Buying tomatoes from your grocers can be hectic since they are used in many meals. Many of those sold are picked when green and ripen while they are at the grocers. During this time, they lose most of their quality and taste.
Many people are now turning to planting their own tomatoes. Even if you have little space at your home, you can also plant a few for your daily use. This way, you will have control over what goes into growing them, pick them when ripe and enjoy.
If you want to grow tomatoes in your compound, here are some tips on getting large and healthy ones.
Some tips on growing tomatoes are: The first thing you will have to consider is the soil type. Tomatoes are some of the plants that require large amounts of nutrients. These have to be supplied through the soil or spraying them with liquid fertilizer. The main nutrients which tomatoes will need are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. However, other trace nutrients are needed.
The soil you plant your tomatoes in should be rich in these nutrients. it is recommended you fertilize the tomatoes once every two weeks. The soil should also be able to drain off water since tomatoes need regular watering. Good drainage is important to prevent rotting of the roots and prevent diseases. As a rule you shouldn’t plant tomatoes in the same soil for two consecutive seasons.
Secondly, tomatoes are considered vines. That is, they don’t develop strong stems and therefore need some support. Vertical gardening tomatoes is the method used to support the growing tomatoes. It involves using different techniques such as planting stakes beside the tomatoes and tying the tomatoes to them.
The tomatoes will then use the stakes as their support and grow upwards. The main advantages of using vertical gardening tomatoes methods is that it helps prevent splitting and infection to the tomatoes. Also, it eases pruning of the tomato plants.
Thirdly, you will have to consider the two contrasting elements that are good for healthy tomatoes, sunlight and water. Tomatoes will grow well under sufficient amounts of sunlight. However, strong sunlight means a lot of water loss from the soil. The best thing to do is to apply mulch on the soil surface. Mulch can be in the form of plastic sheets to dry plant material.
To conclude, to get large healthy tomatoes from your home garden you will need, sufficient sunlight, water, practice vertical gardening techniques and a good well balanced liquid fertilizer feeding program.
Thank You to all of our gardener friends and we really appreciate your support. Please contact us anytime with any questions,
The Watch Us Grow Team