Illustrated tutorial on growing tomatoes How to grow tomatoes

Are you learning how to grow your own sweet, juicy tomatoes? Lucky for you, tomatoes can grow almost anywhere as long as the surrounding environment is warm and a little moist. But as with most plants, your tenderness and love are important to the growth of your fruits and vegetables. With enough sunshine, water and patience, your tomatoes will grow tall and have big, red, delicious and juicy fruits! (Of course, you may also be planting small cherry tomatoes, or varieties of other colors) Tomato growth requires you to have enough patience, which is what it needs most. Now start having fun growing tomatoes!

Illustrated tutorial on planting tomatoes. This manual DIY tutorial includes: preparation for planting, transplanting, planting process, watering, staking or erecting cages, fertilization, fruiting, protection from animal mouths Ripe fruits, planting tomatoes in flower pots, if you want to learn how to grow tomatoes, read the illustrated tutorial on growing tomatoes from the production department!

Preparing for planting

1. 1If it is your first time to grow tomatoes, go to a nearby flower shop to buy a small tomato plant and transplant it to your yard. If you already have experience, its actually easier to start from seed.
2. 2If you choose to start from seeds, plant them in a greenhouse or indoors by a sunny window for a month, and then Move to the yard.
3. 3If the light in the room is not very good, you can hang a fluorescent lamp or other light 5 cm above the plant and keep it illuminated during the growth of the seedling. When the seedlings grow to a height of 15-25 cm, choose a bright spring day with suitable temperature and transplant them to the yard.
   • There is no need to pay a higher price for larger seedlings, unless you missed the best season and have to rush.
4. 4Recommended for novices to plant "Good Boy", "Creole", "Big Boy", "Early Girl", " Brandy”, “Celebrity”, “Lemon Boy” and other large tomato varieties, or any variety of cherry tomatoes, are easier to grow.
   • It is best to plant several different varieties at the same time to ensure a good harvest.
5. 5Generally speaking, you need to plant two tomato plants for each tomato-loving family member. If you plan to use these tomatoes for canning or salad making, make enough for four tomatoes per person.
   • A tomato plant requires a pot with a diameter of 20 cm, which costs about 25 yuan.
   • Or plant seedlings on trays, with six small plants in one tray, and divide each plant into an area of ??3 cm in diameter.

Transplantation

1. 1Transplant the plant to a sunny location. Tomatoes need at least 7 hours of sunlight a day to get the best flavor.
   • Note: When the weather becomes hot and the minimum temperature at night reaches 24 degrees Celsius, do not plant new tomatoes. What has been planted will grow well, but new shoots will not come out in this hot weather.
   • The date for moving tomatoes outside cannot be too many days later than the optimal date, otherwise it will be too late (not if the night temperature has already become high).
2. 2A large amount of compost (25-40 kilograms per square meter) should be added to the soil in the yard in advance. It should be fully fermented and not newly collected. Bury the compost into the top 6-8 cm of the soil. Tomato growing media needs to be rich in organic matter. If you don’t make your own compost, you can also buy ready-made compost or fertilizer from the store. A 20kg bag costs about 30 yuan.

Planting process

1. 1Tomato seedlings should be buried deeply in the soil. The soil should be buried to 50%-75% of the seedling length (especially those seedlings with very slender stems before transplantation), and it does not matter if it is buried to some of the lower leaves. New roots will grow from the stems that are buried in the soil, promoting plant development. Root growth is the most important thing to pay attention to when transplanting plants.
2. 2Pour 4 liters of warm water (about 27 degrees Celsius) on each seedling within 10 minutes after the seedlings are planted to avoid transplant shock.
3. 3The distance between every two tomato plants should be 45-90 cm. If the climate is warmer, especially when using tomato cages, the distance should be halved. Normal spacing helps tomatoes spread out over a wide area on the ground. If planted more closely in a cage, the branches and leaves of the tomatoes will shade each others fruits, prevent the sun from reaching too high a temperature, and help get Sweeter fruit.
   • Don’t forget to leave enough space for you to walk in to water, weed, and pick. Those cute little tomato seedlings will grow!

Waterh3>

1. 1In the 7-10 days after transplantation, pour 500 ml of warm water per plant every day.
2. 2Wait a week or two after the transplant is completed, and then spread a layer of straw, hay or pine needles on the ground to control weeds. At the same time, the soil can remain moist in dry weather. This layer of mulch needs to be 2.5 cm thick and cover at least a 30 cm diameter area around each tomato seedling. Using pine needles is particularly helpful in increasing the acidity of the soil.
   • Note: Do not keep the soil wet all the time, as this will suffocate the roots and cause fungal infection of the stems, especially in warm or hot weather.
3. 3Drip irrigation or watering with seepage pipes is better than pouring water directly from top to bottom, because the latter will increase the disease rate of plants, and tomatoes are especially susceptible to disease. .
4. 4Ten days after transplantation, the time interval between two waterings is increased, and at the same time, ensure that the plant receives 2.5-7.6 cm of rain every week. Two weeks after transplanting, if it does not rain, water each tomato plant with 7.5 liters of water every week.
   • Water 2-3 times a week, andWater thoroughly. Water each plant 3-4 liters each time. As the seedlings grow larger and the weather gets hotter, the amount of water should be increased appropriately.
   • In hot or dry weather, increase the frequency and volume of watering.

Stake or erect cage

1. 114 days after transplanting, consider erecting taller stakes or tomato cages to support the growth of tomato vines.
   • The stakes should be at least 1.3x5cm thick and 1.8-2.4m long. The stake should be inserted 30-60 cm deep into the soil and at least 5 cm away from the plant. Tie the plant to the stake with rope, loosely tying it twice so it doesn't strangle the plant. Bamboo poles, scrap wood, cable sleeving or iron bars can all be used as stakes.
   • Alternatively, and less commonly, "vining" tomatoes can be attached to a trellis or fence, just like grapes, beans, squash, and other vines. This tomato variety has a large yield, but is not very popular because it is inconvenient to grow too large (there is also an "indeterminate" tomato that is not a climber; the third "fixed" tomato is More like a shrub).
   • "Fixed" tomatoes will significantly slow down or even stop growing when they reach a certain height and size. "Indeterminate" tomatoes grow continuously and spread across the ground.
   • Tomato cages should be at least 1.2 meters high, or higher if the plants are growing well. Some may grow up to 1.8 meters tall in a cage, in which case you may have to insert a stake and tie the cage to the stake. In addition, if the tomatoes are very heavy, they may bend the cage, and summer storms may collapse the cage, so you need to be careful. While the tomatoes are growing, be careful to keep the leaves and secondary stems growing inside the cage. The price of a cage is about 25 yuan.
2. 2If you want, you can make your own tomato cage. Take a roll of welding wire and a hollow one for garden fences with a cross-section of5 cm x 10 cm or 10 cm square pole, tied to two upright posts. Of course, you can also tie more poles between the two posts to increase the height, so that when the plant grows taller, it will not be blown over by the wind. By surrounding these "cages" in a cylindrical shape, a large cage 45 cm wide can be made. Tie the tomato stalks to the cage with welded wire wrapped in a circle. This type of cage requires strong stakes to support it.

Fertilization

1. 1Choose whether to use chemical fertilizers. Don't use lawn fertilizer. The proportion of minerals in lawn fertilizers favors stem and leaf growth, not fruiting. You need to find a vegetable fertilizer that promotes fruit growth. Tomatoes will grow very well if you add organic fertilizer to the soil. If you are going to use chemical fertilizers, it is best to only apply half the amount recommended on the package each time and double the frequency of fertilization to avoid the gap between fertilization and infertility caused by too long fertilization intervals.
   • Over-fertilizing can cause plants to grow too quickly, making them more susceptible to disease and insects.
   • Remember, your goal in growing tomatoes is to harvest fruits, not just to grow leaves. Using too much fertilizer or choosing the wrong type of fertilizer may cause plants to grow leaves but not bear fruit.
2. 2When tomatoes begin to bloom and pollinate, you need to gently shake the stems to help pollinate, 1-2 times a week, 5 seconds each time. Experts have proven that shaking the stems distributes the divisions more evenly, thereby increasing tomato yields.

Results

1. 1Beginning of fruiting 45 to 90 days (about 60 days) after transplanting. The initial fruits are usually small and green, so you have to wait patiently until the fruits grow up and become brighter and darker in color. This means the fruit is ripe and ready to be picked. The texture of the pulp becomes slightly soft, which also indicates that the fruit is ripe. Be careful to only use your whole palm to pick tomatoes and not pinch them with your fingertips, as this will crush the fruit.
   • Also be careful not to overripe the tomatoes, as the fruit will be too soft.
   • Be aware that birds, opossums, raccoons and some dogs will eat plants such as ripe tomatoes, corn and sweet green peppers.
2. 2If you like, you can pick the fruit earlier and leave it indoors to ripen. Pick the fruit any time it begins to transform to its fully ripe color and place it on a sunny windowsill. This way it won't overcook and rot on the vine, or be eaten by birds or squirrels outside.
   • But tomatoes will taste sweeter if they are left to ripen on the vine. So you need to find a balance between the risk of not picking and the good taste.

Protect ripe fruits from animal mouths

1. 1Carefully put a sandwich ziplock bag on the fruit that is about to mature, cover the fruit and stems, and protect the fruit from being eaten by animals.
2. 2Close the bag opening from both ends. When approaching the fruit, leave half a centimeter long openings on both sides of the stem to allow air to enter..
3. 3Cut one lower corner of the bag so that air and water can flow. In hot weather, you need to leave more air holes, a 1 cm long slit is enough.
   • Don’t be discouraged if animals eat the fruit; but it’s better to spend more time bagging them!
   • Heres another trick: place some red Christmas tree ornaments around the top of the tomato cage. The birds will be fooled into pecking at those things, and your tomatoes will be safe.

Grow tomatoes in pots

1. 1If you live on a small plot of land or even just a hallway, grow tomatoes in pots.
2. 2Use a pot about 45-60 cm high and 38-50 cm wide, fill it with soil, fertilizer, etc.
3. 3Plant tomatoes in, cover the soil with a layer of black plastic sheeting, and let water pass through the small holes. Cut the edges into circles and tuck them into the soil to keep out weeds, feral cats and bugs.
4. 4Insert 3-4 wooden strips, bamboo strips or plastic sticks around the main stem, and use plant tape or gauze in multiple locations Tie the main stem to the top to support it as it grows.

Tips

• In order to improve the taste, promote growth, increase harvest, and prevent insects, you can consider planting companion plants of tomatoes at the same time. For example, planting basil within 45 centimeters of your tomatoes will make the fruit taste better and resist many pests. Carrots increase tomato production because the tomatoes draw nutrients from the carrots (although the carrots may grow smaller as a result). Basil is an excellent condiment for tomato-based dishes, try adding it to pasta sauce or on toast.
• When planting in the ground, you can get a large coffee can (open at both ends) to cover the seedlings, and half-pressed the cafe into the soil. When watering, fill the pot to the top and the water will soak directly into the roots, allowing the seedlings to grow vigorously. Pay attention to check whether there are any small branches drilled where the main stem and branch stems are connected. Rumor has it that these little forks don’t produce fruit, which is not true, but they do use up some nutrients. Generally speaking, leaving the branches behind will produce more fruits, but they will be small, and pinching them off will help produce larger fruits, but fewer in number (because there are fewer branches).
• Before planting seedlings on the ground, sprinkle a few handfuls of organic fertilizer into the bottom of the pit. As the roots penetrate deeper and deeper, they gain access to this layer of nutrients in time, thereby increasing fruit production.
• If the plants stem or roots are damaged - say your child plopped down on your 45cm tall tomato stem and broke it - you can actually save the plant by cutting The above-ground stems and lower branches are buried in the soil, just as you would bury 75% of the seedling when you first transplant it. The hairs and branches on the stem will continue to grow roots. Because this tomato plant is already planted in the soil, you only need to mound soil from the bottom of the stem upwards. The final tomato will look like it is planted in a small mound of soil. This method of planting in piles of soil is beneficial to tomatoes at any time, because the outer branches and leaves of tomatoes are particularly susceptible to fungal infection if they hang down on the soil.
• The soil pH value suitable for tomato survival should be in the range of 6.0-6.8. A lack of calcium or excessive acidity in the soil can cause stem rot.
• How to solve the problem of calcium deficiency: Take 4 liters of water, add a spoonful of lemon juice (15ml) and boil it together, then add six spoons of bone meal, stir well, cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes to help the bone meal dissolve. cool down. It doesn't matter if the bone meal doesn't dissolve completely. Pour one liter of bone meal solution into the leaves and roots of each tomato plant and repeat after 3-5 days. This is done because bone meal contains high amounts of calcium and phosphorus.
• Pruned branches can also easily take root in moist soil to produce new tomato plants. However, in order to do this, the branches must be large enough, and the climate must be suitable. The season suitable for tomato growth cannot be too short, otherwise the growing season will be almost over when the plants mature, and there will be no time to produce fruits.
• You can put some egg shells at the bottom of the pit before transplanting tomato seedlings.
• If you want to start growing tomatoes early at the beginning of the year when its not too warm, you can build a temporary greenhouse. Make or buy a cylindrical tomato cage made of heavy-duty fencing material, using vinyl-coated welded wire to form a 7.5cm x 12.5cm grid, 1.5 meters high and about half a meter in diameter. Plant the seedlings in the cage and bury the lower part of the cage 10-15 cm deep in the soil. Then get some strong, transparent plastic rods (available at the flower market) and tie them to the cage for reinforcement. Keep the environment moist and warm. Remove the plastic sticks when the tomatoes are tall enough to poke through the top of the cage or when they begin to bear fruit (whichever happens first).
• If you decide to prune your "indeterminate" tomatoes (those that don't look like bushes), consider not pinching off the branches, but letting them continue to grow until they have leaves, and then pruning the tips. Pinch it off. This prevents the branches from growing too long and using up nutrients, while also allowing the first few leaves to increase the plants surface area for photosynthesis.
• Of course you know not to pour coffee into the soil to avoid acidifying the soil, but caffeine can actually poison slugs and other pests. This is why coffee trees don’t grow bugs. To effectively kill pests, simply spray coffee on the leaves. Even more effective at killing these pests is to simply spray the leaves of your plants with coffee. On the leaves, the caffeine isn't concentrated so much that it harms the plant, but its still enough to repel some pests.
• If you keep fish, use the fish water to water your tomatoes. The free amine groups (NH3) in the water can be directly absorbed by tomato plants, which is very beneficial to plant growth. You can adjust the pH of the water by adjusting fish food or other things added to the fish water to ensure that there are adequate amounts of phosphorus, potassium, and calcium (from limestone, sea shells, etc.).
• If temperatures are frequently above 35 degrees Celsius, consider shading the top of each plant between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily to prevent the heat and sunlight from "burning" the plants.
• Purchasing organic plants from your local farmers market ensures that the plants are not contaminated with pesticides or other harmful chemicals.
• Use manure as fertilizer. If you have access to well-fermented manure, you can make this fertilizer yourself. Wrap the manure in pantyhose or gauze, then put the bag of manure in a large bucket, add 19 liters of water, soak for a few days and then double the water to dilute it, then use this to water the plants. Tomatoes must love this “drink”! If you live near the ocean, using seaweed ash can achieve the same effect. Seaweed ash is a good fertilizer, just spray it directly on the leaves, because the trace elements and hormones contained in seaweed ash are more easily absorbed through the leaf stomata, rather than indirectly through the roots.
• Don’t water too much.
• After tomatoes have been growing in the ground for six weeks, use tomato cages or stakes to make it easier for tomatoes to bear fruit.
• It is best not to cage or stake tomatoes when planting. Adding cages or stakes later will ensure that they will not damage the young roots.
• The water from fish farming is an excellent fertilizer for tomato seedlings.

Warning

• Only the fruits of tomatoes are edible, and the tomato vines are highly poisonous.
• Watering in the morning, especially using drip irrigation or ditching, can prevent diseases caused by mold or fungus. If you pour water directly from top to bottom, the chances of tomatoes getting infected by fungus will increase. The method of fertilizing by spraying fertilizer containing trace elements onto plant leaves is called foliar fertilization., this can ensure that nutrients are absorbed directly. But remember that foliar fertilization should be done in the evening or morning, when the plants pores are open.
• Tomato seeds are very small and should not be planted too deep, otherwise they may not germinate and cause seed loss. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the depth of 0.5-1.5 cm for sowing.
• As the tomato plants grow larger, binding them with strings or hemp ropes may damage the branches. It is better to try tearing some cloth strips and use them, especially when the branches need to be tightened. It is especially good to tie the branches with stockings torn into strips, they are stretchy and very soft. A pair of stockings costing a few dollars is enough to tie a whole row of tomatoes.
• Do not pinch off every branch. This will cause all the fruits of the plant to grow at the same time and the plant will be much smaller than normal.
• Be careful not to damage the roots when transplanting. If too many roots are broken or damaged, the plant may not survive. See "Tips" above to learn how to repair damaged rhizomes.
• Tomatoes need good climate and soil conditions to produce good fruit.

You need to prepare

• Tomato seedlings (several different varieties)
• Compost fertilizer. You can buy 20kg bags at flower markets, nurseries or specialty stores.
• Small trowel, shovel or pick.
• Rope or strips of cloth (for binding)
• Tomato stakes (bamboo strips, wooden strips, steel strips) or tomato cages.

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