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A Quick Guide in Planting Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one if not the easiest to grow in a vegetable garden. Anyone can do it if they know the basic rules of tomato growing. One of these rules is to always stake the plants you’re growing and to water only the bottom of the tomato plant rather than the whole plant. Wet plants are more susceptible to burn and dry up rather than dry ones.

Garden lovers or even salad eaters know that there are many different types of tomatoes and choosing the right variety is an important factor. Some tomato plants stop growing after 3 feet. These are the determinate types of tomatoes. Indeterminate types are those who grow as high you’ll let them. If you have a lot of space in your garden, then why not try the indeterminate type. If you only have limited space, then try the determinate types like sunbeam or cherry tomatoes.

Planting tomatoes too close to one another is avoided in vegetable gardening. Tomatoes need at least 1+ feet between plants. To be more effective, make it 2 feet for plants that are on stakes and cages. If tomatoes are spaced too closely they are more likely to grow less fruit and can get more diseases. Remember to maintain your tomatoes to not spread on the ground.

It is necessary in vegetable gardening to get a lot of sunlight. This means in planting your tomatoes, it is advised to plant them in an open area not in a shady spot. The fruits of tomatoes need at least 7 hours of direct sunlight just like any other plants that bears fruit. In plants that produces fruit, they need a lot of energy and getting that energy is mainly taken from the sun. Less sunlight means less fruit.

What tomatoes need is a balance of everything. This means equal amounts of its fertilizers like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It is best to choose the fertilizers that are a perfect fit for tomatoes. When buying one, follow the instructions for the best results.

Lastly, it’s your choice to prune or not prune your tomatoes in vegetable gardening. If you want to have bigger fruit then a slight pruning is acceptable. However, it will result in less fruit production as compared to choosing not to prune your plant. It’s all up to you on which choice to make.

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