Ultimate Guide to Growing Tomatoes – Part 2: Tomato Plant Care
By now, you’ve got your tomatoes started and in the ground. With the help of our first post in our Ultimate Guide to Growing Tomatoes, they were started properly and transplanted at the right time to the right location. Now what? For your tomato plants to provide plump, red fruit all summer, you need to provide them with some TLC.
Like most fruit plants, tomatoes need four critical elements to thrive ―water, light, food and pollination. So you just stick them in the dirt in a sunny spot and wait for the rain and bees, right? Ah, wouldn’t it be nice if it was that simple. Getting your plants just the right amount of these elements can be tricky. Here’s how to get it right:
Watering Tomatoes
Proper watering is key to having a successful harvest. Tomatoes that are grown in a dry environment can often develop cracks. If you let your tomato wilt you can decrease your yields or even cause some fruit to fall off the vine prematurely. Tomatoes that are running too wet can be more subject to fungal diseases. Be consistent. Generally, unless under heavy fruit-load, an inch of rain per week is adequate. I am a big advocate for mulching. Use shredded bark, weed free hay/straw, compost, or grass clippings. Mulch helps to conserve water and cool the soil in the hot months. It is also great to get the microbial action stimulated in your garden. A healthy plant of any kind starts with a healthy root environment.
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