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Want to grow AWESOME tomatoes! Here are my 10 tips for the best ever tomatoes.
1) Choose EXCELLENT varieties! When choosing varieties, look for exceptional or outstanding flavors. None of this simply "good" or "generally reliable". Choose AMAZING! Nothing is worse than a gorgeous-looking homegrown tomato that just tastes like water. Other traits I take into consideration: high nutrient density, brilliant colors (there's a reason we love color... did you know that the dark black/purple blush on some tomato varieties is the presence of the same type of antioxidant that is found in blueberries?!?), disease resistance, organic seed (which is more adapted to working well with beneficial microbes in a living soil) and vigorous or productive.
NOTE: If growing tomatoes in a container or other small space, you might consider looking for compact or determinate varieties which tend to be smaller, more manageable plants and have a predetermined # of fruits and leaves and do not need to be pruned or heavily trellised. One place I recently became aware in California is Wild Boar Farms https://wildboarfarms.com/ where a farmer breeds his own new, wild-looking tomato varieties for exceptional flavor and color. Sourcing from seed companies near you is also an excellent way to go.
2) Plant seeds early (but not too early!) in good-quality potting soil. I like to seed my tomatoes early indoors or in a greenhouse around 6-8 weeks before the last estimated frost date. It's easy to get overly excited and plant too many seeds too close together TOO early. Space out your seeds. And later space out your plants to give them room to grow. I use strip trays for early planting and space the seeds at least 1 inch apart. For fewer tomatoes, it's even better to give them more room! Planting them too much earlier only sentences your plants to sitting around in too small containers for too long, stunting their roots as they wait for the soils to warm up enough to be planted outdoors and thrive!
NOTE: Choose a quality organic potting soil that holds water and has some mineral nutrition. I love potting mixes that include kelp, granite or basalt rocks dusts, crushed shells or mineral rich clays, for example. A great one near me is Coast of Maine Potting Soil. Organic Mechanics (PA) is an example of a potting soil supply company that has eliminated peat moss and instead uses the more sustainably-sourced coconut coir to add air, lightness and water-holding capacity. A low quality potting soil can dry out too fast and produce scrappy, struggling plants! Give your young plants high quality soil in the early stages of their life, especially if they will be growing entirely in containers on a porch or roofdeck.
3) Add beneficial microbes to your seeds. Add beneficial microbes to your seeds at planting to ensure they have a good "gut microbiome" underground in the soil at their root tips. My favorite way to ensure an AWESOME start is to add a beneficial powdered microbial inoculant (includes multiple species of beneficial bacteria and fungi! the more the better!) and worm castings (aka: worm poop... it's more exciting than it sounds...). A little pinch of inoculant powder over the seeds and a sprinkle of worm castings on top the potting soil at planting is an excellent way to set up a robust and thriving seedling.
4) Keep seeds moist and warm. Tomato seeds need heat to germinate or sprout. I often plant lots of seeds in what is called a "strip tray" with a cover on top to keep them moist, then I put this tray with all my seeds planted in one place on a heated mat. A radiator, the top of the refrigerator, a heated floor, a bread proofing drawer, or an electric blanket are all creatives ways to ensure that the moist seeds get enough warmth to sprout successfully. I also do this with peppers and eggplants which also need heat to sprout. Without heat, the plants often struggle to emerge... tomatoes really do not like chilly soils... EVER.
5) Ensure enough light in the early days. Make sure your seedlings have enough sunlight! Sunlight fuels their little "solar panels" that capture the energy needed to form good roots and strong, robust stems. A common mistake when growing inside is to not give your new seedlings enough light. Try for at LEAST 6 hours of direct sunlight... and if you can't get that, add a grow light to supplement or fully cover the light needs of your plant to give it a strong foundation. No leggy, spindly, light-starved seedlings for you! Remember, these are the BEST DARN TOMATOES! Start them right! Just remember using grow lights isn't nearly as efficient as actual sunlight so you will need more hours per day like 12-14 hours with a grow light. A timer connected to your grow light is a great way to do this. I like to set my timer to come on at night to avoid peak electricity times.
6) Provide big pots/containers to support healthy roots. Once your tomatoes grow their first set of true leaves they are ready to be "potted up". Gently tease apart the roots and place individuals into larger pots containers. Deeper containers allow the roots room to grow, expand and create a healthy and full root "scaffold" underground that supports the leaves and ultimately the fruit aboveground. Bigger pots also can hold more water allowing you to water less. Just remember, DON'T OVERWATER!! Keep seedlings a little on the dry side (aka: let the soil lightly dry out between waterings) and AVOID letting them sit in wet or soggy soils.
NOTE: If you want to be a soil nerd... you can use a soil moisture probe to see if the bottom of your containers are too wet. Another reason to get good quality potting soil is that it tends to hold moisture more evenly!
7) Support with micronutrients and trace elements. Any time you replant or pot up your plants, add a good tablespoon of the most epic nutrient blend you can to support your plants. Mix that tablespoon of AWESOME (!!) with a small handful of quality compost or worm castings for best results. My nutrient dense blend that I custom mix contains A LOT of micronutrients and trace elements that are essential for plant health yet needed only in TINY amounts. Some excellent micronutrient-rich sources are: greensand, azomite, basalt or granite rock dusts, kelp meal or other seaweed blends, wollastonite, carbonatite, desert dynamin, soft rock phosphate, and aragonite.
NOTE: My personal recipe contains the following: 1 part each of Kelp meal, aragonite, brix blend basalt dust, azomite, gypsum and elemental sulfur blend, alfalfa meal (great soil builder!), 'Seed Start' and/or 'Pro-Gro' from North Country Organics (an all-purpose organic fertilizer blend), greensand, humates, biochar, and worm castings. I usually measure about 1 part of each of these listed above, measured with a quart size yogurt tub and blend together. Optional, but I do add in 2-3 tablespoon of Borax (source of Boron) to the entire 12 quart mix and blend evenly.
2nd NOTE: If you can't get all these awesome amendments, don't worry! Just pick 2-3 micronutrient sources and blend together with an all-purpose fertilizer blend to make your own mix. A good quality organic fertilizer blend may even include these micronutrient-rich ingredients - just check the label! Add 1-2 tablespoons per plant (or otherwise directed on label) to each plant along with some compost when you replant or pot up. I add this amount again 1-3 times during the growing season around the base of the plant to support the plant throughout the season.
8) Use a liquid kelp or other fermented plant extracts for support throughout the season. My favorite option is a few tablespoons of liquid kelp and a few drops of humic acid into a watering can that I use to water over new seedlings as they grow. I will water the plants with this gentle support once every 1 or 2 weeks. If you want to try making your own liquid mineral supports, there's an excellent book called The Regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments: by Nigel Palmer that gives some great ideas making your own liquid fertilizer from local sources like nettles, carrot tops and lactic acid bacteria. Or you can just buy a good liquid kelp (I often Netpune's Harvest) or similar organic fertilizer. Just avoid synthetic fertilizers like Miracle-Gro which can drastically compromise longterm soil health.
NOTE: Why fertilizer so often? Plants need a lot of support while ramping up to produce enormous quantities of nutrient dense and high quality fruits! And we pull out tons of "nutrients" simply by harvesting. Put "plant care" in your calendar and be regular with supporting them with mineral and biological nutrition. They will surprise you by producing more fruit of higher quality AND be better at resisting disease AND grow much later into the season than a plant that doesn't get your loving support and care.
Humic acid is an excellent additive paired alongside liquid fertilizers and micronutrients- it helps minerals "stick" in the soil instead of washing away. It typically comes in a large container, so I pour some into a repurposed bottle with dropper to make it easier to use a few drops at a time in a small watering can!
9) Prevent disease and improve production with good management. My three basic management tools are: pruning, don't-touch-the-leaves-when-wet, and using a milk spray
Prune "suckers" on indeterminate tomatoes. While determinate tomatoes do not need to be pruned (they are usually labeled as determinate or listed as compact, upright, or containers plants) indeterminate tomatoes benefit from being pruned. Pruning is a good way to manage indeterminate tomatoes that have gone wild or aren't producing by keeping them focused on producing fruit instead of too much green growth.
If you want to see pruning in action, check out this short video I did on exactly how to prune tomato suckers:
Don't touch the leaves when wet. Avoid getting the leaves wet unnecessarily with overhead sprinkles (water low with a hose or watering can or drip irrigation if you can!). Excessive water and moisture on the leaves allows disease spores and bacteria to infect the leaf. A strong tomato can resist it, yet practicing good management is a way to avoid giving these diseases an edge.
Use a Milk Spray: If you see spots or blight on your tomatoes or a garden near you has it, you can use a homemade milk spray to prevent further spread. Remove infected leaves from the plant when leaves are dry to avoid infecting new leaves. Spray the entire plant with a milk spray (recipe I use below) and let it dry on the leaves. The drying of the milk "sterilizes the surface of the leaf" and supports your plant.
Milk spray recipe: 1 part milk to at least 4 parts water in a spray bottle. Add a small pinch of baking soda. Shake and apply. Store in the fridge and apply weekly as needed if disease (leaf spot or blight) is present. Or if the weather becomes very wet and disease is likely. It still works if milk sours just avoid clumps or heavy residue on leaves. It's a simple, yet effective technique!
10) Keep up with the harvest. The more you harvest, the more your plant will produce. Too many overripe fruits left on the plant signals that the plant's job producing seed is complete and can trigger it to stop or slow production. To keep the harvest coming and prevent any issues ... eh-hem, fruit flies... keep picking the the fruits and remove others that are past their prime. Plus, if you are going to grow SO MANY tomatoes, find a creative way to keep up with the bounty those BEST DARN TOMATOES!
NOTE: The "bounty" continues long after the plant is done for your hardworking soil microbes! Leave that beautiful root structure underground and protect the soil surface with a cover of dried leaves, hay or mulch over the winter to continue to feed your partners in growing: the soil microbes! Chomp. Chomp. Yum. Yum. Those microbes will love you!! Plus, in return, they will set you up with an increasingly awesome soil for the next season.
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