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Helpful Tips for Tomato Gardening

Mrunal Belvalkar
So you like this juicy, tangy, bright red fruit and want to grow it in your own house - but you don't know how to go about it! What to do? Here are a few useful tips to get you started with your tomato garden...
Tomato - though now found all over the world - originated in South America. It is a juicy, tangy, bright red edible fruit that adds taste and color to your food. Apart from that, tomatoes also have several health benefits - they are a rich source of lycopene (a type of carotene) that act as natural antioxidants.
They are also rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin A. So if you have decided to grow tomatoes in your house, you have made a healthy choice! So how do you go about setting up a tomato garden? Here are some helpful tips.

Tomato Gardening

Pot or Plot

Tomato plants usually grow up to 1 to 3 meters tall. But they have a weak stem and need support. Tomatoes can hence be grown in a garden, in your backyard, or in pots as well.
While growing tomatoes in a garden, plant the seeds deep in the soil; in a trench. Tomato stems develop roots all the way. Plant the seeds in a windy patch in the garden, tomato plants grow stronger in wind! While growing tomatoes indoors, make sure the pot is large enough. Also potted plants need to be watered more frequently than garden plants.

Soil

Several types of 'soil' can be used in case of potted plants. Peat, compost, sand, vermiculite, and even charcoal maybe added to the pot. You can design your own optimum mix that gives you the right amount of porosity.
Tomato plants need a well-drained rooting medium. Lightweight soil works best and allows enough air to reach the roots.

Light

Tomato plants love sun! Ample amount of sunlight can give good healthy plants and yummy tomatoes! Make sure to plant tomato in the sunniest patch. Keep potted plants in the window getting maximum sunlight for longest period.

Water

Tomato plants need a lot of water but excess can cause damage! Potted plants need more water than garden plants. It would be good to check how wet the soil is before watering. Keep the plant hydrated the full day. Watering frequency varies according to the weather.

Fertilizer

Tomatoes are delicate plants and so fertilizing could be a good way to boost plant growth. Mulching can be done to retain the right amount of moisture and to avoid the plant from drying up! Organic tomato gardening is the best way to grow tomatoes.
Organic fertilizers provide with trace elements and micro-nutrients as well - something chemical fertilizers fail to do. One important tip is to avoid an excess of nitrogen supply - it tends to make the plants grow tall without bearing many fruits!

Pruning

Pruning tomatoes is important. The main things are to remove suckers and leaves that are dead or close to the ground. The plant grows just fine even if you don't prune it. Pruning is recommended as it protects the plant from diseases.

Pest Control

Fungi are the main culprits of tomato diseases, since tomatoes are acidic and have a high water content - both being prerequisites for fungal growth! Fungicide sprays maybe used to control fungi.
A great alternative is to use compost tea. Make sure no leaves or fruits of the plant touch the ground - this is the most common way in which tomato plants develop diseases.
Tomatoes enrich your food and health in more ways than one. Tomato gardening supplies are easily available in the market; there is nothing you need to grow tomatoes that is hard to acquire. Plus home-grown tomatoes undoubtedly taste better!
You can always be sure there are no chemicals on the tomatoes you're using in your food if they come from your own garden! They can go into a variety of recipes and really pamper your taste-buds! Hopefully these tips will keep your tomato garden green and growing! (Except the tomatoes of course - hope they turn out to be bright red!)