How to care for tomatoes in the open field, so that there is a good harvest

26.10.2016 Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the most common summer cottages. Many gardeners grow these vegetables: someone builds special greenhouses for them (find out how to grow tomatoes in greenhouses), someone selects the most interesting varieties and cherishes seedlings, and someone sows directly in the open ground and get an excellent harvest. In order for tomatoes to grow successfully, you need to know a few tricks. About what is the proper cultivation of tomatoes in open ground in the garden, our current publication.

There are vegetable crops that grow without special human intervention: for example, zucchini and pumpkins, your attention for the whole season may not be needed. But tomatoes are not one of those: they need to be maintained so that the bushes grow strong and the fruits are full of color on time. Tying, pinching, dressing and removing leaves - these are basic measures that will help you grow a tomato crop!

Tomato Tie

Why tie up tomatoes? The answer is simple: so that tomato bushes do not fall to the ground. Some gardeners prefer to grow “lying” tomatoes (in this case, the bushes literally lie on the ground), but in the fall this method risks spoiling the crop: the fruits may freeze too soon or become ill with fungal diseases. It is in order to prevent this from happening that it is customary to tie up tomatoes.
When do you need to tie up tomato bushes? Usually this is done when 3-4 strong leaves grow on a tomato bush. However, there are tomato varieties that can do without tying. These are dwarf tomatoes, growing no higher than 30 cm in height.

How to tie tomatoes? Prepare long but strong stakes sharpened on one side (to make it easier to hammer them into the ground). Loosen the ground around the tomato bush, spud it to strengthen the trunk and hide everything, even the smallest roots, under the ground. And then at a distance of about 15 cm from the bush, drive a peg into the ground from the northeast side of it.

Tie the top of the bush with a thin rope to the support, but do not tighten the bandage too much. An ordinary twine, a paper thread or a strip of knitted fabric can act as a rope here - something that will not be a pity to leave "ravaged" by rains and dirt. As the tomato bushes grow, tie the ropes - raise them higher along with the tops.

Herding tomatoes

Stepson on a tomato bush - what is it? A stepson is a process that grows from the junction of the primary leaf and the trunk of a tomato bush. This is a kind of “upstart”, which grows very quickly and pulls on itself the power of the bush, which could go on the development of the fruit. Therefore, to obtain a large crop, the number of processes on the bush is optimized - they make pinching. For this, immediately after the discovery of the stepson, he is torn from the bush. You need to do this throughout the summer.

By the way, find out what tomatoes grow in open ground without pinching.

Watering and feeding tomatoes in the garden

In different climatic zones and in different weather conditions, tomatoes are watered at different frequencies. However, there is one clear rule: you need to completely fill the entire hole in the bush with liquid: tomatoes are very fond of drinking. And on the hottest days, their leaves should be sprayed with water from a spray bottle - so that the plants do not dry out due to excess heat.

As for top dressing, tomatoes most of all like organic “cocktails”.Every two weeks, before watering, they need to be fed with infusion from fermented herbs (30 l of water + 3 kg of nettle and other weeds) or from fermented mullein (30 l of water + 1 kg of mullein). Organic top dressing must fall only in the holes and in no way touch the leaves, flowers or fruits of tomatoes!

Picking off excess leaves

The fewer leaves on a tomato bush - the more fruits he will give and the faster they will mature. This is also evident in the example of stepsons that prevent small tomatoes from developing. It is not surprising that not only stepsons, but also leaves are often cut off to maintain tomato bushes. In the summer, it is customary to pluck the lower leaves and those that have already dried out from the bushes.

But in September (in order for the crop to turn red before frost), the tomato bushes are left almost “bald” - they cut off all the leaves except the very top. Thus, unripe fruits "expose" under the sun's rays, accelerating the ripening of a tomato.
Now you know how to care for tomatoes in the open field, so that there is a good harvest. Of course, this is most convenient to do if you live in a country house, because your help may be needed quite often. But even if you come to the hacienda once a week, it is possible to grow a good tomato crop: be sure to remove the yellowed leaves from the bushes, and you will succeed!