A Guide to Growing tomatoes
The Secret to Success: Ensure the soil is warm. Warm up your soil by covering it with black plastic a few weeks prior to planting. Those extra degrees will translate into earlier tomatoes. If you are planting in a pot or growbag, put a sheet of aeroboard/polystyrene underneath. This is a much warmer environment for the root system by creating a barrier between cold soil and roots (and also a great way to re-use aeroboard). An exception to the rule, tomatoes can be buried deeper than they come in the pot – all the way up to the first few leaves. Tomatoes are able to develop roots all along their stems. If you can't dig a deeper hole, simply dig a shallow tunnel and lay the plant sideways. It will straighten up and grow towards the light! Pinch and side shoot tomatoes regularly. Remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches (picture) Mulch your tomatoes after the soil has had a chance to warm up. As tomatoes love heat. Mulching conserves moisture and pr