Tomatoes - Six Easy Steps to Maximize Yields of Big Juicy Ones in Small Home Gardens

A chemist once told me to add Epsom salts to the soil where I set my tomato plants. It worked well to a large degree. Yet, other things can also be done to improve their overall yield. After growing tomatoes on a tiny plot for several years, I do six things to maximize my tomato yield. The plot itself is located in a sunlit place having adequate amounts of late-afternoon shade and an adequate water Supply.

Tomatoes - Six Easy Steps to Maximize Yields of Big Juicy Ones in Small Home Gardens

Tomatoes - Six Easy Steps to Maximize Yields of Big Juicy Ones in Small Home Gardens

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Tomatoes - Six Easy Steps to Maximize Yields of Big Juicy Ones in Small Home Gardens

Tomatoes - Six Easy Steps to Maximize Yields of Big Juicy Ones in Small Home Gardens

1. Have good soil. Make sure the plot soil is rich with compost and humus, and is self-draining as much as possible. Mix in grass, leaves, garbage, manure or whatever it takes to make it that way over time. The dirt should be easy to dig up, cultivate, and be resistant to becoming sticky, like clay.

2. When planting, add mixture of Epsom salts and basic fertilizer. When setting the starter plants, make the hole fairly deep, 8-to-10-inches, which is deep enough to bury the seedling or starter plant at least halfway into the dirt. Then, before setting the plant, add to the bottom of the hole one cup of a 1:1 mixture of off-the-shelf drug-store Epsom salts and basic granulated fertilizer (component ratio: 10-10-10 to 13-13-13). Add a shallow layer of soil. And then, set the plant atop it.

3. Set out four-to-six varieties. A variety of early to late producers not only ensures a long growing season, but it is also a defensive measure. If a bLight comes upon the plants, it probably will not damage all of them at once. The seasonal climate and personal taste could be considered when choosing varieties. Our Midwestern climate it fairly mild, and we like all tomatoes, from the cherry to beefsteak-types. Yet, our plot holds only six tomatoes.

4. Stake or cage the plants not too far apart. Large gardens easily allow the plants to be spread out by 36-inches or more. These lucky gardeners generally are master pruners as well. As a result, their well-spaced plants appear naked with highly visible easy-to-pluck fruits.

However, in small plots, the plants need to be spaced by 10-to-14-inches. Stake or cage them so they will grow upwards as much as possible. The idea is to make a tall heavy thicket of plants under whose foliage multiple fruits will grow, some of them not highly visible at first glance.

5. Aerate the roots. Tomato plants need at least 1½ -to-3-inches of water a week, which will pack the ground sLightly even though it is fairly porous. At least, twice a season, after the first green tomatoes have set on, use a garden fork to gently lift or crack the ground around each plant sLightly. To do that, sink the fork completely into the ground about 10-inches away from the plant on its far outside, and then pull back slightly on the handle just enough to make ground cracks around each plant. These small cracks allow air to reach the roots without disturbing any growth. They also allow a dilute solution of nitrogen-rich green-colored growth stimulator to reach the roots if applied then.

6. Pamper the plants slightly, but do not spoil them. Many things can be done to facilitate good tomato growth. But all of them might not be necessary. For example, egg shell can also be added to the starter-plant hole for calcium. But the magnesium in the Epsom salts is sufficient. Also, the powdering of the plant's blossoms with sulfur or other blight-insect repellents probably helps them produce. But, will not the next rain or hose watering wash them off? Additionally, the wind and rain shake the plants often enough, which is supposed to foster new blossoms. Does the gardener need to do it, too? Also, pruning the plants is an option, depending how much efficiency is needed. Still, much of the plant's energy goes into the fruits with or without it. Furthermore, adding dilute coffee or coffee-grounds to the ground helps control the acidity of the soil? But, does the soil acidity really change that much in one season?

These extra treatments probably help the overall growth. But, it could be just as important to treat the plants like they were your very own. One way to do that is to spray the whole plants gently with cool water in the evening. Another way is to use the green autumn fruits that do not have time to ripen, and to not throw them away. Several recipes show us how to pickle or fry green tomatoes. Both products are delicious bounty resulting from doing the  six recommended steps above.

Tomatoes - Six Easy Steps to Maximize Yields of Big Juicy Ones in Small Home Gardens

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