Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes!!

(Cherry Tomatoes, 11 Weeks from plant to Harvest)

     Everyone asks me when it comes to planting and caring for tomatoes, what are the best kind to do well in the desert. I always tell them, any variety you want can do well the trick is taking care of them and pruning the plant properly. I always prune the extra foliage, which was the technique passed down to me by my forefathers, in order to put the tomato plant into a form of stress. This stress will push the plant into producing more seed to ensure a future generation of crop will be available. When you do prune the plant, that specific site will be a future node for flowers to form. DO NOT throw away your foliage that is viable as a transplant. Simply shave a bit of the stem off and drop the plant in a bit of water so it can create fresh roots.

(Julietta and Caprese Tomatoes, 10 Weeks from plant to Harvest)

     Every single time I prune my vines that way I end up with an extremely healthy bountiful harvest, like in these photos. To ensure the plant continues its flowering and growth cycle I use another technique called "trench composting". What I do is find the main root mass in the earth and bury composting crops about 1-2 feet into the ground and bury it. This will ensure that the eggshells or rotting veggies with breakdown properly without any smell and that the plant will access these beneficial bacteria through their roots without having to stretch too far to find nutrients.

(Caprese Tomatoes, 10 weeks harvest from planting)

    I always say it is better to experiment with quantities of trench composting rather than not trying it at all. We all learn from mistakes and won't exceed our boundaries without a little experimentation and R&D. I hope this helped you with some information regarding how to care for tomatoes. Be on the lookout for plant care videos in the future. I promise I won't blast you with music this time :).

Happy Gardening!!

Farmer Jeff


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