How to Prepare Your Soil to Grow Tomatoes

Tomatoes are fairly easy to grow and will grow in almost any soil, as long as they have enough sun and are kept warm. Tomatoes need lots of light, a source of calcium and plenty of water. But, to get the most out of your tomato plants and to get really nice, big, bumper crops, then proper soil preparation is the key.

Tomatoes love rich, loamy, well-drained soil with a pH (a measure of the acidity of the soil) of between 6 and 7. To achieve this, you should obtain plenty of organic matter and work it well in the soil to a depth of at least 18 inches, but 2 feet would be better. Organic matter can consist of dried horse or cow manure, compost, blood meal for nitrogen, bone meal for phosphorus, and crushed egg shells or oyster shells for calcium. These will provide constant food to the plants without burning the root system like commercial fertilizer can. If you have very heavy clay, you can also get some playground sand and work that into the soil to lighten it and provide better drainage.

Tomatoes also need constant moisture, so, once the plants are in the ground, they should be well mulched. Straw and pine needles are two good, inexpensive sources of mulch. They allow water to penetrate to the soil and also prevent the soil from drying out as fast. You should never use plastic ground cover for mulch, as it will not let enough water into the soil. If you follow these tips, you should have lots of big, beautiful rot-free tomatoes.