Off late there has been an increase in the number of homegrown crops. You don’t need to be a full-time gardener to cultivate home-grown tomatoes. These low maintenance vegetables are easy on the cultivation and require minimum real estate. However, regular irrigation is necessary.
Tomatoes can grow just about anywhere if truth be told. A sunny patch in your property, deck, driveway, patio, a garden patch, balcony, and rooftops; anywhere! All you need are pots, good quality soil. For irrigation purposes and avoiding the hassle of watering the plants on a daily basis you can additionally invest in garden patch self-watering tomato planters and rest easy.
Let us level the playing field for a beginner tomato gardener!
1. Choosing a spot
You must ideally place the pots where the plants will receive around 6-8 hours of sunlight on a daily basis. Pots should be grouped but allow for ample space in between so that spreading of pests or diseases can be avoided. Grouping of pots shades the root zones of neighboring plants from reflective surfaces like concrete and asphalt driveways.
2. Tomato variety
It’s quite evident that your growth will depend on the type of tomato you choose for your garden. “Determinate” tomatoes grow well in gardens. “Indeterminate” tomatoes would like the next soil and water content. Additionally, looking for disease-resistant varieties and breeds that suit your climate are essential for successful cultivation, growth, and production.
3. Choice of pots
There are a wide variety of pots to choose from. Clay pots that allow for more space, better circulation of air and water or ceramic and plastic pots which comes in a number of shades and designs perfect for the home décor. The size aspect also matters when it comes to pots for planting tomatoes. A general rule of thumb to follow is to go for larger sized pots as tomato plants are dependent on their extensive root systems.
4. Quality of the potting soil
The usual variety of garden soil from the planting beds is usually heavy and laced with chemicals; often infested with pests including nematodes and blight causing organisms. For potted tomato plants, you need premium quality potting soil free from disease-causing organisms. Additionally, these are light and fluffy, so it’s extremely useful for maintaining air and moisture circulation.
5. Planting tomatoes
The tomato plants should be potted in holes deep enough to allow coverage of about two-thirds of the plant. Planting is encouraged after the season of frost and cold. On chilly nights the plantlets should be covered with a warm blanket, straw or burlap.
6. Water and nutrition
Lastly, the fact about proper irrigation and nutrition needs emphasizing. Tomato plants might require low maintenance when it comes to real estate, but needs regular watering. Avoid over-watering as this will lead to root rot of the plants and low production of tomatoes. For fresh and juicy tomatoes you can invest in a self-watering tomato planter which will take care of your plant’s water requirements even if you are traveling and cannot tend to your plants. Just remember to fill the reservoir on a weekly basis. Moreover, you can add nutrients can be added to the reservoir along with the water.
Ensuring all the steps will get you specific results similar to a professional gardener. Start your gardening today!
