How to Grow the Best Tomatoes

America loves big, juicy tomatoes. It is the most popular garden plant sold. People realize that when they grow their own tomatoes, they not only are bigger and have a deeper red color, but are juicier and have a better flavor.

It is not difficult to grow tomatoes. But it is important to know how to keep them healthy. As well as how and where to plant them.

Tomato plants should be started indoors and then transplanted into the garden when they are four to five inches tall. You can purchase tomato plants at any gardening store, but it is less expensive to start them yourself. A few days before planting them in your garden, set the new plants in the sun for a few hours everyday to get them used to being outdoors. They can be planted as soon as the temperature at night does not go below 55 degrees.

Place the tomatoes in an area that gets plenty of sunshine. The area can become shady as the day progresses. Tomatoes like sunshine, but not intense heat. They would not do well in full sunlight all day, especially when the temperature goes over 85 degrees. They can become scalded by the sun. This causes a toughening of the skin and discoloring of the tomato. They should be planted two to three feet apart from one another. The rows can be as big as you like, but make sure there is three feet separating them.

There are three ways to set tomato plants. The first being, letting the vines droop and fall on the ground. The second is staking up the vines. Last is attaching the vines to a trellis. Any method is acceptable. I prefer the last method.

It is true, that letting the vines fall out on the ground actually produces more yield. But you have to consider that a lot of that yield is lost due to puddlings on the ground. Yield can also be lost by tomatoes laying on the ground, becoming food for worms and insects. Staking tomatoes is a good idea when trying to keep them up and away from the ground. But they must be tied to a stake, and this can hurt the vines if not done properly. I like training my vines into a trellis. Using this method, the vines are undisturbed and not under any stress from being tied up. Even though I might not get the yield of letting my vines fall on the ground, most of the tomatoes will be healthier, bigger and free from blemishes.

Tomatoes that are trained on a stake or trellis should be pruned. Snip off any shoots that grow in the joints where the main leaf stems meet. These shoots take too much water and nutrients away from the plant.

When the tomato plants are done, twist them off the vine. Never cut or tug on the vines. You can also pick a tomato when it is not ripe. Just place it in a windowsill until it ripens up.

If you have an overabundance of tomatoes, you might want to give them away. Instead, consider either canning or drying them for future use.