When you plan on growing tomatoes, it sometimes pushes you to start a vegetable garden. Every tomato lover dreams of getting the best juicy, aromatic, and firm tomato. But some vegetables will be more prone to problems than tomatoes. There is a trick to growing the best and getting the varieties by planting them right. You can control any issues before they happen when you have a Tomato Mentor. You must create some time-tested tomato tips to ensure your tomato has the best year to grow.
Don’t overcrowd the seedlings.
Whether you are starting tomatoes from seed, you need to give the seedlings room to branch out. It means thinning the seedlings to a small pot where you have to snip the weaker ones to have the best grower. Crowding their growth will stress them, leading to disease later on. A transplant of tomato seedlings in a 4-inch pot after they get their true leaves.
Give lots of light
The days are getting shorter during winter, and you must place them near the window. It will get direct sunlight and may not give them natural light. Unless you have a greenhouse, your best option, use an artificial plant light for 14 to 18 hours per day. It will ensure the tomato will grow to keep the plants a few inches from the fluorescent lights. You will have to raise your lights as the seedlings grow. When you think you can plant them outside, you must choose a sunny part of your garden to make it their location.
Turn a fan on
When you start your seedlings inside, you must give the best air circulation. You have to make it a breeze by using your fan for five to ten minutes twice daily. It is a small amount of time that makes a big difference. There is another option for you to ruffle the tomato plant. You must rub your hand back and forth on the top of the tomato for a few minutes several times a day. It will be more effort, but the tomato scent should rub off on you.
Preheat the soil
Tomatoes love the heat and will not start to grow until the soil and temperature are warm. You can quickly cover the plant with black or red plastic for a few weeks before planting it. It will give you extra degrees of soil to transfer to the tomatoes. You can lift the plastic before you grow, but some use red plastic to increase its growth.
Bury its stem
It is planting your tomato deeper than in the pot to the top leaves. When you grow it this way, it will be able to develop the roots all along in its stems. The more roots it makes, the stronger it will get for the plant. You can dig a deeper hole and lay it sideways where it can straighten itself up and grow toward the sun. You have to be careful not to cage it to the buried stem.
Planting can be fun when you know how to do the process of making it healthy and strong. Tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow, with the right tips to learn when it is your first time planting.
