Planting:

• If growing a few tomato plants, then they should be planted three feet away from any other plant in your garden, including other tomato plants.

• This will reduce the chances of diseases developing, and if plants are placed too close together, they will end up fighting for vital nutrients and so the quality and quantity of the fruit will suffer.

• If growing a larger quantity of tomato plants, in order to maximise space, place them 30 inches apart within the row and space the rows three to four feet apart.

• If the seedling is four to six inches tall, then measurement should be approximately eight to 12 inches (four to six inches of visible plant + four to six inches of container = eight to 12 inches total).

• Dig a hole two to three inches deeper than your measurement, and two times as wide as your container. This assures the soil will be loose and airy, giving your tomato seedlings plenty of room to grow and develop a good root system.

Watering and Fertilisation:

• If planted in light, sandy type soil, water every five to six days if no rain falls.

• If planted in heavier, clay-like soil, watering should be done every eight to 10 days if no rain falls.

• One inch of rain per week should eliminate the need for most watering.

• Go slow and steady when watering tomato plant. Avoid watering the tops of the plants, as this can encourage diseases to develop. Concentrate instead on the roots of the plant.

• Make sure not to overwater. A plant that has been overwatered may show similar symptoms to that of a plant that needs to be watered such as wilted leaves.

• If in doubt, it’s better to water too little than too much. If the bottom of the tomato plant turns yellow, it is a good indication that you are watering too much.

• Most all-purpose fertilisers are appropriate. Pay attention to the three-number code on the bag of fertiliser. These three numbers indicate the amount of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium respectively that are contained in that particular fertiliser.

• When fertilsing tomatoes, look for 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 fertiliser. This contains half as much nitrogen as phosphate. A higher phosphate and potassium number will encourage more fruit production. A lower nitrogen number will help the plant grow without doing so at the expense of producing fruit.

Harvesting:

• Harvesting tomatoes should take place when the fruit is brightly coloured and is slightly soft to the touch. A gentle squeeze should tell if the tomato is ready to be picked.

• If it is still quite firm, leave it on the vine to ripen further. Tomatoes that are left to ripen on the vine will have a much fuller, sweeter flavour than those picked too early and left to ripen on their own.

• After harvesting tomatoes, store them at room temperature in the kitchen. It is not advised to put tomatoes in the refrigerator as this will make them go soft and become less flavourful.

• Once a tomato begins to rot, it will release gases that will cause the other tomatoes in a bowl/container to begin to rot as well. Discard any tomatoes that are showing signs of deterioration as soon as possible.

Source:backyard-vegetable-gardening.com