Growing Tomatoes – Use Gardening Containers!
growing tomatoes – Use gardening Containers!
Indoor gardens or kitchen gardens are all the craze now, plus with the space constraints of flat-owners who have little balcony or open areas to themselves, the idea of container gardening holds much appeal as it allows them healthful, beautiful gardening pleasures – even in limited space! So, if veggies, fruit and salads are a hot favorite with you, a great option to get these cheap and fresh – minus the pesticides – is to grow your own. For example, tomatoes are easy to grow and take up very little space and effort to grow, which is very appealing to beginners at gardening in containers. They also have mass appeal for besides salads and sandwiches; tomatoes are a great ingredient for gravies, Italian cooking and so many other great-tasting international recipe ideas.
This versatility of tomatoes for use as culinary basics is what counts for it being such a great idea for growing in containers and with these now selling for over three dollars for a pound, the advantage of having your own kitchen garden is hard to ignore.
What is most important for a beginner to know about growing tomatoes in containers is that sunshine and big containers are the basics for growing these well – and of course the time at hand to tend to them from time to time. You also need a set of basic gardening tools and a hose-pipe to water the plants well instead of making frequent trips to the kitchen for a watering container besides 5 gallon pots to begin planting them in as tomato plants (only one per container) take up room as they grow, so you need to be prepared for that eventuality.
You may need to put the tomato seedlings (or you can purchase seeds) in soil and place wooden stakes for holding up the plants when they grow tall; tie a bit of string to the tomato plant stalk and bind this around the stakes. Use plenty of fertilizer and place a plastic drainage tray underneath the plant container as this is very important for the tomato plant to flourish.
You also need to learn about the various kinds of tomato plants there are in the market so you know the kind of tending the one you bought requires: for e.g. the bush varieties of tomatoes are simple to grow, but so are cherry tomatoes, which are cute in comparison and used for decorating foods.
Some people prefer the full-size tomato plants, which is also good enough to grow in small spaces or else you can try for the Early Girl, Celebrity and Christmas Grape variety; choose the one that suits your cooking/eating purpose. Salads do well with the cherry or grape variety of tomatoes, for example.
Another important factor that tomato growers need to keep in mind is to ensure watering and sunlight is available to the plant in adequate doses: 4-6 hours in the sun is needed everyday besides sufficient water.
Abhishek is an avid Gardening enthusiast and he has got some great Gardening Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 57 Pages Ebook, “Your Garden – Neighbor’s Envy, Owner’s Pride!” from his website http://www.Gardening-Master.com/762/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.
So, today we’re gonna talk about tomatoes… Great info for tomato gardening!
More growing tomatoes Articles
Growing Tomatoes Indoors All Year
growing tomatoes Indoors All Year
growing tomatoes indoors is a hobby that can be very rewarding, in more ways than one. Not only will you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor so to speak, but you’ll also have the deep satisfaction that comes along with knowing that you grew the tasty fruit yourself! Speaking from experience, the tomatoes always taste better when they are grown at home than those you can buy in any produce stand or grocery store.
Tomatoes are the base ingredient in many products that you can easily make at home, and growing tomatoes indoors can make the entire list that much fresher! Among many other things, some of the more obvious things you can make from the fresh tomatoes you have grown are salsa, homemade spaghetti sauce just like from the old country, then of course there is juice and many other products.
For starters, you’ll want to choose from a variety of tomato that is not susceptible to cracking. These types will do better indoors under lights, and as an added bonus, these are also better suited when you want to make tomato paste and sauce. Next you will want to prepare a good starting soil mixture. The best I have found is a standard potting soil mixture that includes about 10% or so of worm castings already added. You can balance the ph of the soil by adding a teaspoon of hydrated lime to each gallon of potting soil. This is rich in calcium and is absolutely great for the tomatoes. This calcium prevents the blossoms from rotting later on down the line. You don’t want to start the soil too wet. Adding water a little at a time until you can get just about 2 or 3 drops of water out of it when you squeeze. Anything more than that and you will want to dry the soil out some before you start to use it.
Now, starting seeds is a critical time for the tomato plants. The resulting plants are delicate and need to be handled with care in the early stages of development. I recommend using nursery flats (these are the trays that have many sections) to start the seeds off. The larger ones are best. This way you don’t have to worry over transplanting them as they get bigger. By the time they outgrow that tray, they will be strong enough to handle easily.
Tomatoes germinate best at about 80 degrees and you’ll find that most of the seeds that you have planted will be up in about 12-15 days. Once they have begun popping up, you will want to remove the covers if they were used on the trays. At this point, you will want to use fluorescent lights placed about 6 inches above the plants and leave the lights on then for at least 18 hours of the day, and better still, leave them on 24 hours if possible.
By now you’re well on your way to having really great tasting tomatoes! Take good care of them and they will bear some fantastic fruit no matter what time of the year it is!
Pawel Kalkus is a hobbyist gardener with 15 years experience in organic vegetable garden cultivation. If you enjoyed this article on growing tomatoes indoors visit => www.startgrowingtomatoes.com to claim your free copy of the “7 Best Tomato Growing Tips” ebook.
Find More Growing Tomatoes Articles
Learn How To Grow Tomatoes From Seeds
Learn How To Grow Tomatoes From Seeds
While deciding to grow tomatoes from seeds few issues need to be addressed as they directly influence further stages of tomato growing process. You will have to spend some time choosing the right soil and planting the right amount of seeds in order to get the best results. This way you will end up with the anticipated quantity of tomato plants ready to be transplanted outside in your garden bed in time for the growing season.
The first thing you will want to do is to start with clean potting soil. Do not use the soil from outside to start your plants. The best thing to do then is to go to the local nursery or garden center and pick up some good organic potting soil. You will then want to add the soil to nursery trays, or better yet, to flats that separate the pants from one another. This is beneficial when transplanting them when the time comes.
Let’s suppose that your target is to end up with 100 plants ready to be transplanted outside into your garden bed. Planting 20 % more seeds than the amount of the pants you want to end up with is a good idea. The reason for this is that not all seeds will germinate. Then there will almost always be a couple that will germinate, but the plants will not thrive. So generally speaking, if you want to put out 100 plants, then plant about 120 seeds. This way you will also provide yourself with few additional plants that can be used later on as a substitution for the ones that died out.
If you plant several different varieties of tomatoes, you’ll want to make sure that you label them. The plants will all look alike! Once all the plants have gotten their real leaves, it’s time to begin the first transplantation. They should be moved to individual growing containers such as a paper cup in order that they be able to better thrive and grow. If plants are bunched up, the growth will be stunted and you’ll end up with plants that are poorly producing. The best way to remove them from their starter pot is to use a kitchen fork. It works well with lifting the plants from the soil and causes less shock on the plants roots.
Now, depending upon the size of the paper cup or other container used in this first transplantation, you may or may not have to transplant them again before they go into the garden bed. It is then, in your best interest to plant them in paper cups large enough to hold them until they are about 6 inches or so tall, and ready to go into the outdoor garden bed. As soon as the last frost has passed and the plants achieved the required height you can put them outdoors.
The best way I have found to do this, and it causes very little shock to the roots, is to tear or cut away the paper cup from the entire thing, leaving the existing soil in place and putting them in the garden exactly that way.
Good luck in your growing! It won’t be long before you’ll be enjoying fresh juicy tomatoes, straight from the vine!
Pawel Kalkus is an internet writer and gardener with 15 years of experience in organic vegetable gardening. If you liked this article on growing tomatoes from seeds go get your free copy of his “7 Best Tomato Growing Tips” ebook.
Related growing tomatoes Articles
Growing Tomatoes in Containers and Pots – 4 Top Tips
growing tomatoes in Containers and Pots – 4 Top Tips
I have been growing tomatoes in patio containers and pots this year with some success. I also have my beloved plot with tomatoes growing in the ground. I know the ones in the ground will work fine – they have done for thirty years. But growing my tomatoes in containers is anew departure for me.
The comparison between the pot grown tomato and those in the ground.
I grew 2 varieties this year moneymaker and an Italian cherry tomato variety. I cannot remember the name but they came free with a magazine. I sowed the seeds in March 2008 and grew them on in my conservatory in 6 inch pots. As Always I grew too many tomato plants and gave 20 away. I planted them out as 2 – 3 foot high plants in early June and a month later picked the first tomatoes. As I speak in late august I still have many fruits to pick so it has been a good year. The plants grown in containers have had similar results but I have noticed 2 differences.
Firstly the moneymaker tomatoes were slightly smaller than the ones grown on my plot.
Secondly there were not quite as many cherry tomatoes in the containers.
Other than that the results were very similar. The taste is uniformly excellent and the texture and colour very appetizing. For the container grown tomatoes I did treat them differently and with a bit more care.
1. Make sure you put tomato plants in a really big pot.
I like the root systems to have plenty of room and not become pot bound. You also need a big container to have enough depth for the support canes. I use standard clay terracotta pots but any wide and deep container will work fine.
2. Water your tomatoes even if it rains.
We have had a dreadful summer in the UK this year and it has rained constantly. I still found that the pot grown tomato plants were wilting a bit if I didn’t check them for watering. The plants in the veg plot did not need this. The reason for this is that the leaves of the tomato plants deflect much of the water away from the pot. Very little water gets to the root of the plants. This is why I check them daily.
3. Be ruthless with pinching out side shoots on the tomato plants.
I only pinch out once or twice a season when growing tomatoes in the ground because they seem to do fine. I have learned this through trial and error. The moneymaker plants in pots were pinched out once a week to ensure that the fruits I did get were big enough and juicy enough. I never bother pinching out cherry tomatoes. They take care of themselves and always give plenty of harvest.
4. Remove excess foliage once you have the tomato fruits.
I have always done this to tomatoes and do not know where I picked this tip up. Once you have all the tomatoes set on the plant remove any leaves that are hiding the fruit from the sun. I prefer the tomatoes to ripen on the plant and this helps speed up the ripening process. Removing the leaves also gives you slightly bigger tomatoes.
If you have missed this tomato season then I encourage you to plan ahead for your tomato growing in 2009. Grow some in pots and containers as well as in the ground. They are a lot of fun and be grown on any sunny spot you have.
You can grow plants in containers very easily and without a large garden. Tomatoes are particularly suitable for growing in containers. For more gardening tips you can visit www.your-gardening-tips.com
Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden
growing tomatoes in the Home Garden
The tomato originated in the Andes, South America where tomatoes grow wild. It is believed that they were first cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas, possibly as early as 700 AD. The tomato plant arrived in Europe in the 16th century, supposedly brought back from Central America by the Spanish Conquistadors, although another legend suggests that two Jesuit priests took them to Italy from Mexico.
At that time tomatoes were also known as wolf’s peach and Peruvian apple. In the UK, the Elizabethans thought the bright red colour of tomatoes was a danger signal and regarded them as dangerous fruits. In fact, it is true that tomatoes are related to the nightshade family.
Tomatoes are sub-tropical plants and therefore require a full sun position when grown in temperate zones. A position against a wall or fence will give an even better chance of success as long as they can receive sufficient water.
Tomato plants grow very well in raised beds, they appreciate the soil conditions which provide moisture without water-logging.
Two or three weeks before planting, dig the soil over and incorporate as much organic matter, such as compost or well rotted manure, as possible. The aim is to make the soil able to retain the moisture needed so much by tomatoes.
Tomatoes are unable to tolerate any degree of frost, the timing for planting or sowing outside is therefore key to successfully growing tomatoes. If the tomato seeds are to be sown directly outside (not really suitable in cooler climates), they must be sown when the soil temperature is (and will remain) above 10C (50F) – any lower and the seeds will not germinate. In practical terms this normally means 3 weeks after the last frost date in your area.
Where the seeds are sown under cover (poly tunnels or cloches) or indoors, aim to sow the seeds so that they reach the stage where they can be transplanted outside, three weeks after the last frost date.
Tomato plants plants take roughly 7 weeks from sowing to reach the transplanting stage and they should be transplanted outside one or two weeks after your last frost date. Therefore you should sow them 7 weeks before you plan to transplant them outside.
Bush varieties do well for cultivation outdoors because they require no pruning for most of the season. Remove any yellow or decaying foliage as soon as possible to avoid the spread of disease.
If your bush tomatoes become too large to support themselves, either trim out a few major branches or add more support canes – the side branches can then be tied into the additional support canes. Limit the number of trusses of tomatoes to seven or eight by pinching out any surplus ones.
Upright varieties are commonly cultivated in pots, grow-bags, the greenhouse and sometimes outdoors in open soil. When the first fruits begin to form, the plant will produce side-shoots in between the main stem and the leaf stems.
These side shoots should be removed by pinching them out with the fingers. If allowed to grow they will produce a mass of foliage but few tomatoes. Any shoots which have been overlooked and allowed to grow should also be removed.
Lower leaves which show any signs of yellowing should also be removed to avoid the risk of infection.
When the plant has developed six or seven trusses of tomatoes (normally around July time), ‘stop’ the plant by breaking off the growing tip. If any more than seven trusses of tomatoes begins to develop, pinch them out to encourage the plant to produce good quality tomatoes rather than an abundance of low quality late-maturing fruit.
Pick as soon as the fruits are ripe (colour and size will identify this) for the best flavour – eat as soon as possible. This also encourages the production of more fruit. As soon as a frost threatens, harvest all the fruit immediately and ripen them on a window sill. With upright varieties, it is possible to gently flatten the plants onto the soil and cover with horticultural fleece to protect them from the frost.
If you would like to learn more about growing your own tomatoes please visit How To Grow Tomatoes or Growing Tomato Plants for further information.
Find More growing tomatoes Articles
How To Grow Tomatoes – Tips On Growing Tomatoes At Home
How To Grow Tomatoes – Tips On growing tomatoes At Home
Did you know there are almost thirty varieties of tomatoes today? According to the U. S. department of Agriculture, people in this county eat over 22 pounds (per person) of tomatoes each year, half of this going to ketchup, sauces and soups. Tomatoes are highly popular, whether you think they’re a fruit or vegetable, it doesn’t seem to matter, people eat them up. Tomatoes can be expensive to buy in the super market and it’s no telling how old they actually are. There really is no reason to buy them, especially since this article is going to tell you how to grow tomatoes and you will find they are so easy to grow at home.
All you need is a good pot with good drainage and some good dirt or a little space outside and you’re all set. Tomatoes really like a dark, loose soil with organic matter and nutrients and a little acidity (about 6.2 pH) is best if you want really big red tomatoes.
If your going to grow in a pot instead of in the ground, be careful when fertilizing and don’t add too much, maybe about a tablespoon to a 10 gallon pot and work this into the soil at least two weeks before planting. If planting outdoors a 10-52-17 or 15-30-15 fertilizer will be all your tomatoes need and about a cup scattered around the plants roots or seeds will keep your tomato plants well fed.
Staking your tomato plants will improve fruit production considerably and it also makes getting to your tomatoes much easier. If you’re planting seeds go ahead and place your stake in the dirt close to the seeds, this way you won’t disturb their roots once they start growing. If buying young plants, gently push your stakes in close to the plant and try not to disturb the roots as little as possible. Use a soft twine or yarn to tie your plants to the stake and remember to leave room for growth. Small tomato plants don’t usually need to be cut back or pruned but tall tomato plants may need a little clip here and there in the beginning. Just a little off the top and on the sides should be all the pruning your plant or plants need.
If you have a place picked outside for growing tomatoes, make sure you space them at least 24 inches apart, 36 inches is better if you have the room. Planting tomatoes closer together will reduce air circulation and can set your plants up for disease outbreaks.
Tomato plants are about 95% water so they do need to be watered daily, even those tomato plants grown in a pot on a porch, and remember to make sure your pot has good drainage. Water your plants thoroughly and let excess water drain away from potted plants. For those plants outside, it’s a good idea to cover the soil around your plants with mulch, pine needles, hay or even plastic to prevent water evaporation. Now that you know how to grow tomatoes, you will find they grow pretty fast and before you know it, you will soon have vine-ripe tomatoes, better than any grocery store tomatoes.
Your tomatoes will be ready when their color is almost a perfect red, or yellow depending on the kind you plant. Tomatoes grown in hot weather, over 75 degrees will actually reduce the flavor of your tomatoes, so if you live in a hot climate, planting tomatoes where they will get afternoon shade will give you better tasting tomatoes. Once you pick your tomatoes don’t put them in the refrigerator, leave them sitting at room temperature and they will keep their flavor much better. Another good thing about knowing how to grow tomatoes is you will probably never buy them at the store again.
Did you know that home grown tomatoes are 10 times juicer than the ones sold at your local food market? Kenny Mcyntyre is an expert tomato grower and has been growing tomatoes for over 35 years. Discover how to grow tomatoes and more at home by visiting his tomato growing website here: www.mytomatogarden.com