

If you want early tomatoes, heat up the soil in the garden a few weeks before the tomatoes plants are put in. Heating your soil is easy; simply lay down a black or red tarp and it will heat up the soil quickly, making the ground prime tomato conditions! An added bonus, laying the tarp down will also reduce weeds!

When starting from seed, remember that the plant is going to get big and hearty. It will need strong roots to ensure that this will happen and strong roots need lots of room. Plant your seeds far enough away from each other so that the roots will have room to branch and grow strong. Place them into their own eleven-inch pot, if container gardening or place the seeds approximately six inches away from other if planting directly into ground.

Holding off on mulching can also provide better quality tomatoes. Mulching is an important step in getting great tomatoes because it holds water very well and the tomatoes will love all that water! Mulching also keeps any diseases in the soil away from the leaves of the plant but you don’t want to mulch very soon after planting the small plants. Allow the plant time to adjust to its new growing conditions as well as time for the soil to heat up even more. If you mulch too soon, it will make the soil cooler and less optimal for tomatoes.

Water is extremely important to tomato plants and the amount of watering needs to be on a regular basis. If a week of water has been missed, it is not possible to go back and provide them with extra water next time. This is actually more detrimental to the plant as it will encourage end rot on the plants. However, don’t soak them too much when attending to their regular water. Allowing just enough water will force the plant to conserve its sugar, resulting in heartier and juicier tomatoes. Water them moderately once a week and you should have great tomatoes!