9 Tips and Tricks to Make Tomato Plants Produce More
Inside: Use these 9 expert tips to help your tomato plants produce more! Maximize fruit production for a healthier, more abundant harvest this summer.
Tomatoes are one of the most popular crops for gardeners and for good reason. There's nothing quite like enjoying the flavor of a homegrown tomato. But getting the most out of your tomato plants takes more than just planting seeds and waiting. By applying specific techniques, you can boost your plants' fruit production and enjoy a more bountiful harvest. Here are nine proven tips to help you get the most tomatoes from your garden.
Choose the Right Tomato Variety
Not all tomatoes are created equal. Selecting the right type for your garden and goals can have a big impact on your tomato production.
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Understanding Determinate Tomatoes vs. Indeterminate Tomatoes Varieties
Before you choose your tomato plants, consider how determinate and indeterminate varieties differ.
Determinate tomatoes grow to a fixed size, produce their fruit all at once, and then stop. This can be ideal if you’re looking to can or preserve large batches at a time. Here are some examples of determinate tomato plants:
- Roma
- Rutgers
- Big Beef
- Bush Beefsteak
- Tasmanian Chocolate
- Zebra Cherry Tomatoes
- Big Boys
Indeterminate tomatoes, on the other hand, continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the season. They’re perfect if you want a steady supply of fresh tomatoes over several months. Here are some examples of indeterminate tomato plants:
- Sun Gold
- Beefsteak
- Black Cherry
- Sweet Million
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Brandywine
- Cherokee Purple
Opt for High-Yield Tomato Crop Varieties
If your goal is maximum production, why not start with varieties known for their heavy yields? Some high-yield favorites include Roma, Super Sweet 100, Sun Gold, and Big Boy. These varieties are bred to produce plenty of tomatoes, giving you a great foundation for a productive season.
Optimize Soil Quality
Healthy soil is the backbone of any productive garden. Tomatoes thrive in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil, so giving your plants the right environment is crucial.
Soil Tests and Amending Soil pH Levels
Tomatoes prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. Testing your soil with a simple pH kit is easy, and it’s worth doing to ensure your plants can absorb nutrients effectively. If your soil is too acidic, adding lime can help. If it’s too alkaline, sulfur or organic matter like compost can bring things back into balance.
Incorporate Organic Matter
Rich, fertile soil doesn’t happen by chance. Adding organic matter like compost, aged manure, or peat moss can improve soil texture and fertility. Organic matter not only provides essential nutrients but also helps retain moisture and encourages a healthy population of beneficial microbes.
Practice Proper Spacing and Pruning
Crowded tomato plants lead to less airflow and more disease. Strategic spacing and pruning improve plant health and increase productivity. Sufficient space is crucial, and something that a novice tomato grower might not remember to take into consideration. It is something that I have struggled with in the past. New transplants need to be spaced out with their full growth taken into consideration. Different tomato varieties require different spacing needs for healthy plants.
Maintain Adequate Plant Spacing
Tomato plants need room to breathe. Space tomato seedlings 18-24 inches apart for determinate varieties, and at least 24-36 inches apart for indeterminate ones. Wider spacing allows better air circulation, reducing the risk of fungal diseases like blight and encouraging stronger growth.
Prune Suckers for Better Energy Allocation
Suckers are the small shoots that often grow between the main stem and a branch. While they don’t harm the plant, they drain energy that could go toward fruit production. By pinching off suckers, especially on indeterminate plants, you can help your plant focus on growing larger, healthier fruit.
I also remove the lower leaves, that grow on the lower stem. These are leaves or branches that are going to get wet, and dirt while watering, it can help to prevent disease and help with airflow, and help your tomato plants produce more.
But try to limit removing lots of leaves, too much pruning isn't good either, as tomato plants like their leaves.
Feed Your Plants Regularly
Tomatoes are hungry plants, and feeding them properly throughout their growth stages is key to high yields.
Use Balanced Fertilizers
At the start of the season, use a fertilizer with a balanced N-P-K ratio, like 10-10-10, to promote strong growth. Once the plants start flowering, switch to a fertilizer with higher phosphorus and potassium (like 5-10-10) to encourage fruit production.
Last summer I started using organic fertilizer mixed with topsoil, and after a week of adding it to my raised garden beds at the base of the plants, there was a noticeable difference in my plants. I am not a pusher of using organic materials or only using organic materials but I will be using it again this coming year for all of my plants.
I also like to use liquid fertilizer, I have a liquid fish fertilizer that I use every couple of weeks on all my plants!
Supplement with Micronutrients
Micronutrients like calcium and magnesium play a major role in preventing issues like blossom end rot and supporting healthy fruit development. Add calcium using crushed eggshells, if you have chickens you have really quick and easy access to eggshells, agricultural lime, or a calcium-rich fertilizer. For magnesium, a sprinkle of Epsom salt around the base of your plants can do wonders.
Water Consistently and Efficiently
Tomatoes need regular watering, but too much or too little can cause problems. Striking the right balance is essential.
Deep Watering Techniques
Tomato plants benefit from deep, infrequent watering. Instead of shallow, daily watering, aim to soak the soil 6-8 inches deep once or twice a week. This encourages your plants to grow deep, strong roots that can access moisture and nutrients more effectively.
Soaker hoses are a great way to get that deep soak a few times a week without having to carry water back and forth or stand there with a hose. Both of which I admit that I do, because I find it gives me a great chance to look for suckers growing on my tomato plants, and time to make use I have healthy tomato plants.
Avoid Overwatering
Overwatering does more harm than good. Too much water can lead to root rot, attract pests, and cause tomatoes to split. Monitor your soil’s moisture by pressing your finger into it—if the top inch feels dry, it’s time to water.
Harvesting Your Tomatoes
Ripe tomatoes are shiny and glossy. And, given a gentle squeeze, should have a bit of “give” to it. One can harvest tomatoes as soon as they start turning red, orange, yellow, or purple, and then allow them to ripen some more in the kitchen; however, it is also okay to leave tomatoes on the plant. But if you want your tomatoes to produce more tomatoes, harvest your tomatoes. Once they start to ripen and get really red, they are not going to become bigger tomatoes. They will split though and no one wants that.
It is ok to harvest still green tomatoes.
Read your tomato package, or look it up online. Learn how big your tomatoes should be, maybe they are smaller tomatoes and it's time to pluck them from the plant and make room for new growth.
Bonus Greenhouse Tips:
If you can not grow outside due to a short growing season because tomatoes prefer warm temperatures, just keep these things in mind:
If you are growing in a greenhouse, remember to watch your humidity. In high humidity, tomato pollen can get sticky and just never releases. The dreaded blossom drop is a concern at this point. Plants that were beautiful and full of flowers can, a couple of weeks later, lose their flowers and not produce any fruit.
High temperatures in your greenhouse can cause tomato plants to stop growing, produce fewer fruits, and drop their flowers. It's a good idea to open windows and add in fans to get the air flowing in and out of the greenhouse to get the temperatures down.
Proper watering can help lower temperatures too.
Getting your tomato plants to produce more isn’t complicated, but it does require some thoughtful care. By choosing the right varieties, and providing the best growing conditions you can, you’ll set yourself up for success. Keep an eye on your plants throughout the season, make adjustments as needed, and enjoy the rewards of your efforts with a harvest that’s sure to impress.
Frequently Asked Questions for Getting Tomato Plants Produce More
What affects the growth of tomato plants? Tomato plants will grow well in well-drained sites that receive full sun for most of the day. The soil pH should be slightly acidic (6.2 to 6.8). Excess nitrogen can result in plants with lush, vigorous foliage but little fruit production.
What are some common problems with tomatoes? Shading. Low nitrogen or potassium. Low magnesium. Preventative diseases.
How do you prune tomatoes to increase yield? If your goal is to maximize the harvest, prune suckers sparingly. A good compromise is to remove all suckers that grow below the first flower cluster.
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