How To Successfully Grow Tomatoes In Your Garden

If you stop by any garden stand on the side of the road or stroll into any grocery store, you're going to find that tomatoes are rather expensive. That farmer's stand has good-tasting tomatoes, but they cost a ton, and the grocery story's best deal is going to leave you with nasty-tasting, dry fruit. So the answer here for the tomato lover is to grow them at home!

When growing tomatoes, the great thing is that you never have to settle for a single variety. There are of dozens of different tomatoes you can grow, from the large heirloom variety to the smaller types like Roma and cherry. Try planting different types of tomatoes for an increased variety. Also, make sure you're growing plants that thrive in your environment.

One of the best ways to grow tomatoes is to purchase them already started in containers, but there are a few things to watch out for. You want plants that are lush, dark green and very moist. You want strong plants with thick stalks and plants that appear to have fuzz on them. The healthier the plants are, the more likely they are to grow.

Until you decide to transplant your tomatoes, they should be kept well watered and in the sunlight. Just because they're in those black planting trays doesn't mean that they don't need all the love and care of a garden plant. Take care of your plants long before you put them in the ground if you want the best results.

Before planting your tomatoes, you should focus on the quality of your soil. If you're thinking that you can just dig a hole in the dirt and let nature take its course, you have another thing coming. Sure, this might work one out of ten tries, but you'd be much better off amending your soil with all-natural organic compost, and topping it off with organic mulch. Give your plants something to thrive on.

The thing about tomatoes is that the fruit of the plant doesn't grow consistently. You're going to have some full-grown tomatoes that begin to ripen on the vine while other tomatoes are just starting to bud. You can't wait around, though; you have to harvest as the tomatoes begin to ripen. As soon as they're plump and green, you can pick them. Wait longer if you want vine-ripened tomatoes.

Aphids, also known as plant lice, absolutely love feasting on tomatoes. They enjoy other plants as well, but it's something about tomatoes that really draw these buggers. So make sure you go through and pick off the aphids by hand, avoiding the use of harsh chemical sprays and such.

Every plant needs sufficient sunlight, but tomatoes thrive on it. The more sun they're receiving, the quicker and healthier they'll grow. So make sure you're growing in full sunlight if you want the best results.