Useful Tomato Growing
Tips For Everyone

Here We Go:

• The first mistake many novice, and experienced tomato growers make is planting too many. Varieties range from grape-sized to jumbo, early to late, heirloom or hybrid, and come in many colors, shapes and textures.
  
  It is a temptation to experiment...to try them all, but if one's garden space is limited, too many plants can lead to overcrowding which is a serious problem.
  
  A tomato plant needs its own space, especially if it's not staked. Otherwise, the plants will shade each other and reduce fruit production.
  
  Also, overcrowded tomatoes are more subject to disease and pests. Tomatoes are subject to various diseases, however some will be related to the weather while others to soil nutrient deficiencies or fungi.
  
  Some diseases affect the leaves and stems while others the fruit. Diseases can be controlled somewhat by removing affected leaves and fruit, cleaning up the garden well in the fall, using copper sprays, and using fertilizers appropriate for tomatoes.

Lawn fertilizers are not appropriate. They add too much nitrogen to the soil.

• Cutworms can cut off plants at the soil level and are best controlled by placing cans or other kinds of collars around the base of the plant.

• Aphids can be removed by blasting with a water hose.

• Tomatoes thrive in full sunlight. They won't do well in the shade.

• Also, they should be watered regularly, but not too much. Click here for more Tomato Growing Tips on watering tomato plants. Since the gardener can't control the weather, it is essential to keep track of rainfall and step in at the times that nature has failed to provide moisture.

• It is best to grow tomatoes suited to the normal conditions in one's area.

• The best tasting tomatoes are allowed to ripen on the vine. However, in areas with a short growing season, green tomatoes can be wrapped in newspaper and if kept in a cool, dark room, will ripen around Christmas time.

• Nice tomatoes can also be grown in a container.

The taste of a fresh, ripe tomato is worth the effort!!