How to Grow Tomatoes in the Garden
(in the ground)
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First, choose varieties suited to your climate that will yield the
kinds of tomatoes you like on the kind of vines you can handle.
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Plant in a sunny location (with a minimum of 5 hours of direct sun).
Space plants at least 2 - 3 feet apart.
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Make planting holes extra deep. Mix in a shovel full of aged manure or compost
together with a handful of crushed eggshells,
crushed oyster shells, or rock phosphate.
Or use your favorite fertilizer, following the
directions on the package. Set seedlings in hole so as to bury about 1/2
the length of the stem (some leaves will be underground). Roots will form along
the stem. If you are using cages or stakes, place them now. |
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"Determinate" tomatoes are compact plants that
generally do not need much support. "Indeterminate" tomatoes are larger, rangier plants that should be supported in cages or with stakes.
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Water plants frequently during early part of the season, less frequently as fruit sets.
Tomato plants send out deep roots so water deeply.
Tomatoes don't need as much water as you think. The flavor is richer and
more concentrated with less water. |
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After first flush of fruit ripens, fertilize with commercial fertilizer, blood meal, or manure. |
How to Grow Tomatoes in Containers
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Choose your sunniest location, with a
minimum of 5 hours of direct sun.
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Choose an appropriate container. A five gallon pot will work, but
a half barrel is better.
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For best results choose compact varieties, which means less plant to deal with.
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Use a well draining planting mix. Commercial mixes from your local nursery work well.
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Mix crushed eggshell or bone meal in planting mix. This adds calcium and phosphate for fruit
development.
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Mix 10-25% compost or composted manure to the planting mix for better tasting fruit.
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Add a slow release fertilizer, or feed every 10-14 days with a general purpose fertilizer.
Organic growers can use a top dressing of blood meal or fish fertilizer, or
other organic vegetable food. |
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Check water needs daily by inserting fingers several inches into soil to determine moisture content. While each location is unique, the ideal is a
moist but not wet soil. Soil in
containers can dry out quickly, so check frequently. |
