Question of the Week
browse by: questions
How can I grow tomatoes?
It's very simple. First of all, you need sun—at least six hours, but as much as you can give them. In shade you're just not going to have productive plants and the fruit isn't going to be as tasty, either.
Give them good soil: good drainage with compost and fertilizer mixed in. Tomatoes are heavy feeders.
In our heat, we need to get them going fast before they shut down bloom production. Choose early producing plants. Plant them as early as you can but provide protection from sudden cold snaps, which may not kill them, but will stunt them against productive growth.
Provide even, consistent watering, especially to avoid blossom-end rot in the early days.
You'll want to feed them throughout the growing season.
If you want to grow in containers, get at least a five-gallon container, and even bigger is better.
Here's more on Skip's varieties and tomato planting tips.
Gary Peese's suggestions for growing tomatoes.Related Episodes
