How To Grow Sweet Tomatoes

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Selecting and sowing a tomato variety or hybrid with a characteristic sweet flavor is only half the battle. To prevent the tomato from turning out sour, you need to adhere to some care rules. It is important to know in what soil to plant seedlings, how densely to place the plants in the beds, what fertilizers to feed and other nuances of care

Planting density matters and affects the taste of the fruit

It is often possible to observe a picture when the desire to place the maximum number of seedlings in a greenhouse with a limited area forces summer residents to plant seedlings very close to each other. This is harmful for three reasons:

• firstly, the feeding area is reduced;

• secondly, the humidity rises and the risk of diseases increases;

• and thirdly, tomatoes are less illuminated, which also affects the taste of the fruit.

To improve the light, it is also recommended to remove the leaves above the first brush.

Tomatoes are not sweet on acidic soil?

Not all crops can thrive in acidic soil. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. For example, acidic soil is suitable for many ornamental plants. Azalea blooms very well on such soil. There are also berries that like a sour reaction, and therefore they do not get along well with other bushes - these are lingonberries.

But for vegetables, in particular for tomatoes, such conditions are not suitable, because in such conditions, some of the nutrients are not absorbed. In addition, acidic soil is dangerous because vegetables are more sick on it. Therefore, the area intended for beds with tomatoes should be deoxidized if the test shows an acidic reaction.

The test can be ordered in a laboratory or you can carry out the acidity of the soil on your own using old-fashioned methods. For example, stir 1 tsp in half a glass of settled or boiled water. land from the site and 1 tbsp. ammonia. Let it stand for a day and look at the color of the water in the glass. The more acidified the soil, the darker the water will be - from a dirty gray-yellow hue to a dull brown.

Healthy. In addition, such plants as plantain, oxalis, horsetail, creeping buttercup, sorrel live on acidic soil.

For deoxidation, lime materials, dolomite flour are introduced. By the way, in addition to deoxidizers for tomatoes, the addition of potassium is useful. This not only has a positive effect on the taste, but also protects the skin of the fruit from cracking. Potassium is added both when digging the soil and during watering when the fruits are ripening.

Important. Many people know that potassium fertilization is also applied by spraying on the leaf. But for tomatoes, this method is not suitable, because at high humidity conditions are created for the development of phytophthora.

Ripening on bushes and ripening of the harvested fruits

If you like to experiment and test new varieties and hybrids, it is worth remembering that different tomatoes have their own ripening characteristics. For example, some are harvested as soon as they turn red. And for others it is also useful to hang on a bush - then they will better reveal their taste and will be sweeter. This business requires a creative approach and it is better to test each new variety on personal experience.

It is also worth remembering which seeds from which manufacturer you bought, if you liked the fruits. Because as practice shows, even the same variety may differ in taste from different sellers.

Many are familiar with this situation, when the cold is already approaching, and the fruits have not yet turned red or yellowed to the desired degree of ripeness. In this case, ripening of tomatoes helps out. However, you also need to put the fruits in a suitable place for ripening. For example, you shouldn't leave them under a closet or under a bed. It is better to give them a place somewhere on the balcony, on the veranda, on the windowsill, but not in direct sunlight. Then the taste will also be better and sweeter than that of fruits that ripen in the complete absence of light.