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As with everything, growing tomatoes is very simple if you know the right tricks. You will see how well they do when you provide them with the best possible conditions.
1. When transplanting seedlings into rows, add a handful of wood ash and a handful of fertile soil to each hole.
Then spread the ash over the entire plot and add fertile soil around each plant.
2. The optimal distance between plants is 60 cm.
3. Thorough watering is needed only during the first week after planting so that the crops root well. After that, heavy watering is more harmful than helpful because it causes too much vegetative growth but slows the development of flowers. In addition, watering prevents the bushes from developing deep roots.
4. Fertilizing tomatoes should begin only when the fruits start to form.
5. At first remove all secondary shoots and leave only 2 main stems. If the plant is strong, you can leave 1–2 new ones until the first flowers appear.
6. Regularly remove old, yellowed leaves, or those that are covered with spots. Such leaves are a breeding ground for the development of various diseases that can then attack the whole plant.
7. When the plant is flowering, it is recommended to spray with a growth stimulator. And to ensure pollination, gently shake the bushes by hand.
8. Tomatoes must always be watered only at the roots and not on the leaves. Otherwise they’ll wither.
9. In mid-July remove all shoots that have not produced flowers.
10. When the first fruits begin to ripen, remove all the lower leaves that touch the soil — even the healthy ones.
