How to Grow Bigger Tomato Plants and Yield More Tomatoes
Tomato plants set fruit most successfully when nighttime temperatures are between 59 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Daytime temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit cause reduced flowering and fruit set. Excessive use of synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizer stimulates green plant growth at the expense of fruit set. Inadequate soil nutrition also results in fewer tomatoes. There are several steps to take to produce bigger plants with higher yields. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Compost
- Tomato cages
- Tomato transplants
- Liquid fish emulsion or compost tea
- Horticultural oil or insecticidal soap spray
Instructions
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Choose a garden location with six to eight hours of sun per day, access to water and well-draining soil. Average nighttime temperature should be 55 degrees Fahrenheit or above before planting tomatoes.
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Dig in one shovelful of mature compost per square foot of the tomato-planting area. Soil enriched with compost contains the 16 nutrients tomatoes need to grow and thrive. Synthetic soil amendments contain excessive nitrogen that prevents tomato flowering and fruit set.
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Dig a hole for each tomato plant. Set plants in the ground to cover stems up to three sets of true leaves. Roots grow along the buried portion of the stem, forming a strong root system. Press firmly around the plant to create a slight depression in the soil. Pour 1 pt. diluted fish emulsion or compost tea around each plant.
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Place a cage or stake on each plant. Supported tomatoes are easier to spray with diluted compost tea or horticultural oil if disease problems develop. High yields and heavy tomatoes require support. Indeterminate organic heirloom tomato plants may reach 10 to 12 feet in height.
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Apply organic compost or organic all-purpose fertilizer one to two weeks after the first cluster of tomatoes appears. Repeat after the first tomato ripens.
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Identify problem insects before killing them. Most insects are neutral or beneficial. Cutworms, flea beetles, aphids, whiteflies and hornworms are harmful insect pests. Spray with insecticidal soap, vegetable or neem oil to smother these pests.
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Tips & Warnings
Heirloom tomato varieties such as Brandywine, Black Krim, Stupice and Green Zebra surpass hybrid tomatoes in taste. Heirlooms are indeterminate plants that grow 10 to 12 feet and continue their high yield until frost or disease stops growth.
Compost tea is made by soaking a handful of mature compost in a bucket of water overnight. The liquid contains the essential nutrients tomato plants need for bigger yields.
Rotate tomato-growing location each year to prevent fungal and other diseases from transferring in the soil year to year.
The nitrogen content of synthetic fertilizer stimulates rapid growth but does not supply the level of carbohydrates necessary for fruit set.
References
Resources
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