Unlock the Secrets to Profitable Tomato Growing: Essential Tips You Need to Know!

Tomatoes belong to the family of Solanaceae. They are fruit vegetables, and they are grown in a variety of altitudes. The crop needs a warm climate (high temperature and moderate rains). Tomatoes do not require highly humid conditions, and carbon dioxide conditions are encouraged, they grow well in nearly all types of soil but light well-drained soil with a good supply of organic matter is the best.

The most popular tomato varieties include Globe, Beefsteak, Cherry, Plum, Oxheart, Big Beef, Big Boy Hybrid Tomato, Celebrity Tomato, Early Girl Tomato, Grape Tomato, Jersey Tomato (Rutgers Tomato), and Juliet Tomato among others. The crop is raised either in seed boxes or in a nursery bed or directly in the main garden sometimes.

What You Need to Know About Tomato Growing

Tomatoes need at least 6 to 8 hours of sun to bring out their best flavors. You will need to stake, trellis, or cage most tomato plants to keep them off the ground. Decide on a support plan before you set out your plants, then add that support directly after planting. Give each plant enough room to grow.

Tomatoes thrive in rich, free-draining but moisture-retentive soil, so dig plenty of garden compost into the ground before planting. Choose your warmest, sunniest spot, sheltered from the wind. Plant tomatoes deeply, so the first set of leaves is just above the soil surface. Firm in, then water well.

Tomatoes are easy to grow, especially from seeds sown in warm conditions. If you plan to grow your tomatoes in a greenhouse, it's best to sow your seeds from late February to mid-March. If you plan to plant them outside, however, fill a small pot with seed compost and water it well, then sow three to four seeds on the surface. Cover with vermiculite and keep them around 18°C or 64°F, ideally in a heated propagator or under a clear plastic bag on a warm windowsill.

As soon as the seedlings appear (usually within a fortnight), uncover them and place them in as much light as possible to prevent them from growing too thin.

Potting of Tomatoes

Within a few weeks, tomato plants or seedlings should be transplanted into individual pots. Fill each small pot with compost and water thoroughly. Then, using a dibber or blunt stick, create a hole in the center of each pot.

Carefully lift each seedling by its rootball with the dibber and hold it by the leaf, not the delicate stem. Lower the seedling into the hole, and if it is leggy, bury it up to the first pair of leaves. Finally, gently firm the soil around the seedling.

Steps to follow if you are to grow tomatoes in pots.

1. Pick a good spot. Place pots where they'll receive at least six hours of sun.
2. Find the best tomatoes for you.
3. Choose the right pot.
4. Use premium quality potting soil.
5. Plant tomatoes properly.
6. Add support.
7. Cover the soil.
8. Water regularly.

Note: Keep the tomato seedling in the greenhouse or inside a well-lit windowsill where the temperature is always about 16ᵒC or 60ᵒF and watering should be done regularly. Then after about one month, your seedlings should be ready for transplanting to the main garden or final position as soon as they open the first flowers.

Watering of Tomatoes

Water newly planted tomatoes well to ensure the soil is moist and ideal for growing. Early in the growing season, water plants daily in the morning. As temperatures increase, you might need to water tomato plants twice a day. 

Watering should be done regularly to keep the soil or compost evenly moist since fluctuating moisture levels could cause problems to the tomato fruits for example splitting or blossom end rot.

Note: Watering your tomato plants properly is the key to tomato success. Too much water and too little could cause blossom end rot when the tomatoes turn black on the bottoms. Inconsistent watering can also cause blossom end rot, split tomatoes, and stressed plants.

Plants established in containers dry out quickly and for that, they may need watering daily in hot weather.

Feeding and Fertilizing Tomatoes

The available soil nutrients may not suffice, therefore, to enhance fruiting, it is recommended to feed plants in containers with potassium liquid fertilizer once the first fruits begin to swell and repeat every 10-14 days thereafter.

Fertilizing tomato plants with liquid serves a dual purpose - the absorption of nutrients through the roots and leaves. Organic fertilizers such as compost tea or worm-casting tea are excellent options for fertilizing plants.

Mulching Tomatoes

Mulching tomatoes should be done immediately after planting for the best results. Spread organic mulch evenly around the plant, leaving some space around the stem so that water can reach the roots easily. Anchor black or red plastic down around plants using earth anchor pins.

Garden compost or well-rotted manure can be used as mulch for tomatoes. However, it is important to leave some gaps around the base of the stem to prevent rotting. Alternatively, you can lay a thick layer of mulch over the soil around the tomato plants to retain moisture in the ground and prevent weed growth.

How to Improve Pollination in Tomato Growing

For tomatoes grown in a greenhouse, it is important to regularly open the vents to allow pollinators, such as insects, access to the flowers. If this is not sufficient, lightly tapping or shaking the fully open flowers can aid in pollen transfer within the misting flowers. Water also plays an important role in improving the pollination of tomatoes.

Although tomato flowers are typically wind-pollinated, the lack of air movement in a crowded greenhouse makes it difficult to ensure proper pollination. Therefore, growers have two options for pollinating their crops: mechanical pollination or maintaining hives of bumblebees in the greenhouse.

How to Prune Tomatoes

Simply remove the suckers. If they are less than two inches long, you can pinch them off with your fingers. For larger suckers, use a pair of clean gardening pruners.

Always disinfect your pruners with bleach before moving from one plant to another to prevent the spread of disease. Prune side stems below the first fruit cluster.

As a tomato plant matures, its lower leaves start to yellow. To prevent disease, improve the plant's appearance, and help it focus its energy on fruit production, pinch or prune the yellowed leaves.

Different types of tomatoes require different treatments. There are mainly two types of tomatoes: Cordon tomatoes and Bush tomatoes. Below are the methods to be used for each type.

a). Cordon Tomatoes

These are tomatoes that grow as tall, single-stemmed plants and the side shoots should be removed regularly for betterment.

b). Bush Tomatoes

These are more compact and the side shoots need to be removed. Bush tomatoes may or may not need support depending on how large they grow and the conditions of the stem that is to say if the stems are weak, they will need support but in case the stems are strong, then they will not need the support because they are strong enough to carry their fruits.

Note:

Cordon tomatoes require support in the form of either a tall sturdy cane or a vertical string coming down from overhead horizontal support, such as a greenhouse roof. Other types can be anchored in the soil under the plant's roof ball.

Tomatoes do not naturally cling to the supports or twine around them, so they must be attached by hand as they grow. If using cane support, simply tie the tomato's main stem to it at regular intervals as it grows.

If using vertical strings, gently wind the strings around the top of the supports. For plants with seven fruit trusses indoors or four trusses outdoors, remove the growing point of the main stem at two leaves above the top truss.

Tomato Pests

There are several pests and diseases that affect tomatoes, including spider mites, five-spotted hawk moths, white molds, red spider mites, flea beetles, hornworms, thrips, Colorado potato beetle, tomato spotted wilt virus, cutworms, late blight, brown marmorated stink bugs, caterpillars, root-knot nematodes, and tomato pinworm, among others.

a). American Cotton Bollworm

One of the main pests that affect tomatoes is the American cotton bollworm, also known as corn earworm, cotton bollworm, old world bollworm, or scarce bordered straw.

This highly polyphagous species belongs to the species Lepidoptera, family Noctuidea, and can attack about 183 host plants, including beans, maize, sorghum, tobacco, vegetables, legumes, and, of course, tomatoes. The larvae of the American cotton bollworm feed on a wide range of plants, such as leaves of weeds and many important alternative crops, and bore into the tomato fruit.

The symptoms of American cotton bollworm in tomatoes include grey spots on fruits, chlorotic spots on leaves, development of sooty mold, and shedding of buds.

To control this pest, one can use recommended pesticides, such as bacillus thuringiensis-based organic insecticides, or try going natural.

b). Late Blight

Late blight is another disease that affects tomatoes.

Its symptoms include small, water-soaked areas that rapidly enlarge to form purple-brown, oily-appearing blotches on leaves.

On the lower side of the leaves, wings of grayish-white mycelium and spore-forming structures may appear around the blotches. The entire leaves die out, and the infections quickly spread to petioles and young stems.

The infected fruits burn brown but remain firm unless infected by secondary decay organisms. Symptoms usually begin on the shoulders of the fruit because spores land on the fruit from above.

To manage and prevent late blight in tomatoes, one can remove any nearby volunteer tomatoes and potato plants and nightshades around the area, avoid using a sprinkler irrigation system, and use recommended fungicides if the disease appears during a time of the year when the same is likely or overhead irrigation is practiced.

One can also check seedlings during transport so that only plants free from late blight are transplanted to the main garden, grow tomato varieties that are resistant to certain races of late blight in areas where late blight is present, and practice crop rotation.

c). Bacterial wilt

Bacterial wilt is a potentially devastating disease that affects almost all Solanaceous crops, including tomatoes, caused by the soil-borne bacterium known as Ralstonia solanacearum.

It also affects a wide range of ornamentals in tropical and subtropical regions. Bacterial wilt develops more in high-temperature areas with a temperature above 85ᵒF and with moist soils.

The pathogen enters the plant through microscopic wounds caused by insects, cultivation, or during the transplanting of tomato seedlings of susceptible host plants with the presence of favorable disease conditions.

Here, the bacterium clogs the vascular tissues within the stem and prevents entry and movement of water and nutrients in the plant, causing the death of the plant.

Symptoms of bacterial wilt include a wilted appearance of the youngest leaves, sudden wilting, brown cankers at the base of the plant, root rot, and brown discoloration of the vascular tissue. The affected plant appears wilted in the afternoon and seems to recover overnight, but it finally becomes permanently wilted, and the plant dies. A fresh-out stem base, when placed in water, can show a stream of a white slimy substance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, growing tomatoes can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience for any gardener or farmer. By following the right techniques and providing the necessary care, you can ensure a bountiful harvest of delicious tomatoes. Remember to choose the right tomato varieties based on your preferences and growing conditions, whether it's for fresh consumption, canning, or sauces.

Proper soil preparation is crucial, as tomatoes thrive in rich, well-drained soil with a good supply of organic matter. Providing adequate sunlight, support, and watering is essential for their growth and development. Tomatoes require regular watering, especially during the hot summer months, but it's important to maintain consistent moisture levels to avoid issues such as blossom end rot or splitting.

To enhance fruiting, feeding, and fertilizing your tomato plants with organic options like compost tea or worm-casting tea can provide essential nutrients. Mulching around the plants helps retain moisture and suppress weed growth. Pruning techniques differ depending on the tomato type, so it's important to understand the specific requirements of cordon and bush tomatoes.

While tomatoes face various pests and diseases, such as the American cotton bollworm, late blight, and bacterial wilt, there are strategies to manage and prevent these issues. From selecting resistant varieties to practicing good hygiene and crop rotation, you can minimize the impact of pests and diseases on your tomato plants. Happy gardening!