Homegrown Tomatoes Taste Better!

May 26th, 2022

Taste The Flavour of Homegrown Tomatoes!

Grow The Best Tomatoes

The weather is almost warm enough to start thinking about putting tomatoes outside in the garden. If the night time temperatures are below 10 degrees Celcius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) you must provide some protection from the cold. You can do this by covering your tomatoes with plastic or a white cloth like our “Crop Cover” or “Frost Blanket”. When the night time low is above 10 degrees Celsius you can leave them uncovered.

Whether you are a seasoned tomato growing veteran or a new gardener here are a few tips to help you grow better tomatoes:

1. Tomatoes are heavy feeder, they are the teenage boys of the plant world. You should add manure and fertilizer to the soil before you plant.
2. When you plant the tomatoes, plant them deeper as new roots will develop along the stem helping your plants grow faster and stronger. (Except ‘Mighty Mato’ grafted Tomatoes, do not plant them below the graft)
3. Water regularly all summer, twice a week early in the season and daily during the summer months. Tomatoes that do not get regular water are more likely to develop diseases and are less likely to produce as much fruit. They also develop thicker skin if not watered properly.
4. Fertilize weekly with a water-soluble fertilizer like Miracle Gro Tomato Food 18-18-21 or monthly with a granular fertilizer like Evegro’s Vegetable and Tomato Food 10-15-19.
5. Add Lime to your soil before you plant and every month during the growing season. Lime helps balance the pH and provides Calcium and Magnesium to the plants.

Download our ‘Growing Tomatoes Guide’ at the link below.

Tomato Varieties

With so many varieties of Tomatoes to choose from here are a few varieties that perform well in our climate:

• Ball Extra Early – a medium-sized tomato that produces early
• Beefsteak – one of the largest tomatoes with lots of meaty flesh
• Early Girl – a medium-sized early producing variety
• Sungold – a golden cherry tomato
• Sweet 100 – an excellent small cherry tomato
• Sweet Million – a smaller version of the sweet 100 that produces an abundant crop
• Tumbler – a great cherry tomato for hanging baskets that produces all summer until frost
• Tomaccio – a super sweet grape type tomato that is great for making Sun-Dried Tomatoes

In addition to these varieties, you can choose from a selection of Heirloom Tomato varieties including:

• Brandywine – a large heirloom tomato
• Rainbow – a large beefsteak variety

Be sure to stake your tomatoes as they grow to give them support as the fruit matures. You can stake them up with a basic bamboo or cedar stake or buy a “Tomato Cage” that supports the leaves.

Other Edibles

Looking to grow other vegetables, herbs and edible plants? Visit the Edible Plants page on our website where we have lots of downloadable PDFs to help you get the most out of your edible garden!