How to Plant a Tomato Garden

Gardeners grow tomatoes for canning, cooking, salads, and sauces; they are high in vitamin C, Lycopen and Alkali. Add tomatoes to your diet to improve your health and well-being. Here are some tips on how to plant a tomato garden.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tiller
• Compost
• Tomato plants
• Shovel
• Stakes or cages
• Soaking hose
• Pruning shears
• Garden gloves
• Grass Clippings
• Miracle Grow Tomato Fertilizer

1. Sow seeds inside 6-8 weeks before planting them outside. Plant tomatoes in spring after the danger of frost has past.

2. Prepare the soil for the tomato garden. Select a sunny spot; tomatoes require full sun, rich soil, good drainage and plenty of water. Loosen one foot of soil with a tiller. Remove all grass and weeds. Add eight inches of organic compost to the soil.

3. Section off planting rows for your tomatoes, line the rows with a soaking hose.

4. Prune tomato seedling by removing lower branches. This will encourage upper growth.

5. Transplant your seedlings. Dig a hole and set the plant in the center. Cover with soil up to the first leaves.

6. Space plants three to four feet apart. Stake or cage your plants to support the branches and keep fruit off the ground.

7. Connect hose to soaker and water tomatoes. Maintain your tomatoes plants by watering them daily. Water plants in morning before 8am. Tomatoes require one inch of water per week.

8. Fertilize tomatoes when you plant and repeat monthly.

9. Mulch the tomatoes with your grass clippings. Grass will supply nutrients, aid in moisture control, and prevent weeds.

Tips & Warnings

• Tomatoes may be a lot of work but in the end when you bite into a red plump tomato, and the juice runs down your hand, you know that all the work was worth it.
• For sunny balconies you can grow tomatoes in a vertical garden or in pots.
• Cracked or deformed tomatoes are due to not enough water.
• If there is a threat for a late spring frost, cover plants with burlap or blankets.

Resources

• How to Make Canned Tomato Salsa
• Yard and Garden Secrets
• The Vertical Garden System
• More Information on Tomatoes

[Merriment]

on 6/14/2009 Wonderful tips for healthy tomato plants!

[rickmac]

on 6/4/2009 I love tomatoes in the summer! They are so good with so many things. Or just a little salt and pepper.

[poshadornment]

on 5/28/2009 There is nothing better than a home grown organic tomato. My mouth is puckering just thinking about it. and I love fried green tomatoes. Yum! Nicely written step by step article

[Gottaloveit]

on 5/26/2009 I just planted my tomatoes and forgot to fertilize. Thanks for the reminder!

[unclet53]

on 5/19/2009 We love our 'maters here at Redneck Central! This is exactly how I do it to produce the best tomatoes ever. You know what you're talking about Susang6.