Common Mistakes to Avoid When Growing Tomatoes
8 July 2009 | BrianRS
When anyone is first starting out to grow tomatoes there are a few common mistakes that are very easy to make. Nearly everyone who has gone through this process will make some errors if they don’t do a little basic research first. To try and ensure that you are not re-inventing the wheel take note of these basic suggestions and make sure you do not get to the end of summer only to find there were some simple steps that could have helped you produce some lovely fresh tomatoes.
Selecting the right variety of plant is probably the first and most obvious thing you need to do, there are 2 basic types of tomatoes (3 if you want to be picky), which are vine or bush tomatoes.
Bush tomatoes stop growing when they reach a certain size and produce their fruit pretty much all at the same time. Vine tomato plants will just keep going and need to be controlled by pruning in order to make sure you produce good quality fruit over an extended period.
Make sure you select a sunny spot for your tomato plants, they will need a minimum of 6 hours and any less will hamper the production and ripening of the fruit.
Make sure the plants receive enough water, but don’t over water. Tomatoes like moist soil conditions and can’t be allowed to dry out. But keep them with persistently drenched feet and they will not be able to get the air from the soil to the roots and they will suffer as a result.
Keep your plants free of pests, whether you take an organic approach or use a pesticide it is essential to make sure that your plants do not get infested.
Disease also needs to be avoided and one of the most common sources for disease is the from the soil, keeping the lower part of the plant away from the soil by pruning or using a mulch barrier will greatly reduce the risk of disease.
Visit Good Tomato Growing for more tips and advice on tomato growing in a greenhouse and to get access to expert advice that could double or triple the size of your crop of tomatoes.
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