You don’t need to be an expert gardener to embrace the virtues of growing tomatoes. Experienced gardeners also go through challenges growing perfect vegetables. It would help if you learned a few tips, and you are good to start with what’s in your hands.
Tomatoes grow well in loam or sandy soil that has moderate acid. They can also grow well in almost any soil apart from heavy clay soil. If you are to use clay soil, consider improving it by adding sand and organic matter like compost or moss.
If you are thinking of planting vegetables, it is wise to consider the best soil they will thrive in. iT will prevent you from wasting your time, energy, and resources.
These vegetables thrive well in nutrient-rich soil, which we are going to discuss below:
What Type of Soil is Best for Tomatoes?
Great and healthy soil will give you a healthy plant, hence good production. You can eliminate most tomato growing problems with simple instructions.
Use well-amended soil that is rich in compost manure and other organic matter. It is your secret weapon to produce the best vegetables for both home use and sale. The old-fashioned compost is always the best if you can source it from your cow dung or chicken waste.
Tomatoes are not super fussy about what type of soil they are grown in. Most vegetables do well in fertile loam, well-drained, with a pH of 5.8 to 7.0. It is not always advisable to grow your tomatoes in pure compost manure. A little bit of compost will do well. That should be about 30% compost to the amount of soil you are using with go a long way.
For your plants to thrive and get high yields, your soil should have enough minerals. The compost lacks some vital minerals that your plants need to perform to their best level.
You can get some soil mix from the local landscape that blends dust (mineral source) with topsoil and compost.
You add that to the base soil at 10% by volume each year to renew your beds. You can then add an inch layer of compost on top and mix it lightly into the top about four inches.
A healthy plant will give you’re the best healthy tomatoes that taste good. Start with plants that are free from diseases, and they will stay that way until maturity. There are varieties of plants that resist disease.
These plants are called hybrids and made in a way that they fight common diseases. The hybrid type can’t be compared with heirloom tomatoes, as far as taste is concerned. Heirlooms are more susceptible to infections but can minimize the risk involved.
Tomato plants thrive well in rich, well-drained soil, in full sun, and enough air circulation. Never plant your tomatoes very close. Plant the seedlings deep, very deep as they root along the stem. For a better plant, choose an extensive root system.
Bury the seedling up to the top set of leaves, at least leave two leaves hanging out or showing. You are assured through this step, a more extensive root area, and a vigorous plant.
You can choose to add one to two teaspoon of dolomitic limestone to the planting hole and mix it with the soil. Ensure you cover the plant with soil and water it thoroughly with a liquid fertilizer that is diluted.
If you have an available organic blend of fish emulsion and sea kelp, you can add them to add nitrogen and phosphorus to set your plant up for a good start.
Now that you have your tomato seedlings deep in the soil, you need to start deep watering. Using a soaker hose is good as it allows the water to go deep and soak in the ground. Just water enough to avoid overwatering the plants.
Add mulch when the plants become taller. The mulch will protect your tomatoes from soil-borne disease pathogens. The mulch should be placed within two inches from the stem, in a later of three inches tall. You can set the mulch also above the soaker hose.
The plants will continue to grow taller and therefore need support. There are options for using strings or long, strong sticks. It will protect the plant from falling on the ground because of the fruits, stems, and branched weight.
The above guidelines will help you get your tomato seedling from the ground till harvest time. Remember how you start matters a lot and makes all the difference with the success of your tomato fruits.
Is Sand Suitable for Tomato Plants?
Tomatoes cannot thrive well in sand as it is dry, light, and has low nutrients. It warms quickly and does not retain water, and as such, plants cannot survive. Since the water drains quickly, all nutrients are washed away.
If you have to plant your tomatoes in the sand, you can add some clay and organic matter like moss or compost manure. It will probably do well but not perfect.
What Plants Grow Well in the Sand?
Some plants grow well in the sand like cacti, lavender, purple coneflower, sedum, sedum, lamb’s ears, coreopsis, or euphorbia species. Some trees and grasses also thrive in sandy soil.
Tomatoes grown in the sand are not healthy, and the leaves often turn yellow as they cannot retain water. Plants that grow in the sand can absorb moisture in large quantities, enough to stay alive and reserve some.
Most desert plants retain water, and they can survive in sandy soil. Some desert plants have thin leaves called spines that they use to keep water by preventing evaporation. The light surfaces don’t lose water quickly like the broader leaf surface.
Plants that thrive in this soil have solid roots that help the plant to resist strong winds as the sand soil is loose. The loose sand soil does not grip the roods to hold it firm.
Some plants cannot grow in the sand as it does not have nutrients and the required pH level. In conclusion, knowledge is power as you can save yourself time and resources when you know the best soil to use for the plants you desire to plant.
