When to Plant to Avoid Tomato Growing Problems

Raised Pot Tomatoes
Image by Lorika13 via Flickr

Tomato growing has become a very popular hobby for many people, men and women alike.  The taste of a freshly picked tomato is a real delight and for this reason and because they are such prolific producers, tomatoes are grown in many countries around the world.  Following are some tips to help avoid tomato growing problems during the planting and growing season.

The planting method and timing are important to the success of the tomato crop.  Staggering the planting of tomato plants is one way that growers are able to have a longer harvesting season.  Choosing the right tomato varieties to do this is part of the success.   Some varieties take 65 days to produce fruit and others may take up to 85 days.

How to decide on what variety to plant.

One of the ways to avoid problems associated with growing tomatoes is to stagger a tomato harvest.    Tomato growers need to wait until the soil temperature in their area is at least 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  The temperature during the day should also be 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  The temperature at night should be between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because tomato plants are so reliant on warmth to produce fruit, even if the plant is put in the ground very early in the season the fruit still only starts to ripen at the peak of the summer with the full harvest following on that that time.  The tomatoes will stop ripening as soon as the first frosts arrive.  They just will not tolerate frosts.

In warmer climates tomatoes can be grown all year round because they will still get the required 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day.

If growing from seed then these can be planted indoors 6 – 8 weeks prior to the planned planting time outside.  Read our article “Growing Tomatoes From Seeds” which describes in detail how to start growing tomato plants from seed and the steps that need to be taken to ensure a successful transplant.

Container grown tomatoes.

Container grown tomatoes is a popular way to follow the sun during the day if the climate where you live is not generous with the sunlight.  These can be moved around during the day to follow the sun.   We have also covered “Growing Tomatoes Upside Down” as another popular way to be able to move tomato plants around to ensure that they get the required amount of sunlight.

Soil preparation.

Sunlight is critical to the success of tomato growing but the soil is also important.  Make sure the ground is well tilled before planting and that it is slightly acid with a pH level of 6.0 to 6.8.  Although tomatoes are known to grow in many different types of soil, one high in organic matter, light and well drained is considered to be the best.

Using all these tips to avoid tomato growing problems the plants will have the best start towards their production of sweet tasting tomatoes.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]