Growing Tomatoes for Beginners

If you are a novice at growing tomatoes, a simple solution is to buy your tomato plant at the transplant stage. Prior to buying your seedlings, prepare your the site or location where you are planning to plant your tomatoes, bearing in mind that they need a lot of sunshine. When preparing your soil, you need to add a lot of organic matter. For an early start, cover the area with a black plastic sheet. This will warm up the soil ready for planting. Warmer soil will induce the plant to fruit earlier.

Unlike most plants, you can plant tomatoes deeper than they are in the pot, as tomatoes have the capability of rooting all the length of their stem. Tomatoes love water, and do not like to be to dry. You should give them at least one gallon of water per plant every week. When watering, be careful not to splash the leaves with soil, as this can lead to disease. When the plant reaches three feet or more, the lower leaves can be removed to avoid soil disease from reaching the plant. As the plant grows, more leaves can be removed to allow the sun to ripen the fruit, but not too many leaves, as they are needed for plants to grow.

As a novice grower, it is best to stay with the heirloom varieties, as they are a little easier to grow. The plus is that the seeds can be used for future planting in the next season. The heirloom plant will acclimatize to the location as the seasons progress, and each year you will have stronger and better plants.