FAQs About Tomato Growing

There are several questions that bother many tomato growers. I have tried to compile some of these in this article. Here is a list of all the frequently asked questions about growing tomatoes.

Staking/caging or no support?

Generally determinate types are the ones that are given no support. If you are using indeterminate type then you need to stake them or provide some sort of cage.

Do you need to prune tomatoes?

Pruning is not mandatory for tomatoes. It depends on the surrounding weather as well as your preference. If the weather is too dry and hot, removing leaves can really damage your plant.

Indeterminate varieties are generally pruned, but you can prune the determinate ones also. Modest pruning will lead to early fruiting and will increase the fruit-size (but you will get fewer fruits). More on Tomato Pruning here in this article.

Does mulching help?

Mulchinghelps in maintaining the moisture of the soil and thus reduces the frequency of watering the plant. It also keeps the soil cooler.

What causes poor fruit sets?

A poor set of fruits can be a result of many things. It can be environmental (like too cold or too hot), age of the plant, unfavourable ratio of NPK etc. The best way to avoid these problems is to give the plant its proper growing environment. Check this article to know more.

How to save tomato seeds?

Extracting seed from a fully grown tomato is very easy. I have written an article on this. Please click here if you want to know about the techniques.

What causes leaf roll?

This is a very common phenomena in tomato plants. This is due to the pressure of water which moves through the roots and causes the older leaves to move inwards. If you look closely you will find the leaves are green and healthy. It is not a disease.

What causes blossom-end rot?

Insufficient water is the main cause of this problem. Sometimes lack of calcium can also cause this. Make sure your plants get adequate water. Follow these techniques of watering. The good news is that the fruits are still edible and you can have it just by removing the affected portion.

What is determinate and indeterminate type?

Determinate type: These are also called the bush tomatoes. They don't grow very tall and reach an average height of 4 feet. These are ideal for growing in containers.

Indeterminate type: These are generally called vining tomatoes and can reach up to a height of 10 feet. They require substantial support in the form of stake or cage. Most of the heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate types.

What are the different tomato cultivar?

These can be of several types. Here is a list of all the cultivars from Wikipedia

What is Heirloom tomato? This is the non-hybrid version of tomatoes and lacks any form of genetic mutation. These are mainly maintained by gardeners or farmers in isolated areas and is considered to be a variety that has been passed down through several generations of family because of its valued characteristics.

Why my tomatoes are cracking?

This is also a problem related to water. Too much of water makes the fruit overflown with juice and to release this pressure it cracks. Mulching and proper watering techniques generally solve the problem.

How to prevent cross-pollinating?
The success of this depends on the seriousness of your efforts. Here are some suggestions.

1. Plant different varieties of tomatoes far enough so that the pollen don't reach one another.
2. Use screened cages to grow different varieties.
3. Cover individual flowers with bags.
4. And finally, time the planting properly so that you can avoid same time flowering for different varieties.