How to Grow Tomatoes in Eastern Washington

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Most gardeners dream about the fresh, juicy tomatoes they will enjoy after a summer of hard work. Growing a garden in Eastern Washington can leave your dreams of home grown tomatoes dashed. With hot days and cold summer nights, tomato plants have a hard time ripening the fruit. Employ a few tips to have your tomato dreams coming true with tomatoes to spare.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Healthy tomato starts
Fertilizer
Large sheets of plastic
Shovel

Step1

Prepare the garden bed a few weeks before planting. Cover the bed with black plastic to warm the soil and kill any weeds.

Step2

Plant large and healthy plants. Leave the weak plants behind as they will spend the majority of their time healing themselves and will give small yields.

Step3

Plant tomatoes in a hole larger than the root ball. Cover the root ball and the stem covering the first row of leaves.

Step4

Fertilize young plants immediately after transplanting them. Continue to fertilize the plants until they have reached eight inches. Continue to fertilize the garden throughout the season if the soil is poor in nutrients.

Step5

Cover tomato plants with black or clear plastic once fall arrives. Create a green house environment by doing this, and green tomatoes will ripen quickly.

Step6

Cut the root system if tomatoes are not ripening. Dig a shovel into the soil eight to 12 inches from its base, making a semi-circle around the plant. This will encourage the plant to ripen the tomatoes.