Hey there! I'm sure at this point in the spring your tomatoes are thriving! They really seem to just take off at this point. I wanted to give a few care tips that will help in getting the most out of your plants!
First things first. Your plant will need a minimum of 8 hours direct sun. Second, be sure to have a tomato cage. That support is 100% necessary so go ahead and get that while purchasing your plant. Okay! Now that we have those two things down let's chat about maintaining a healthy plant!
If left to their own growing, they will still grow fruit but will end up being large and bushy. Seems harmless but that can pose some pretty big problems! When they grow like that it doesn't allow for much airflow. Which leads to some fungus that will take your garden down quickly! Once there's fungus it's pretty hard to reverse.
The best tomato care starts with the beginning. Through research and experience, I've found a few tips that control growth and increase the harvest. Here we go!
x Planting. I always plant with Osmocote. There is one for vegetables! I just sprinkle a little in the hole before I place the plant. If it's already planted you can add it to the top of the soil as well.
x Pinching off suckers. what does this mean? Between a branch and the main stem, you'll find new growth sprouting in the 'V' shape. This needs to be pinched off. This helps reduce crowding and also encourages the plant to put its' energy into the fruit. In this video you'll see me identify a sucker and pinch it! The first one is larger the second one is smaller.
x Keep the base of the plant trimmed. I keep the bottom 4 inches trimmed up. The soil typically holds moisture. Which is good! But when the leaves are touching the ground there's a good chance the consistent moisture is a greenhouse for... fungus. So keeping the base trimmed could save your plant!
x Consistent watering. Mostly with quantity and location. A few days out of the week my sprinkler takes care of the watering. As it heats up I'll probably have to double water on those days. Always water at the base. This minimizes water on the leaves. When watering I leave the water there for about 10 seconds.
Just a side note: If you notice the fruit begins to get indentions almost like stretchmarks, it's from too much water at once. They're still edible so don't freak out! It's completely normal.
Okay! Those are my bits of advice! I hope the videos were helpful and happy growing!