7 Pro Tips for Growing Juicy, Flavorful Tomatoes at Home

Just one bite of a juicy, homegrown tomato can send you to heaven. It’s the classic flavor of summer – sweet, tangy, and filled with the season’s promise. What’s even better is growing them at home, where they can ripen on the vine for the richest flavor. Here’s a simple planting guide for an abundant and delicious tomato harvest.

1. GO FOR DEEP ROOTS

The key to flavorful tomatoes is limiting their water content. This means encouraging plants to send down deep roots. With well-developed root systems, the tomato plants won’t need as much watering because they will be getting their moisture from deeper down below.

This is a great strategy since it means watering the plants less, saving you money and time. Also, by limiting the amount of water around your plants, you will reduce the chances they will develop disease or mildew. When tomatoes get more of their water from below ground, the fruit will also be less likely to rot or split.

2. CHOOSE THE BEST SEEDLINGS

One of the simplest ways to grow great-tasting tomatoes is to begin with healthy starts. Avoid leggy plants with more than an inch between branches. Compact plants with well-developed roots will grow faster, resisting insects and diseases. Resist the urge to buy seedlings when they first show up at the garden center. Wait until overnight temperatures stay in the high 50s to buy and plant your tomatoes.

3. CUT BACK BRANCHES TO STIMULATE GROWTH

Before placing plants in the ground, trim off the lower branches. This lets you bury the stems deeper and encourages roots to grow from them. More roots mean stronger, healthier plants and more flavorful tomatoes.

4. DIG DEEP

Make your planting hole at least 12 inches deep, and place some compost at the bottom. This gives the plants loose soil and ready nutrients. Also, add a balanced fertilizer labeled 5-5-3. Avoid fertilizers that mainly deliver nitrogen, since this will channel energy into leaves, not fruit. Space the plants about 24 inches apart to allow good air circulation.

5. USE RICH BACKFILL FOR EACH PLANTING HOLE

With plants in the ground, fill in each hole with a mixture of compost, bone meal, and fresh garden soil to give each seedling a blend of nutrients. Bury them “up to their necks” so the bottom leaves are just touching the soil. A seedling that was about 12 inches tall in the pot should be about 3-6 inches above ground after planting.

6. OFFER GOOD SUPPORT

After the tomatoes have been planted, water them in and surround them with mulch to reduce moisture evaporation. Add stakes, cages or trellises to provide support for the fruit as it grows.

Follow these same steps to put in more plants at the beginning of July to ensure you of a great supply right up to the fall frost.

7. CHOOSE YOUR TIMING

You may see different varieties of tomatoes referred to as determinate or indeterminate. This describes when and how long they produce fruit during the season. Choose the cultivars that will give you tomatoes when you want them.

Indeterminate: These vines continue to grow and produce all season long. Examples are ‘Early Girl,’ ‘Brandywine,’ or ‘Sun Gold.’

Determinate: These plants are bushy and stop growing and producing fruit after reaching a certain size. They yield the majority of their fruit all at once, which is good for canning and sauce making. Try ‘Celebrity’ or ‘Valley Girl.’

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Source

Southern Living