Frugal Tomato Growing Tips For Your Best Crop Ever

Tomato plants will grow big and strong and reward you with an abundance of fruit if you follow these tips.

1. Plant your tomato plants where they will get at least 6 hours of sunlight.

2. Prepare your soil. If your soil is hard or clay, dig at least six inches down to prepare your garden. Plants need good soil to produce the tomatoes you want. Loosen the ground in your beds, remove any weeds, and add compost.

You can buy compost at any garden center. I like to use half compost and half manure, which you can also buy at any garden center. Mix the compost in with the loosened soil.

3. If you are planting in pots, use large pots. tomato plants need room to spread their roots. a pot size of 15' diameter or larger is the best. The pot must have drainage holes, and you should add some broken clay pieces or stones to the bottom of the pot to improve drainage.

4. Plant when the weather is warm and there is no danger of frost. Tomatoes need warmth and sunshine. Seeds should be started 6 weeks before you move them to your outdoor garden.

5. When you plant your tomato plants from seedlings or from nursery plants, plant them deep in the soil. You want to plant them deeper than they were when you transplant them to your soil or container. Space your plants 1 1/2 feet or more apart.

6. Water your new tomato plants every day. Once the plants begin to set fruit, cut back on the watering. An over-watered plant will produce tomatoes with very little flavor. During the extremely hot days of summer, your plants may look wilted at the end of the day from the heat. Wait until dusk and they will probably perk up on their own without additional water.

Do NOT water the leaves.

7. Stake and support your plants. You can buy tomato plant cages or stakes or make your own. If you do buy them, buy the largest and tallest cages or stakes available. I like to use 3 bamboo or wood poles and make a teepee, then use old pantyhose or nursery bands to tie the plants to the teepee. You can also make cages using concrete wire from the home improvement store. Some gardeners like to grow tomatoes along a fence or trellis and tie the plants.

8. Pinch your plants as they grow to produce fuller and stronger plants.

9. Feed your plants. you can use a compost bucket, the blood from packaged meat-sounds gross, but it works, store bought fertilizer, etc. If you want an easy and frugal fertilizer, look to your vacuum cleaner. Use the lint from your vacuum bags. It's full of dead skin, mites, and all kinds of goodies that your tomato plants will just eat up. Simply take a small amount, dig a trench and lay it around the plant, and water. Your plants will reward you with juicy and flavorful tomatoes.

10. Pick your tomatoes. Don't let them ripen too long, it uses your plant's energy. You want more fruit, so keep the plant strong and healthy. Also remove any sick looking leaves and be on the lookout for horn worms and snails. Check with a flashlight at night, wear rubber gloves, and remove the pests by hand.

11. If you smoke or use tobacco, do not touch the tomato until watching your hands. Tobacco is not a friend of the tomato, and you will get a sick looking plant.