Tomato Seeds and Plants

How to Sow Tomatoes

Warm climate gardeners may direct-sow tomato seeds outdoors. Sow seeds 30 to 48 inches apart in a row with the rows spaced 48 inches apart. Growing your tomatoes too close together in your home vegetable garden will only increase the chance of disease. For earlier harvests, sow indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost in your area.

How to Feed Tomatoes

Use slow release fertilizer pellets at planting time to nourish young tomato plants. Tomatoes demand lots of fertility once the fruit sets, but too much early in the season will grow a large plant but with fewer tomatoes.

Warmth

To reduce transplant shock and retain warmth, use Wall O' Water plant protectors at planting time. These devices will protect the tomato plants in your home garden from early cold spells and the drying effects of wind.

Tomato Supports

For maximum tomato yields always stake or cage your tomato plants. Emerging fruits will benefit from improved air circulation and less ground pest problems.

How to Grow Tomatoes

Tomato plants need even watering to prevent blossom end rot. Water thoroughly but not too often (twice per week should suffice at first) and try to water early in the day so that plants will dry off before evening. This helps to reduce disease problems. Using drip or soaker hose irrigation is the best idea. Water is used more efficiently this way and the leaves don't get wet. Mulching can help to insure an even supply of moisture is available to the tomato plant. Try putting down a layer of newspaper 5 to 10 sheets thick between the rows (soak the papers in water first, so they won't blow away) and then cover the newspapers with dry grass clippings, bark mulch, etc. Something new in mulches is Burpee's Red Mulch. It's a reflective material that works like black plastic to warm the soil early in the season, and it increases production of top quality early tomatoes.

Harvesting Tomatoes

Tomato & vegetable blossom set spray speeds harvest and increases yields. All-natural, ready to use spray-on has Biological Grow Power to promote blossom set and fruit development. Nearly every blossom will produce faster, larger, meatier fruit - ripening up to 3 weeks earlier! Determinate tomato plants ripen a heavy crop over a few weeks. Indeterminate varieties bear fruit continuously till frost. Remember that the days to harvest refers to the time from setting out transplants in the garden. Pick tomatoes regularly to avoid overloading plants.