Tomato Plants

Let's talk about growing tomatoes!

  Tomato plants are a part of the nightshade family. They are relatives to potatoes and eggplant. Nightshades contain the alkaloid solanine, which is toxic in high concentration which is why people should not eat green potatoes. As tomatoes mature the amount of alkaloids decreases. Overall. there is no evidence that it is bad for your health.

  There are two types of tomato plants Determinate and Indeterminate.

  Determinate plants are small, compact plants. They grow to a certain height and then put off their fruit in just a short amount of time people usually call these ones bush tomatoes.

  Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow and set fruit until they are taken out or killed by frost. They have a heavy yield and typically last about 3 months depending on where you live. 

  To grow a good healthy tomato plant they need potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. One of the best fertilizers for tomatoes I have found is fish emulsion. Fish emulsion is a mild fertilizer that is rich in nitrogen, and can be used all season long.

  If you do not have fish emulsion used coffee grounds are an alright substitute because they contain 2% of nitrogen.

  Another common household item that is good for tomatoes is banana peels. They are high in potassium  and also contains calcium. Calcium can help prevent your fruits from getting blossom end rot in tomatoes. Also, to help combat any other disease that tomatoes can get baking soda in a spray bottle with water sprayed onto the plant is a great way to help with that.

  Now when you plant your tomatoes you want to plant them deep. Tomatoes can be planted deeper because they can produce new roots anywhere along their stems. By planting deeper you create a more sturdy resilient plant that will thrive. Even though you plant deeper you should also support them.

  The way that I support my tomatoes each year is by doing the french extension method. Its a trellising method that uses one support pole on each side and rope weaving back and forth between them. They go up the height of the plant and support the branches of the tomato. This works best for the indeterminate variety of tomatoes. The reason why I think this is the best method is because it stretches the plant out and makes it much easier to find and pick all of your fruits. For bush tomatoes a simple tomato cage is more than enough to keep the plant supported.

  Don't forget to water your tomatoes! Tomatoes typically need 1 - 2 inches of water a week. At my house we trench water our plants so they get a good deep soak maybe 2 to 3 times a week. If you deep water you'll want to water for 20 to 30 minutes. Only do this after the plant is well established. While you are growing your seedlings you should water 2 times a day. 

  Have any input on tomatoes? Please feel free to leave a comment and lets chat!