cherry tomato seedlings growing horizontally

Towards the end of the season, prune off smaller fruit and flower buds so the tomato will concentrate on growing the larger fruit before the frost. The tomato needs leaves for photosynthesizing and creating the sugars that flavour your tomatoes. This growth will not produce tomatoes and the energy to grow these branches takes away from producing fruit. You can also remove leaves that sprout in the crotch joint of two branches. These are usually the first leaves to develop fungus problems as they get the least amount of sun and are closest to the soil. You can further prune the plants by removing the leaves from the bottom 1 inch (2.5 cm) of stem. These tomatoes will set fruit earlier if you pinch off the tips of the main stems in early summer. Indeterminate type tomatoes (staking tomatoes) grow very tall and require pruning. How, when and where should I prune my tomato plants? This requires finding out whether you have a determinate (usually bush style tomatoes) or indeterminate tomato plant.ĭeterminate type tomatoes tend to set and ripen their fruit all at one time and usually do not require too much pruning. Why? The color red makes the tomato believe that they are overcrowded and encourages the plants to battle for dominance resulting in more tomatoes on healthier, bushier plants! It sounds like an old wives’ tale, but studies confirm that the color red makes tomatoes grow more quickly and stockier. Consider red plastic ground covers as mulch. Mulching conserves water and prevents soil-borne diseases from affecting the plants. Plant in a sunny location as tomatoes need at least 5 hours of direct sunlight to thrive and develop a sweet flavour.Īfter planting, it is a good idea to mulch. If you are staking the plant, be careful not to pierce the stem or roots with the cage. It will straighten up and grow toward the sun. You can either dig a deeper hole or simply dig a shallow trench and lay the plant sideways. The bumps along the stem are actually dormant roots and therefore transplanting deeper provides more roots and stronger plants. Tomatoes can develop roots along their stems. In fact, you can plant them all the way up to the top few leaves. The covers allow you to plant earlier and you can leave them on until the weather warms up.

Many people use plastic tomato covers that can be filled with water to add heat units and protect the tomatoes from the elements.

This will warm the soil and translate into happier tomato plants and an earlier harvest. If the weather is not warm enough to plant outside, then treat them as mentioned above until it is time to plant.īefore planting in the garden, prepare the area by covering the soil with black plastic for a few weeks. Look for plants that have not stretched and have active white roots. This way you can ask the greenhouse staff what the popular varieties are. You can skip this step and buy tomatoes that are already started from your local greenhouse. Don’t leave the fan on all the time as it may dry out your seedlings. Transplant them into larger pots as soon as the first real leaves appear and then again about two weeks later. Use a fan to create a light breeze (not a wind storm) a few times throughout the day. To grow strong stems, tomatoes need to ‘sway in the breeze’. If they start to stretch then they need more light: either strong, direct sunlight or 14 -18 hours under grow lights. As mentioned, place them in a warm, sunny location or near a grow light so that they don’t have to reach for the light. Dampen the soil mix and plant two or three seeds together less than ½ inch (1 cm) deep. Seed your tomatoes in mid-March to early April so they are large enough to go outdoors in June.įor best results, use a seed starting soil mix to grow your tomatoes. A sunny window is great, but you can also use grow lights. Tomatoes love heat–especially consistent heat–so choose a warm location or use a germination mat. Once you have made your choice, set up a place to start your seedlings. Be adventurous! There are many heirloom varieties and always new varieties coming out. There are long keeper varieties that will stay fresh for several months. Check out the days to maturation as a guide to which varieties ripen early. Also, consider when you want to start eating them.

Cherry tomatoes are great for snacking and adding to salads while bush tomatoes give fruit all at one time so are ideal if you are interested in canning them or making a large batch of salsa. Maybe you are interested in growing heirloom varieties or the perfect beefsteak tomato for your hamburger. Start by thinking about why you are growing them. It can be overwhelming to choose which varieties to try. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy nibbling on cherry tomatoes from a pot on their deck? Capturing this flavour inspires many people to grow their own.

You can almost taste sunlight when you bite into a fresh, perfectly-ripe tomato.

Cherry tomato seedlings growing horizontally