Tomato Cultivation: A Complete Guide To Grow Tomatoes At Home

All homegrown food tastes delicious because of all the effort you have put in.  Tomatoes are a crucial part of a healthy and balanced diet since they are nutrient-rich. Lucky for us all, they are also easy to grow.

The good news is that you don’t need a huge garden to grow a batch of juicy tomatoes, even containers will do. All you need to do is choose your favorite variety and follow this guide!

Selecting Tomato Seeds

Paste Tomato, Cherry Tomato, San Marzano, Yellow Pear, Amish Paste, Black Krim, Cherokee Green, and Nepal are some of the popular varieties of tomato. However, all these varieties can be divided into determinate and indeterminate types of tomatoes. The determinate type of tomato plants produce shoots until flowers have blossomed on the vine but the indeterminate type form flowers along with the shoots and continue growing until the weather condition is no longer favorable.

The paste or plum tomato is mainly preferred for its high flesh content and low seed compartments. Cherry tomatoes, however, are perfect for salads, pizza, and pasta because they are flavorful. So if you are looking for juicy tomatoes, cherry tomatoes are best to grow.

Seed Starting and Germination

Tomatoes are summer vegetables and are usually grown between March to June. Plant the tomato seeds in small pots 3 to 4 inches deep in the soil. Tomatoes grow in any kind of soil except for the heavy clay soil. The pH level of the soil should range from 6 to 6.8.

The best temperature required for germination of tomato seeds ranges from 21 to 27 degrees Celsius. To get the best results, keep the plants in a warm and dark place. Seedlings generally appear in 10 to 14 days. Tomato seeds don’t require much watering till germination so mist the seedlings to keep the topsoil moist.

The seeds must be sown 6 to 8 weeks before you transplant them outside. Once your tomato seedlings are 5 to 6 inches in length, take them outside to a more spacious garden. Make sure to transplant it in a sunny spot so it gets at least 6 hours of sun.

Steps to Transplant Young Tomatoes

• Take a large container and mix a well-draining type of soil and compost. Pick out the healthiest plant from the bunch and pinch off the lowest branches of the plant to promote healthy stems.

• Gently loosen the root area of the young plant and lift it with some soil still attached to the roots. Place the plant inside the bigger container filled with potting soil and cover it with soil but leave parts of the stem outside.

• Water the young plants immediately after transplanting them and keep watering every two days to keep the topsoil moist.

Harvesting

You will start seeing the fruits appear within 60 to 75 days of transplanting.

Most tomato varieties are ready to be harvested by late summer or early spring. Check the ripeness; pluck the soft fruits by gently pulling them from the stem and enjoy!