Hoop house with inset showing interior

We don’t have a greenhouse, so decided to try a new experiment this year. My husband built a ‘hoop house’, out of PVC piping, some left-over plastic sheeting and a make-shift irrigation system, the idea being that we could still plant the tomatoes (and peppers) in the ground where they like it best and create a greenhouse effect with the partial covering. So far, they seem to like it.

We have also planted tomatoes in the main part of the garden as a control crop, and some smaller varieties on our hot deck in large pots.

It’s a good idea to plant several varieties and try them in different locations, if you can. Just for fun, we planted a UK heirloom tomato that is supposed to grow as big as your head.

Although you should have planted tomatoes by now, here are a few tips on planting, watering, and otherwise caring for your delicious tomatoes.

1. Plant Them Deep
   You can plant tomatoes really deep, up to their ‘neck’ or first set of leaves. This will ensure a strong stem and all the little hairs on the stem will turn into roots.
2. Container Variety
   Only plant tomatoes in pots that are suited for that type of growth. Tomatoes in pots are a lot of work because they are constantly seeking water and food, and they fill up the container with their big root systems. Be diligent about watering and feeding with tomato fertilizer.
3. In-Ground Planting
   The big bushy tomato varieties need staking, and you should do so as soon as possible so that you don’t hurt their roots as they get bigger. Use cages, or stakes and string. As the tomato grows, train it to go in the cage, or up the string.
4. Trimming and Pruning
   Tomatoes should only have one stem. Pinch off any new suckers at the crotch between the main stem and a leaf branch. They want to shoot off into a new vine, and this will just take away from the nutrients of the main plant. Prune the leaves on the bottom of the main stem up to one inch. Snip them off with scissors.  After you have 3 or 4 tiers of tomato fruit growing, trim off any new flowers. Let the plant use all its energy on the tomatoes already growing. Later in the summer, trim a few leaves around the fruit to allow the sun to get through to help with ripening.  Once the days are getting shorter and cooler, to help late tomatoes ripen, remove more leaves to promote all the energy of the plant into the fruit.
5. Watering
   Because tomatoes have such an extensive root system, you need to water consistently and deeply. Overwatering can cause split skins. Sporadic watering, leaving them to dry out and then overwatering, could cause blossom-end rot. You’ll see black spots on the bottom of your tomatoes.  Only water the ground at the stem, not on the leaves, and before noon if you can. That means hand watering, not using overhead sprinklers. If you have to use sprinklers, use before 10:00 a.m. so the leaves don’t get burnt.  Tomatoes like heat and they will use up that water during the day, and then the soil around them will heat up to keep warm during the evening.  Plants don’t take up water in the dark, so by watering in the evening, you would cool down the soil.
6. Fertilizing
   Typically you only need to fertilize container tomatoes because there isn’t enough soil to feed the plant.  With our cooler nights here on Vancouver Island, it couldn’t hurt to fertilize your in-ground tomato plants to help them get the boost they need.  Try an organic fish or kelp derivative as a balanced fertilizer.
7. Pests
   There are no real crazy pests that eat tomatoes. Not sure why. But fungus, rot, and a spore called Late Blight can cause devastation.  We’ve been lucky, as they can take out your whole crop. It’s worth knowing about these, so I suggest looking them up.
8. Save Seeds
   It’s best to grow several different tomato varieties as they will ripen at different times.  Save seeds from your favourites to start your own plants next year.  By continuing to save and grow from your own seeds, your plants will get acclimatized to your specific weather and soil conditions, and each year they’ll get better and better.