NW Organic Farm Blog

There is nothing better than tugging on your first tomatoes of the season and feeling the fruit give way from the vine.   Gardening is hard work, yet the produce of your labors can be fun and truly rewarding.  

Before planting your tomato plants, be sure to pick a spot which will receive at least eight hours of sun a day.  Also choose soil which is well drained and will keep the roots dry except for when you are feeding your plants.  Soil not well drained may foster an environment for root-rot and other diseases.   A tomato plant needs only an inch of water per week.   

If you have purchased a tomato plant at least ten weeks old, typically at this stage of growth (green umbrella-type foliage) your plant will do well with little nitrogen.  Many gardeners make the mistake of adding too hot of compost or green manure, which is too high in nitrogen.  We have seen many farmers and gardeners who produce big stocky tomato plants with massive vegetation, yet their plants produce little fruit.  This is because the myth is that tomato plants need nitrogen.  Again, if you are planting a ten-week-old plant, the real concern for your plant to properly bloom and produce fruit is to focus on adding calcium, phosphorous, manganese and other elements, which we will get into in the next blog.

Happy Planting!