Tomato Tips - repost

Do you want to have the biggest and sweetest tomatoes on the block? Here are a few basics to help you achieve that. Bury the tomato plants deeper than they were when you bought them, you can bury them all the way up to the top leaves. Your tomatoes will develop roots all along their stems. You can dig a really deep hole or simply dig a shallow furrow and lay the plant sideways. It will straighten up as it grows toward the sun. Just remember not to drive your stake or cage into the stem.

Pinch and remove suckers that develop in the V joint of two branches. They won’t bear fruit and the energy from these will now go to the rest of the plant. Do not over prune the plant. You can thin some leaves to allow the sun to reach the ripening fruit, but the leaves are photosynthesizing and creating the sugars that give flavor to your tomatoes.

Once the tomato plants is about 3 feet tall would be a good time to remove the leaves from the bottom foot of stem. This will help prevent fungus problems.

Enjoy your tomatoes and be sure to share with your neighbor!