Expert gardeners have shared their top things to avoid when growing your own tomatoes at home. While tomatoes are considered to be relatively low maintenance when it comes to DIY gardening, the key to successful fruit growth is where exactly you plant them. There are many rookie errors that gardeners make without you even realising it.
If you’re experiencing tomatoes that are stunted in growth, attracting pests, suffering from fungal diseases or producing limited fruit, you may have already made the wrong move. Now is the season for planting, and so it’s important to note exactly what spot in your garden will help your fruit thrive.
Low-lying areas
Gardeners shared with Martha Stewart that their biggest ‘don’ts’ when it comes to planting are in low-hanging areas, where water can pool or take a while to drain. If they’re in an area which holds too much water, it can cause a number of issues, including disease and rotting of the roots.
Low light areas
Believe it or not, tomatoes require six to eight hours of sunlight each day in order to grow strong and healthy. According to Damon Abdi, assistant professor of landscape horticulture at Louisiana State University, they thrive best in full sun areas and less so in shaded areas of the garden.
Last year’s planting areas
Don’t make the mistake of replanting in the same spot as last year; the experts suggest that crop rotation is the key to healthy growth of tomatoes. Regrowth in these areas can encourage not only disease but pests and leaves your tomatoes more susceptible to wilting.
Crowded spots
Airflow is essential when it comes to the health of your tomatoes, so having your plants evenly spaced out from not only each other but other plants is key. Abdi explained: “Poor airflow can lead to disease issues if the air is stagnant. Below ground, tomato plants that are too densely planted will compete for limited resources (nutrients and water) and may perform poorly.”
Cramped beds and containers
Similarly, planting tomatoes in tight containers or garden beds is far too restrictive for them and poses a threat to their airflow. When growing in such close proximity, it just heightens the fruit’s risk of spreading disease and reduces yields.
Close to buildings
Tomatoes should not be grown next to or gainst buildings that risk them not getting enough sunlight or even the opposite, reflecting too much heat.
Insufficient soils
When growing tomatoes, you want to avoid planting in sandy soils, as these can lack nutrients and therefore result in poor fruit development. Although soil that is compacted is also damaging to your plants, as they have poor drainage, and according to Abdi, they may suffer as the roots struggle to spread.
Pest-prone spots
If you’re planting near old crop debris and weeds, this can be detrimental to the growth of your tomato plants, as they tend to harbour pests. In doing so, you can also expose your fruit to aphids, whiteflies, worms and disease.
Limited access to water
The gardening expert explains that in order to thrive, tomatoes need adequate water, more so in the fruiting season than ever. If they’re trying to grow in areas where they don’t have access to rainwater, or are too far from a hose, this could lead to bossom-end rot and cracked fruit.
Under trees
Planting tomatoes under trees will prevent the sun from reaching the plants while also exposing the plants to anything dropping from the branches, including bird droppings. This ultimately leads to poor fruiting with increased risks of pests or physical damage. Not to mention, planting too close to black walnut trees, which release juglone, will most likely lead to plant death, as it is toxic to tomatoes.