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Here’s How To Grow Tomatoes That Are Juiciest, Most Flavor-Packed Ever

Allie

Thinking about growing a garden this year? Have you ever wanted to know the best way on how to grow tomatoes? Keep reading for step-by-step instructions on how to grow the best tomatoes in your garden.

I also want to share with you my favorite tiller for home use, a Mantis tiller, which I shared on Kids Activities Blog. Check it out!

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This article will go over planting the correct tomato variety and type for you, and then how to plant tomatoes for the strongest plants. This is how I plant the flavor-packed, juicy tomatoes. Here’s How To Grow Tomatoes For The Juiciest, Most Flavor Ever:

How To Grow The Best Tomatoes In Your Garden This Year

Growing tomatoes is actually very simple and easy to do. Tomatoes are one of the top vegetables to plant and they come in so many varieties that there is sure to be one that’s your favorite. 

Whether you’re a beginner gardener or you have many years of gardening under your belt, I love and own this gardening book myself. There are so many old school gardening tips and tricks inside!

Choose the Right Tomato For Your Home Garden

Tomatoes come in different sizes, shapes, and tolerances. In order to have the best chances of success, I am going to help you determine the right tomato variety to grow in your home garden.

Tomatoes come in so many different varieties and it is important to know which types of tomatoes will do best in your situation.

Some tomato varieties do great in containers as part of a patio garden, while others are best grown directly in the ground or in a raised bed.

Some tomatoes will grow large such as beefsteak varieties, and some tomatoes will ripen when they are quite small such as with cherry and pear tomatoes.

Heirloom varieties tend to come in a variety of unusual colors and textures. They are known for their imperfections and full flavor.

Also, some tomato varieties are great for slicing, some for cooking, and some for eating whole in a salad. I like to grow a little bit of each kind.

What’s the Difference Between Determinate and Indeterminate Tomatoes?

DETERMINATE

This goes along with size matters: there are two types of tomatoes plants and you need to make sure you are growing the proper type in your garden.

The first type grows determinate…which is the fancy way of saying that the plant grows to a certain size and then stops growing. The tomatoes ripen and then that’s the end of your tomato plant.

INDETERMINATE

The other type is indeterminate…which means that the tomatoes have no set size that they mature to as they just keep growing and growing under optimal growing conditions.

I like indeterminate tomato varieties best, because in North Texas I can grow two crops of tomatoes on just one plant. I’ll teach you in another blog post how I do that.

What is the best way to grow tomatoes?

CONTAINER GARDEN TOMATOES

Tomato plants can quickly get out of control and determinate plants stay more compact and bushy which makes determinate varieties the best choice for container gardens.

All of the tomatoes from determinate tomato plants will ripen within one to two weeks, typically. Determinate varieties are also good for short season areas.

My favorite tomato varieties for determinate types are celebrity, homestead heirloom, roma, and Tumbling Tom cherry tomato.

RAISED BED GARDEN

Indeterminate type tomato plants are best grown directly in the ground or in a raised bed. They need way more space than bush type tomato plants.

Many folks prefer to cage or stake these types of tomato plants, however some studies show that you will get a smaller harvest than if you allow your tomato vines to spread directly on the ground.

Another benefit of caging or staking tomato plants is that you lessen chances of disease and rot.

My favorite tomato varieties for indeterminate types are cherokee purple heirloom, indigo rose, lemon boy, yellow pear, and big boy.

What is the best time to grow tomatoes?

First you need to find out when your last frost date usually is. You can ask your extension office or even a gardening center when that date is.

Tomatoes are susceptible to frost and cold which means even a light freeze will kill them.

I plant my tomatoes about a week after the last frost date. Of course, if a late cold snaps comes, you can cover your plants to protect them from damage.

Tomatoes need lots of sunshine and adequate water. During the hot summer months you will need to supplement your tomatoes with extra water or your plants will suffer.

I’ve found that a garden sprinkler system works perfectly to keep tomatoes happy, healthy, and producing a huge crop. I love and use this system myself (affiliate):

Should I Buy Tomato Plants or Grow From Seed?

We usually buy our tomato plants from a local nursery, then we transplant the tomato plant into the garden bed.

You can also grow your own tomatoes from seed, but you will need to start a few weeks before your determined planting date so they will be big enough to transplant when it is time to plant.

You can also plant by seed directly in the garden, but you will lose about two months production time.

How to Grow Tomato Plants Step-by-Step

Once your garden area or container is prepared, then your tomato plant is ready to transplant into the garden.

Step 1 – Remove lower stems and leaves from transplant.

The first thing you need to do is gently pinch off the bottom stems of the plant so that only the top branches are remaining. The awesome thing about tomatoes is that they are actually vines and will root very easily. The purpose of removing all of the lower branches of your tomato plant is that it will grow a larger and stronger root system.

Step 2 – Dig a hole.

Next, dig a hole for your tomato plant that is as tall as the roots and all of the stem where you just removed the branches. Place the entire tomato plant into this hole, except the top branches.

Step 3 – Fill in the hole.

Then fill in the hole back with soil. If you have extra dirt, you can create a little wall in the shape of a circle (a berm) around the plant to hold water every time you water your tomato.

Step 4 – Water tomato plant thoroughly.

Now water your tomato plant thoroughly. Water every day for the first week, then every other day the second week, then twice a week after that.

You will need to water more frequently in hot weather and less frequently in wet weather. I know it looks like you just destroyed your plant, but trust me in about two weeks it will be as big, if not bigger, than when you bought your plant.

How To Grow The Best Tomatoes In Your Garden This Year

Tomatoes are a healthy choice for the home garden. Here’s how to grow tomatoes that are the juiciest and flavor-packed!

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Are you growing a garden this year? Let us know in the comments below.