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How to Grow Tomatoes
By
Michael Russell
In this article we're going to discuss the planting of tomatoes. This isn't
 something to try if you're new to gardening. Tomatoes need special care.
To begin with, tomatoes need a minimum of six to eight hours of sunlight each
day to grow well, and full sunlight is recommended especially if you live in the
more northern cooler climates.
The soil should be well drained with a pH of around 6.0 to 6.8 in cooler
climates. Plant your tomatoes in the spring well after the last frost and frost
danger is past. Of course there is always going to be that freaky April day
where temperatures dip below 32 but these days will be very rare. In hot
climates, try to plant your tomatoes when temperatures begin to drop in the
early fall.
The tools and materials you're going to need for planting your tomatoes are
compost, a trowel, garden fork or tiller, plant supports such as cages and
stakes, and plant ties.
First thing you'll need to do is prepare the plants. In order to harden
transplants to the elements, give them at least a week to ten days of transition
time between indoor and outdoor growing conditions. Start off by placing the
plants in dappled shade and make sure they're protected from strong winds. Make
sure you bring them in the house at night. As time goes by, gradually give them
more exposure to the sun and wind. Eventually you'll be able to leave them out
overnight. If it looks like there is going to be a frost, bring them back
inside.
Next thing you have to do is prepare the soil. Mix the soil with composted
manure until it's loose for at least six to eight inches into the ground. Mix
the soil with a rototiller or garden fork. Test the pH of the soil. If the test
shows that the pH needs to be adjusted, add limestone or sulfur as is needed.
After the soil is prepared, you can transplant. Bury the tomato stems up to
the plant's second set of leaves, digging a ten to eighteen inch deep hole, if
you need to. Fill up the hole with amended soil. Eventually, roots will form
along the buried stem. Wrap a newspaper collar around the stems to protect the
plants from cutworms.
Finally, you need to install support. You'll have a number of options for
staking tomatoes. There is however, one method that is most common. In this
method you'll position wire cages over the plants. Use five feet tall galvanized
wire mesh and make cages twelve to thirty inches in diameter. You're going to
need about three feet of mesh for every foot of diameter. Fasten the cages to
short stakes driven into the ground so that they don't fall over.
Some tips about growing your tomatoes. For one thing, they'll usually stop
growing at a certain height but some varieties grow taller than others. Dwarf
varieties grow only 2 to 3 feet tall and will give you cherry-tomato-sized
fruits. Keep your tomatoes well watered through the growing season so you don't
end up with disfigured fruits. Finally, fertilize very carefully. Too much
nitrogen will give you more foliage than fruit.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to
Gardening
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell
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