Secrets to Successful Growing Tomatoes

If you don’t have a garden to grow your tomatoes in, no worries! They will also find their place on a balcony, comfortably installed in large pots.

How to plant tomatoes in a pot step by step.

• To plant tomatoes in a pot, you must first choose a pot with a diameter of 30-40 cm. Additionally, for each plant you will need a pot.
• When you start sowing, you should bury the seeds shallowly in a bed of soft soil. Wait for the germination and transplanting periods when each plant reaches a height of 10-15 cm.
• When starting with the nursery plant, at the time of purchase, choose the strongest tomato plants. You need to plant the seedling, which consists of two parts of soil and one part of sand. Even if the plants once grew vigorously, there is no choice but to repot.
• After planting your tomatoes, you need to make sure they get enough light. For its positioning it is necessary to place the pot in direct sunlight and obtain it for at least 12 hours a day. In winter you may need additional lighting. Lighting lamps should be installed at a distance of 30 cm from plants.
• For good plant development and strong growth of your tomatoes, the temperature during the day should be at least 22-26 degrees. At night it can be cooler, 15-16 degrees. In winter, cold air can negatively affect the plant, in this case it is advisable to remove the pots from drafts. Favorable humidity is 60-65%.

Watering

Regular to keep the substrate always fresh, never soggy or dried out. Avoid wetting the foliage, water at the base of the tomato and soak the substrate well each time you water. In summer when the weather is very nice and hot, plan to water daily or every two days. No vacation !

Use a water reserve tank? I do not recommend it, because stagnant humidity risks rotting the roots, causing the tomato to die back.

Add fertilizer

The tomato is a greedy plant and, despite your efforts to create the best possible substrate, it will need a helping hand. Also, when watering, do not hesitate to add a little fertilizer to your tomatoes.

The important thing is not the quantity, but the frequency (every 15 days for example). You need to give the plant time to absorb what you give it.

The interview

Seeds and plants recommend very regular watering: in pots, the soil dries quickly. Without being soggy, it must always be wet. A tip: mulch the surface of the pot to maintain freshness. You can also provide a saucer to place under the pot, so that your plant always has a reserve of water.

Do not hesitate to amend your planting regularly: frequency trumps quantity. It is recommended to add a little fertilizer every 15 days.

As the plant grows, it will be necessary to provide solid staking.

Finally, you can cut the “greedy” ones, these secondary branches which consume part of the plant’s resources. If the question divides gardeners, it is because the operation is a balancing act: it will be necessary to leave enough leaves for the good health of the plant.

Harvesting and conservation

Once the fruit is nicely colored and the flesh is soft, it’s time to harvest! Depending on the planting date, region and variety, the harvest extends from June until October. The ideal is to eat the tomato quickly and not put it in the refrigerator. At room temperature, it can only be kept for a few days. In the refrigerator, it loses a little of its flavor but will keep for around ten days.