How to care for tomatoes in open ground to ensure a good harvest

Tomatoes are one of the most common garden favorites. Many gardeners grow these vegetables: some even build special greenhouses for them (find out, How to grow tomatoes in greenhouses), some select the most interesting varieties and nurture the seedlings, while others sow directly into open ground and reap an excellent harvest. To ensure successful tomato growth, you need to know a few tricks. Our current publication explains the steps to properly grow tomatoes in open ground.

There are some vegetable crops that thrive without much human intervention: zucchini and pumpkins, for example, may not require much attention all season. But tomatoes are different: they require support to ensure strong growth and timely fruit development. Staking, pinching, fertilizing, and leaf removal are the basic steps that will help you grow a tomato crop!

Tying up tomatoes

Why tie up tomatoes? The answer is simple: to prevent the tomato plants from falling to the ground. Some gardeners prefer to grow "lying" tomatoes (in which case the plants literally lie on the ground), but this method risks ruining the fall harvest: the fruits can freeze too early or become infected with fungal diseases. To prevent this, tying up tomatoes is the traditional method.
When should tomato plants be staked? This is usually done when the plant has three to four strong leaves. However, there are tomato varieties that can be supported without staking. These are dwarf tomatoes, growing no taller than 30 cm.

How to tie up tomatoes? Prepare long but sturdy stakes, sharpened on one end (to make them easier to drive into the ground). Loosen the soil around the tomato plant, hilling it up to strengthen the trunk and bury even the smallest roots. Then, drive the stake into the ground about 15 cm from the plant, on its northeast side.

Tie the top of the tomato plant to the support with a thin rope, but don't tighten it too tightly. The rope can be simple twine, paper thread, or a strip of knitted fabric—anything you don't mind exposing yourself to rain and dirt. As the tomato plants grow, retie the ropes, raising them higher along with their tops.

Pinching out the side shoots of tomatoes

What is a side shoot on a tomato plant? A side shoot is a shoot growing from the junction of the primary leaf and the trunk of a tomato plant. It's a kind of "upstart" that grows very quickly and draws the plant's energy away from fruit development. Therefore, to ensure a large harvest, the number of side shoots on a plant is optimized by pinching them out. To do this, immediately after a side shoot is discovered, it is removed from the plant. This should be done throughout the summer.

By the way, find out, Which tomatoes grow in open ground without pinching?.

Watering and fertilizing tomatoes in the garden

Tomatoes require different watering frequencies in different climate zones and weather conditions. However, there's one clear rule: fill the entire planting hole with liquid; tomatoes are very thirsty. And on particularly hot days, mist their leaves with a spray bottle to prevent the plants from drying out from excess heat.

As for feeding, tomatoes prefer organic "cocktails." Once every two weeks, before watering, feed them with an infusion of fermented herbs (30 liters of water + 3 kg of nettles and other weeds) or fermented mullein (30 liters of water + 1 kg of mullein). Organic fertilizer should only fall into the holes and in no way touch the leaves, flowers or fruits of tomatoes!

Plucking off excess leaves

The fewer leaves a tomato plant has, the more fruit it will produce and the faster they will ripen. This is also evident in the example of side shoots, which hinder the development of small tomatoes. It's no wonder that to maintain tomato plants, not only side shoots but also leaves are often removed. In summer, it's common to pluck the lower leaves and any that have already dried out.

But in September (to ensure the harvest has time to ripen before frost), tomato plants are left almost completely bare—all leaves are plucked except for the very tops. This exposes the unripe fruits to sunlight, which accelerates ripening.
Now you know how to care for tomatoes outdoors to ensure a good harvest. Of course, this is most convenient if you live at your dacha, as your help may be needed quite often. But even if you only visit your dacha once a week, it's possible to grow a good tomato crop: be sure to remove any yellowed leaves from the bushes, and you'll be successful!