Tomato Plants from Seedshow to grow tomato plants from seeds

A tomato plant doesn’t have to be ordinary, it can be grown as a highly-productive giant with a little knowledge of how it grows. You don’t need any special equipment or mail-order specialty plants to grow good tomatoes, either. I grow spectacular plants every year, using techniques I have stumbled on through trial and error.

If you are growing from seed, you need to get them started 6 to 8 weeks before time to set them out in the garden. This will mean starting them indoors, or in a hot-house, which is a separate issue altogether, so we will assume you have your plants in hand and ready to plant. Bigger is better when choosing plants, for you need to make the whole plant a root system. Tomatoes will grow roots from any part of the plant that touches the ground, this makes for the opportunity to grow Super-Plants.

The more root you have, the more portal for water and fertilizer, resulting in rapid, and unlimited growth. The end result is a spectacular harvest of large, delicious tomatoes. So, what I am going to tell you to do will seem harsh and frightening to most people, especially after purchasing nice bushy tomato plants!

Strip all the branches off, leaving only the top of the plant intact, this takes courage, but it will be alright in the end. Bury the plant all the way to the top, with just the top remaining above ground. Everything under-ground will become part of the root system, resulting in a high-yield plant. It will accept all the water and fertilizer you can throw at it, becoming a growing machine.

You can use compost, or other organic fertilizer around the base of the plant, but I tend to favor liquid fertilizer. Some are formulated for tomatoes, but I use an all-purpose(mix with water)powder fertilizer. Follow the directions, and apply about every two to three weeks. Also I spray the plants with calcium chloride every three to four weeks. This prevents blossom-end rot, and also increases the blossom-set, resulting in more tomatoes.

Tomatoes require full sun, and at least an inch of water a week, regular watering is critical to keep the plants healthy. They will need support, wooden stakes or wire cages are the two most common, however, you can invent your own method, if you desire. Some people pinch the suckers from their tomatoes, and I used to be one of these people. I have found that it is unnecessary, and decreases the yield substantially, so I leave them alone.

Mulch your plant(s) with a good layer of straw to help retain water, and also to control weeds. Keep an eye out for pests and disease, early detection is crucial to eliminating problems. If you follow these guidelines and tips, you should be enjoying tomatoes all summer long.

You can plant thirty tomato plants the old-fashioned way, and have plenty of tomatoes, or you can plant ten my way, and have the same. I used to plant twenty, thirty, even forty tomato plants every year to ensure enough fruit for eating, canning, etc. I started growing my tomatoes from seed a few years ago, and discovered along the way how to grow GIANT tomato plants with lots of GIANT TOMATOES on them.

The first year I started my seeds I started them a little early, and ended up with some 18 inch tomato plants by planting time. They were too big to plant the regular “dig a hole and stick it in there” way. So I dug shallow trenches about a foot long. I then stripped all the limbs off of these beautiful plants and left only the tops. I know that sounds harsh, but trust me on this.

I then planted them in the trenches horizontally, leaving only the tiny tops above ground. I placed small tomato cages over them to prevent them from being stepped on. After a thorough watering I mulched them with newspaper and wheat straw.

In no more than three days I noticed growth! It was absolutely amazing, you could see the difference from day to day. The buried stem became one huge main root with thousands of smaller roots growing off of it! The plant was able to accept all the water and fertilizer I could give it. I use a liquid fertilizer every two weeks, and also spray them with Calcium Chloride every two to three weeks. This prevents Blossom End Rot, and also causes the plants to set more tomatoes.

I replaced the small tomato cages with large ones made from concrete reinforcement wire. As they grew to the top of these cages I extended them with three wooden stakes wired to the sides of the cages. They grew to seven feet tall, and kept growing out of the top and down.

The crop was amazingly plentiful, each plant producing as much fruit as three or four regular tomato plants. I had twelve plants, but had enough tomatoes for eating, canning, freezing, and giving to friends and neighbors. Of course you don’t have to go to these extremes, but by planting your tomatoes deep, you can make a large crop in a small space.