As the weather warms up (finally) many of us are thinking about putting tomato seedlings into the ground. Here are a few tips to ensure a bountiful harvest:
1. Make sure your tomatoes are 18-24 inches apart. It is always tempting to plant more tiny seedlings but adequate spacing will lead to a greater harvest in the end.
2. Luckily for us at the garden, tomatoes love full sun and heat so put them in your sunniest corner.
3. Tomatoes also suck up a lot of nutrients from the soil. Sometimes this challenges the soil quality in our container gardens. In keeping with our organic gardening practices, one easy solution is to save your discarded egg shells.
Rinse the shells, try to remove the inner lining and dry them well. Use a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin over a sealed bag, and crush them into powder. Add a tablespoon of egg shell meal to each hole before you insert your seedling. Apparently egg shells also deter slugs! (http://www.ehow.com/how_5988930_use-eggshells-tomato-plants.html)
Similarly coffee grinds provide nitrogen and banana peels provide potassium to the soil. Some gardeners add a scoop or two of coffee grinds to the base of their tomato plants every couple of weeks to replenish nitrogen in the soil. One or two dried banana peels can be placed at the base of each tomato plant’s hole before planting as well. (http://www.thegardenguide.typepad.com/the_garden_guide/how-to-grow-tomatoes.html)
4. If you plan to stake your tomatoes or put them inside wire baskets, insert them at the time of planting or soon there after. If the tomato plants are too big, you will risk harming their roots. Stakes should be placed 3-6 inches from the main stem. Do not tie your plants to the stakes until the first blooms appear to encourage the main stem to grow strong. (http://www.tomatodirt.com/tomato-stakes.html)
5. Tomatoes love water just as they love sun. Remember to water your plants regularly. It is recommended to water them at the soil line to ensure deep moisture penetration. (http://www.tomatodirt.com/watering-tomato-plants.html)
And as always, gardening is an on-going experiment. We will learn what works best from each other so feel free to post your experiences/tips and keep the conversation flowing!
