How To Grow Bigger Tomatoes

March 14, 2015 by
Today I’m going to share with you the steps on how to grow bigger tomatoes.  Large, beefy, juicy tomatoes. You know the kind that makes you say, now this is what summer is all about.  Some of my heirloom tomatoes weigh up to 1 – 2 pounds each.  Let’s find out how you can grow them too!
Over the years, I’ve gardened by trial and error. I’ve become successful with growing tomatoes, garlic, onions, beans, peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, and watermelon over the years.  These items are the staple of my backyard vegetable gardening experience. 
how to grow bigger tomatoes

 

1.  Healthy Garden Soil –  Growing bigger tomatoes it starts with your soil.  I row garden on a 20 x 40 plot, so I till my garden and I till deeply.  Many gardeners use the lasagna method, turned soil method or raised beds because they don’t require tilling.  I proudly garden as my grandfather did.  Before the garden is tilled,  I recommend having your soil analyzed by your local County Extension Office, Agricultural Center.  They determine what nutrients are needed before planting my garden.  You can also purchase your own kit and analysis the soil yourself.  Different vegetables deplete the soil of nutrients like calcium or iron during the growing season.  Having the soil analyzed will help determine what you need to add to ensure you have a healthy garden.  Also, have the soil analyzed before adding fertilizer.      

 


Backyard Gardening

 


2. Organic compost – I use organic material to grow bigger tomatoes in my garden.  Many gardeners call it Black Gold.  I mix the compost into the soil before placing my tomato or peppers in the hole and side dress the plant with a nice helping of the same compost.  If you don’t have organic compost,  use dried crushed eggshells, crushed calcium pills and/or Epsom Salt in the hole before planting along with a dose of manure. The eggshells, calcium pills and Epsom Salt provide calcium to your plants.

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3.  Plant deeply – Another key to growing bigger tomatoes is to remove the bottom leaves from the tomato plant. Only the top leaves should be exposed as shown above.  You want your plant to have deep roots, so the deeper you plant the better.

 

 

 

Natural Garden Fertilizer

 

4.  Provide natural fertilizer – Coffee grounds are an excellent natural fertilizer for growing tomato and pepper plants. I mix a few tablespoons in with my organic compost, above, and side dress around the entire base of the plant. Coffee grounds attract earthworms.  Earthworms are great for aerating the soil, and keeps away snails and slugs which are detrimental to your plants. If you don’t have organic fertilizer, purchase Miracle Grow tomato fertilizer and spread around the base of your plants.

 

 

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5.  Weed Control – I use straw or leaves as a mulch.  I collect leaves in the fall to keep weeds down and to retain moisture. Keeping the weeds under control is important.  Weeds take energy away from your plant.
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6.  Companion Plant – I use marigolds between my tomatoes and pepper plants. Marigolds are great for pollination, which your plant needs to produce healthy fruit.
 
backyared vegetable garden tips
7.  Proper Spacing – You will need to reach around your plants for care and harvest.  So, make sure you give each plant adequate space. I create paths between my rows by layering newspaper or flatten cardboard boxes.  There’s a Dollar General near me, and they’re happy to share their boxes.  Once I have the paths made, I cover the newspaper or cardboard boxes with leaves or straw. This also reduces the amount of time that I spend weeding too. The paths should be at least 2 – 3 feet wide.
8.  Water and fertilize regularly – Add 2 teaspoons of Epsom Salt to a gallon of water and give your plants a good drink when you initially plant and regularly thereafter.  Be sure to water at the base of your plant only, you don’t want garden soil splashing on it. You can use a spray bottle to spritz the foliage of your plants with the Epsom Salt mixture too. Also works with peppers.  I found CVS Epsom Salt on sale last season for half price, so I purchased several cartons.  It will make enough spray to last through several growing season.
I hope you find my tips on growing bigger tomatoes helpful. Try them, and you will grow bigger and juicier tomatoes too. Be sure to subscribe to my blog for additional gardening tips and posts and follow me on social media.
 
You may also like:  How To Stake and Cage Tomatoes
                                         Planting and Harvesting Garlic

Related posts:

  1. Heirloom Tomatoes & Their Characteristics
  2. How To Stake Tomato Cages
  3. How To Blanch Tomatoes Before Freezing
  4. Heirloom Tomato Plants and My Lessons Learned
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Comments

  1. Mindie Dittemore says
    March 23, 2015 at 12:24 am

    Good advice. Our tomatoes, no matter what, just hate us LOL Thanks for sharing on the (mis)Adventures Mondays Blog Hop!

  2. Nancy Wolff says
    March 18, 2015 at 9:05 pm

    Very good advice, I started using Epsom Salts last year as well. Thank you for sharing your post on the HomeAcre Hop! Hope to see you again tomorrow!
    – Nancy
    On The Home Front

  3. Kc W says
    March 15, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    That is so interesting. I just read that it is good to give plumerias Epsom Salts so It will have to try it on both.

    • Rhonda Gales says
      March 17, 2015 at 1:35 am

      Hi Kc. I've been using Epsom Salt on my tomatoes for a few years, and it does make a difference. Try them on your plants and let me know what you think.