It is always a good time to talk about the basics of planting tomatoes especially for those that have never planted them before. Some of the basics will help in achieving a plentiful tomato crop for the family to enjoy.
First things first; choose the type of tomatoes you want to grow in your garden. Next find the sunniest area of your garden that gets at least seven hours a day, or more, of sun unless you are living in a climate zone that gets very hot. If this is the case you may need to limit your plants to only about a half-day of sunshine. You want to work substantial amounts of organic material into your soil. At the same time add a general purpose vegetable fertilizer or the time-release version. Once this has been completed water the soil completely and then let it rest for least two days before you start planting your tomato plants.
Whenever you do any transplanting into your garden it should be done in late afternoon so the plants receive the cool of the evening in order to recover from shock due to transplanting. This also holds true for transplanting your tomato plants. When removing the plants from their original containers always leave an identical amount of root system and soil on each of the plants. The wells for planting your seedlings should be 2 to 3 feet apart but deeper than their original container. Your tomatoes will grow much better if you plant them quite deep; remove the lower leaves from the stem sink the stem and bury the plant within 2 to 3 inches from the leaves at the top of the plant. The section that you buried will develop its own root system and strengthen the plant. Once you have transplanted your tomatoes water them gently using a watering can with sprinkler head attachment. This same method of watering is to be done for the next five days after transplanting once a day.
It is always better to support your tomato plants at the same time that you transplant them. By inserting your stakes, ladders, or cages around your plants at the beginning will prevent damaging the roots or plant if added when they actually need them. Once you have the supports in place you can help guide the stems up and around the supports. You will also have cleaner tomatoes because they will all be up off the ground and onto the stakes.
Once your plants have become secure in their environs you want to water them deeply once a week. If you end up with a long heat spell your plants will need further irrigation. When your plants begin to set fruit, it would be a good idea to feed them a liquid fertilizer at least once a month.
You can spread black plastic mulch between the plants to help control the weed population. This will also speed the growth of your tomatoes. You just have to make sure that water will be able to pass through the mulch. You may experience the dreaded tomato worm, this worm can be controled by using products that contain Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt); this control does not harm any of the 'good' insects.
