Tomatoes are a popular and delicious vegetable grown in many parts of the world. They are a warm-season crop, so they need plenty of sunlight and warm temperatures to thrive. Tomatoes can be grown from seed or from transplants.
If you are starting from seed, it is best to start them indoors about six weeks before the last frost date in your area. Once the seedlings have developed two sets of true leaves, you can transplant them outdoors.
Tomatoes need regular watering, especially during hot, dry weather. Be sure to water the soil deeply, rather than just wetting the surface. Tomatoes also need to be fertilized regularly. A balanced fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 fertilizer, can be applied every two weeks during the growing season.
To support the growth of your tomato plants, you may need to stake or trellis them. This will help to keep the plants upright and prevent them from collapsing under the weight of the fruit.
Tomatoes are susceptible to a number of pests and diseases. Some common pests include tomato worms, aphids, and whiteflies. Common diseases include blight, blossom end rot, and leaf spot. To prevent pests and diseases, it is important to inspect your plants and treat as needed.
Calcium is one of the crucial minerals for tomato plants. It plays a key role in improving fruit quality. In most cases, plants obtain calcium from the soil but experts recommend spraying tomato plants with a calcium solution two to three times a week, beginning when the first blooms appear. Adequate calcium helps prevent several…
By starting seedlings indoors, you can bypass the limitations that come with the outdoor growing season. Indoor tomato growing benefits from a controlled environment where you can manage factors like temperature, light, and moisture. As a result, you can harvest tomatoes sooner. One morning when I was inspecting my tomato seedlings I realized they were…
Aphids are common pests in vegetable gardens, more so on tomato plants. They are usually found in large colonies on new growth and on the undersides of leaves. Aphids feed by sucking sap from the plant and this may result in the deformation of leaves, buds, and flowers. Feeding aphids also secrete honeydew, a sugary…
Tomato hornworms are very large caterpillars, measuring up to 4 inches long. They are the most destructive pests of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplants. Hornworms eat leaves, stems and sometimes chew holes in fruits. The damage is completely defoliating and often easy to notice. Despite their large size, tomato hornworms are not easy to spot….
Epsom Salt, also known as Magnesium Sulfate is not just beneficial for bathing, it can spruce up your gardens. As with many other plants, tomatoes are prone to magnesium deficiency especially later in the growing season, resulting in yellowing leaves and generally diminished yields.. Magnesium, one of the components of Epsom salt is a micronutrient…
Spider mites are an unending problem in gardening. I came to know about them when I found what appeared to be cobwebs covering some of my tomato plants. In a few days, the entire bed was infested. This scared me to the core and I had to seek help from a pest specialist. Understandably, spider…
Tomato plants appreciate consistently moist soils, but not waterlogged. When soil holds more water than roots can take up, plants wilt, similar to when the soil gets excessively dry. So, watering tomato plants is such a delicate balance. Both overwatering and underwatering lead to serious root issues and even death of the plant. Too much…
Germination of seeds is the first step towards tomato gardening. This is a process whereby a seed breaks open to develop roots, stems, and leaves under ideal conditions. When intending to plant tomatoes, you may be eager to know how the seeds can be germinated faster. Under normal conditions, tomato seeds take 6 to 10…
Tomatoes do well when grown outdoors in warm climates and it only takes three to five months to mature into fruit-producing plants. Rather than waiting for a full year until when summer arrives to plant tomatoes, you can simply use some part of your indoor space to do all-season tomato gardening. Tomatoes can be grown…
Have you noticed some leaves are turning yellow on your tomato plants? There are different reasons why tomato leaves may turn yellow. Sometimes it is natural while in other cases, it may be an indication of a serious problem that needs to be investigated. Yellow spots on tomato leaves can result from a simple thing…