Tomatoes
are one of the most commonly used vegetables in the
kitchen. We use them for making meatball spaghetti
sauce. We toss them with leafy greens, carrots, and
onions to make a vegetable salad. We slice them for
sandwiches. We even eat them whole right off of the
vine!
Because they are used for so many kinds of treats, it's convenient
to grow them in our home gardens.
Tomatoes are among the easiest vegetables to grow. Anyone can do it
successfully by following basic
tomato growing rules. One of these rules is to
always stake the plants you're growing.
Another is to water only the bottom of the tomato
plant rather than the whole plant. Wet plants are
more susceptible to burn and dry up rather than dry
ones.
Garden lovers and salad eaters know that there are many different
types of tomatoes. Selecting the right variety for your
taste, your available garden space, and your family size
are a few important considerations.
Some tomato
plants stop growing after they reach 3 feet.
These are
the
determinate types. Indeterminate types grow
as high you'll let them. If you have a lot of space
in your garden, try the indeterminate type. If you
only have limited space, then try the determinate
types like sunbeam or cherry tomatoes.
To start planting with seedlings, place each seedling in the
plot 3 to 4 inches apart. After four weeks, check the
plant growth. Make sure that lateral side growths from
the leaf axils are removed. Keep the healthiest and most
vigorous plants and pull out the others.
Tomatoes need at least 1 or more feet between plants. To be more
effective, make it 2 feet for plants that are on stakes
and in cages. Avoid planting them too close to one
another. If tomatoes are spaced too closely they are
more likely to grow less fruit and can get more
diseases. Don't let them spread on the ground.
On the sixth week, the tomatoes will start to flower. When the
first flowers appear, add some organic based fertilizer
to keep the plants healthy. Six weeks later, you'll be
able to harvest tomatoes that are fully ripe.
It's necessary for vegetable gardens to get a lot of sunlight. The
fruits of tomatoes need at least 7 hours of direct
sunlight just like any other plants that bears
fruit. Fruit bearing plants need a lot of energy -
that energy comes mainly from the sun. Less sunlight
means less fruit.
Tomatoes need a balance of everything - equal amounts of
fertilizers like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Choose fertilizers that are prepared for tomatoes
and follow the instructions for best results.
Lastly, it's your choice to prune or not prune your tomato
plants. If you want to have bigger fruit then a
slight pruning is acceptable. However, it will result in
less fruit production as compared to choosing not to
prune. It's your choice to make.
Tomatoes, spring onions, and carrots are almost
always used in everyday cooking. Having
them in your own backyard is easy. They also will cut
down your food costs. So in planning for your home
vegetable garden, consider including them in your list.
Spring onions aren't only capable of bringing more life to a
dish, they are also easy to
grow and maintain in your garden. In starting to grow
them, each seedling root has
to be trimmed down to about 2 inches. Place
seedlings in a 2 to 3 inch furrow and cover with
soil.
After a few days, seedlings will be seen standing upright. After a
month, trim down the seedlings. Use the trimmings as a
replacement for chives. In addition, start planting a
succession in order to have a continuous supply of
spring onions. A few weeks later, you will be able to
enjoy your bountiful harvest.
Carrots are another easy-to-grow vegetable. When planting
carrots, make a mixture of carrot seeds and light
friable soil. This mix should then be sown about 1/2
inch below the surface. To cover the furrows, place some
compost on top of the mixture and gently add water. Keep
dampening the soil with water for two to three weeks. In
this period, seedling will emerge. On the fifth week,
thin the young seedling to 2 inches from the next
seedling. Do this when they reach the height
of about 2 inches.
When the seedlings are 6 or 7 inches tall, thin them down to 3 or 4
inches apart. On the twelfth week, your carrots will be
ready for harvesting.
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Some tomato
plants stop growing after they reach 3 feet. 
Lastly, it's your choice to prune or not prune your tomato
plants. If you want to have bigger fruit then a
slight pruning is acceptable. However, it will result in
less fruit production as compared to choosing not to
prune. It's your choice to make. 
