How Many Tomatoes Can One Plant Grow?

The tomato is the most popular vegetable to grow in the home garden. The tomatoes from the home garden are far tastier than the ones from the supermarket. Yet most beginning gardeners do not have any idea of how many tomato plants they need to plant to provide them with enough tomatoes for the season.

There are many factors to take into consideration when projecting the yield of a single tomato plant. First is the kind of tomato for your climate and length of growing season. Do some research about your areas growing season and choose the right variety for your area. Do not depend on Wal-Mart or any other chain store to carry just the right tomato plants for your area. Tomatoes like warm daytime temperature, but especially nighttime temperatures above 55 degrees F. Tomatoes will grow in many different types of soil. However, to get the maximum production, they like well-drained, deep, loamy soil with a pH of 6.2 to 7.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders, so fertilizer is a very important factor. A good compost and rich aged manure is good to keep the tomato plants growing and healthy. Too much nitrogen will give you beautiful foliage, but will keep the blossoms and fruit from forming. You can give them a side dressing of nitrogen after the blossoms begins to form. The importance of water cannot be emphasized enough. Water deeply once a week, as tomato roots grow deep. Do not over water but keep the soil moist. If you provide the right amount of nutrients and water, an average tomato plant will yield eight to ten pounds of fruit per plant. Roma tomatoes average around twenty tomatoes per plant if you keep them picked when ripe.