Many gardeners grow tomatoes, and there’s a simple way to boost their supply. According to a gardening expert, you’ll be left with an “abundance of fruit” if you follow some simple rules, and even beginners should be able to pull it off. It turns out you just need one common household item to aid your plants outdoors and, according to Ish, known as gardening.with.ish on TikTok, it can make a really big difference to how your tomatoes grow. If you want to boost your supply of the tasty summer fruit, you may want to pay attention to his advice.
Ish took to his greenhouse to show people what to do, and he told viewers they’d need a piece of string to help them. He uses some old construction timber as the raised bed, and also puts some old cardboard down to act as a weed barrier.
From here, he loads it up with a well-rotted compost, which is said to be “ideal” for growing tomatoes. Once the planter is full of compost, he starts to plant the tomatoes.
Ish said: “If you want to add the string support, now is the best time to start. What you want to do is tie some heavy-duty twine right around the root ball.
“This creates a nice centre anchor that you’ll then have right at the bottom. Then you slowly twist it around the tomato plant, and then you tie it to a cane or a pole or on the top here, and keeping this nice and taut gives it a great support for this to grow up along.”
When tomatoes are fully supported like this, Ish said they should “absolutely thrive” as the weather starts to get warmer. He noted tomatoes love a good amount of warmth, plenty of continuous light and a little bit of air between them.
This is why he places his plants around 30cm apart. Once they’re planted, he said they need a really good water to grow well.
You can also add some tomato feed if you wish, as Ish said this can help to get them settled in their new home. In a few weeks time you should see a lot more growth and, hopefully, some tomatoes will start to appear too.
The video has gone down really well with the gardening guru’s followers, with it having been viewed over 800 times. People said the tutorial was “great”.
One wrote: “You’re a true master of your garden.” Another also added: “Your tomatoes look amazing. My tomatoes are only four inches tall, planted two months ago from seed. Not sure where I’m going wrong.”
If you want to boost the growth of your tomatoes, experts generally say there are a few things you should do to aid the process. Gardeners should generally focus on providing plenty of sunlight, nutrient-rich soil and constant moisture.
Not to mention, using proper pruning techniques can also help to stimulate growth. Like Ish said, you should also make sure the plants are well-supported.
Some people also make use of organic mulches to retain moisture and suppress weeds. If you’re looking to better growth, regular fertilisation and harvesting of ripe tomatoes can also encourage fruit production.
Generally, tomatoes thrive best when they have access to full sunlight. They require at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight every single day.
They also prefer warmer temperatures to grow well. Ideal growing conditions typically lie between 71°F and 84°F, which equates to between 22°C and 29°C.