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Growing tomato plants is a rewarding hobby for those who enjoy ripe tomatoes right off of the vine.
If you love tomatoes, we’re sure you’re going to love the tips and tricks for increasing your tomato yield as well!
Read on below and explore these 7 helpful ways to grow and harvest the most tomatoes possible per plant!
7 Tips and Tricks to Increase Your Tomato Yield
Growing tomatoes is arguably the most popular outdoor gardening activity the world over. That said, whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, you’ll love these tips to increase your tomato yield:
1. Space Plants Properly and Prune As Needed
In indeterminate tomato plants, the pruning consists of removing little buds that tend to grow between the stem and the side branches to increase airflow. As these are vining plants, it is important to remove the flowers until it’s developed enough to support the weight of tomatoes.
When spacing tomato plants, generally two inches between them would be enough as they grow significantly.
2. Apply Fertilizer and Soil Amendments as Necessary
Tomato plants need to be fed with a number of nutrients to grow: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as primary nutrients but also calcium and magnesium as secondary nutrients.
When planting, add a little bone meal, blood meal, worm casting, and powdered eggshell into the hole.
The combinations of these provide tomato plants with all the nutrients it needs and they will be very accessible to the roots.
3. Water Your Plants a Bit Daily (and Avoid Wetting Leaves)
The ideal way to water tomato plants is drip irrigation to avoid wetting the leaves.
The pants like moisture in the soil, one or two inches of water per week will be okay. If the heat is extreme, then you’d have to water your plant a little more.
4. Provide Support to the Main Stalk and Branches
A stake, cage, or trellis is needed to support tomato plants that can grow up to 8 feet.
It’s best to do it as soon as your plant is put in the ground. If you do it later you could disrupt the root system.
5. Begin Harvesting Early (Before Tomatoes Are Fully Ripe)
Tomatoes keep ripening after being removed from the plant. For that reason, it is better to harvest tomatoes when they are nearly mature, that way the plant will focus its energy on growing and ripening more fruit.
6. Plant Deeply / Transplant Baby Plants Deeper
Along the stem, the plant has little fibrous hairs that are actually potential roots. When buried deep into the soil, these little hairs establish as strong roots.
7. Add Mulch Around the Base of the Plants
There are several benefits to adding mulch to tomato plants around the plant base apart from making it look nice. For once, it helps prevent moisture from evaporating while regulating soil temperature and reducing soil erosion.
Mulch also stops water from splashing the leaves, which could carry bacteria and diseases, and lastly, it prevents weeds from growing around the stem and absorbing the nutrients.
Suggested Reading: How to Grow Tomatoes: Gardening Guide
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