| If you follow these 5 keys to growing tomato | | | | PH6-7. For the best tomatoes you need to make |
| plants you are sure to get a healthy crop of | | | | sure your plant leaves receive plenty of sunlight. |
| tomatoes throughout the growing season - even | | | | To help achieve this make sure you allow for |
| if you've never planted them before! Homegrown | | | | plenty of spacing between plants - at least 2ft is |
| tomatoes taste so much better than commercial | | | | ideal. |
| ones and with so many varieties to choose from | | | | Step 4-Support Your Plants as they Grow Larger: |
| you can enjoy some unique tastes in your | | | | If you want to grow the most tomatoes you will |
| kitchen. | | | | need to provide some sort of support to your |
| Step 1-Make Sure it is Warm Enough: | | | | plant as it grows up. This is known as "staking". A |
| Before you plant outside make sure the | | | | simple method involves hammering a post into the |
| temperature is high enough. For growing you need | | | | ground next to your plant and tying the stem to |
| a minimum 60°F (15°C) night-time | | | | the post as it grows. This gets more sunlight to |
| temperatures and 65-85°F (18-30°C) during | | | | the leaves and gets your tomatoes off the |
| the day. Tomatoes need a lot of sunlight for | | | | ground so they don't start to rot. |
| healthy fruit - a minimum of 6 hours is ideal. Find a | | | | Step 5-Pruning,Watering and Fertilizing Will Make |
| spot in your garden or patio where where you | | | | Your Tomatoes Sweeter and Juicier: |
| can achieve these numbers. | | | | Pruning branches with no fruit on your plant |
| Step 2 - Select The Right Plants: | | | | regularly will help channel more energy into fruit |
| Decide on which varieties of tomatoes best suit | | | | producing branches for healthier tomatoes. Water |
| your needs and select a disease resistant variety. | | | | your plants regularly - if the first inch of soil is dry |
| If you are planting in containers you will want a | | | | then it is time for watering. Finally, your plant will |
| smaller plant such as the "dwarf" tomato. If you | | | | consume a lot of soil nutrients - applying a fresh |
| have more space you can go for larger plants like | | | | layer of fertilizer every 3 to 4 weeks will keep |
| the "beefsteak" variety. You can plant from seed | | | | your plant performing for the whole season. |
| or buy the seedlings from your local garden | | | | Follow these 5 simple steps for the tomato |
| center. | | | | growing season you are sure to produce piles of |
| Step 3- Plant Your Tomatoes the Right Way: | | | | juicy homegrown tomatoes to stock your kitchen |
| Make sure you have deep soil with plenty of | | | | with. |
| compost. Tomatoes grow best in slightly acidic soil | | | | |