Tomato Growing Tips for Beginners

In the summer of 2008 I decided to grow tomatoes and sell them. This article contains my advice for growing literally buckets full of huge tomatoes. Follow the directions carefully and you will be sure to grow some gigantic tomatoes everyone will be impressed with.

Getting Started

First you need to decide how many tomato plants and what kind of plants you want to buy. You can grow tomatoes from seed but I would not recommend it if you are a beginner because you will have to deal with the whole process of planting and watering the tomato seeds which can be tricky and it takes longer. I recommend buying five to six inch high plants in containers.

There are several types of tomatoes each having unique colors, flavors, and other various advantages and disadvantages. If possible try to find tomato plants that have some disease resistance or drought tolerance, maybe even both. In my opinion tomato plants are very fragile physically when it comes to the weather and disease, so it is very important to find the hardiest plants suited for your climate.

There are tomatoes that will grow in cold climates but I do not have any experience with them and I do not know how they taste.

Supposing you live in an area that is tropical or has warm springs and hot summers you should get tomato plants that grow well in warm temperatures.

I grew big boy tomatoes and parks’ whoppers. Both varieties performed well and I would recommend them to any future tomato grower. Parks’ whoppers produce literally buckets of big tomatoes if cared for properly. Big boy tomatoes produce large tomatoes but not as many or as fast as parks’ whoppers.

Once you have carefully selected the appropriate tomato plants for your climate you will need to get cow manure or horse manure compost. I am an organic grower so I like to use organic fertilizer. I use organic fertilizers in hopes that no unwanted chemicals are in or on my tomatoes.

You will need to ask store personnel or do some research to find out how big your tomato plants will get. This is very important because your tomato plants will need to be caged or staked. Tomato cages and stakes help support each plant and keep your tomatoes off the ground were they can get diseases. My tomato plants were several feet tall with cages that were too small for them. This almost caused a disaster when my plants started to fall over on the ground. Truthfully it is very hard to predict how big your plants will get, so find cages that will support large plants unless you know without any doubt your plants will be small.

When placing cages over your plants be sure to center the plants in the middle of the cages. Make sure the cages are firmly in the ground or the plants may fall over later.

Sunlight

I advise placing your tomato plants in direct sunlight. If placed in the shade, plants that are not disease resistant could die if water droplets do not evaporate during the day.

Boxes or the ground?

Next you need to decide if you want to grow your tomato plants in boxes or straight in the ground. I have experience with growing tomato plants in both. In my opinion you will have an advantage in growing tomato seeds in boxes but with five to six inch high plants there is not a lot of difference. You can build the boxes out of treated wood yourself or you can buy some boxes that are already made. It depends on how much money you want to spend. I built two large boxes out of treated one by fours. Find some dark compost soil at the store or from a compost pile. You will need enough to fill your boxes completely with dark organic soil and follow the same instructions as for planting in the ground..

Important

Tomatoes grow best in dark soil that contains a lot of organic material like composted vegetables and leaves along with some horse or cow manure.

If you decide to plant your plants in the ground you will need a tiller and a shovel. Be sure to remove most if not all of the grass and other vegetation were you intend on planting. Tomatoes do not like to be surrounded by weeds and grass, they will steal water from any nearby tomato plants. Keep the weeds and grass out of your boxes as well.

Take your shovel and dig a circular hole one foot deep and one and a half feet wide. Fill eight inches of the hole with dark compost soil, with a little manure mixed in until there is only four inches left at the top for the tomato plant.

Be careful when you remove your plants from their containers. If the plants are in cups I advise adding water to loosen the soil then turning the cup upside down, grab the plant stem nearest to the soil, shake gently, and pull until the plant slips out of its’ cup. Be very careful not to damage the root system.

When planting follow the instructions that came with the tomato plant containers. If there are no instructions research your specific type of tomato and find the best planting advice possible. I dug holes deep enough so that the bottom leaves of the plants were touching the ground. Fill in around the plants with dark planting soil and compost. Fill in the hole and pack the soil tightly enough so that the plants does not fall over easily when being watered.

Place about five cups of manure close to the base of each tomato plant. Do not add any more manure until this manure has dissolved into the soil completely which will probably take several weeks. Be sure the soil is not entirely manure and has some dark compost and wood chips mixed in. It is not a bad idea to place pine chips or straw around the base of your plants to hold in moisture.

Watering

Now add enough water to dampen the soil thoroughly. You do not want to let the soil dry out from this point forward. In order to grow lots of big tomatoes you must water your tomato plants consistently. This is the key to big tomatoes. You do not want water to stand around your plants, you want to keep the soil moist. Water your plants early in the morning. I watered my plants on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Stick to a schedule that you create. If it rains substantially on any of these days do not water your plants unless you think they need it. It is not a bad idea to spray a mist on your tomatoes for a few hours with a sprinkler during the day. Stop misting your plants four to five hours before sunset to prevent disease.

Patience

After several weeks have past you should see tiny blooms on your tomato plants. When watering, add the water at the base of the plants so you do not knock off any blooms. These blooms will eventually become your tomatoes.

Remember to be adding manure around the base of your plants as the previous manure dissolves completely into the soil.

Keep an eye out for insects munching on your plants. I do not use artificial pesticides so no harmful chemicals are on my tomatoes. You can pick these insects off by hand and dispose of them. Wear gloves or use tweezers to remove insects because some insects can bite and sting. If you decide to use a pesticide I recommend using organic just to be safe.

Ripe tomatoes

After several weeks you should have several large green tomatoes. If you like ripe tomatoes and you do not want fried green tomatoes I recommend picking your tomatoes when they turn a dark orange color. Take your index finger and slightly press on the bottom of the tomato you plan to pick. If it feels soft then you can go ahead and pick it. If the bottom is hard do not pick the tomato. I advise picking your tomatoes before they get completely ripe. The reason is because soft ripe tomatoes are more susceptible to disease. You can take your tomatoes and let them ripen inside your house. I have heard you should set the tomatoes in a window seal but this does not have to be done. Just place your tomatoes in your kitchen and they should ripen naturally. Do not put your tomatoes in the refrigerator until they are ripe.

Many people have different ideas about when a tomato is ripe. You should decide if you want your tomato to be crisp or soft when you eat it. The longer you let your tomatoes ripen the softer they will probably be.

Be sure and keep picking all of your tomatoes. Prop up any plants that fall over. Do not let your tomatoes touch the ground for long periods of time because they will get diseases. Pick any rotten tomatoes immediately and put them in a compost pile.

By following these basic growing instructions you should be able to grow buckets full of large tomatoes that will be the talk of the neighborhood. Have fun I did.