Growing your own organic tomatoes is fairly easy. If you are tired of paying high prices for organic tomatoes at the store then next season, you should be prepared to experiment with organic tomato gardening. There are a few basic tips in organic tomato gardening:
Location with Plenty of Sun:
Tomatoes need plenty of sun, at least eight hours a day to be productive and to keep the soil and roots warm. Organic tomato gardening is based on the ideal garden location. Tomatoes thrive as much on heat as they do the sunlight. If you have to increase the level of light or heat, then sometimes a reflective back fence can help. It can be as simple as a white sheet staked between two fence poles to reflect more light onto the tomato plants.
Temperatures:
Plants do the best when the soil temperature is over 55 degrees and the night-time temperatures don’t get colder than that. On the other hand, tomatoes have a hard time withstanding a heat wave for very many days when it reaches over 90 degrees. If the temperatures at night are cooler than 55 degrees, you may need to cover your plants with buckets or sheets overnight. If it is getting extremely hot during the day, you need to provide shade, by hanging a sheet on one side of the garden to block the hottest sun of the day.
Staking and Pest Control:
In organic tomato gardening, staking plants by keeping them off the ground protects them from soil that is laden with harmful plant insects. Natural pest control in organic tomato gardening also means that you don’t re-plant tomato plants in the same place you may have experienced diseases or pests the year before. Organic tomatoes are to be grown in an area that has not been chemically treated in three growing seasons, so you may have to relocate plants.
Watering:
Uneven watering can be responsible for sporadic growth of fruit and can also cause problems with rot diseases. Two good waterings per week, with the ground soaked six to eight inches is usually sufficient for tomatoes. Of course, they love water, so if it gets extremely hot, you will have to water more often for them to stay productive.
Mulch for Weed Control and Preserving Moisture:
By using black plastic around your plants, you will discourage weed growth and keep warmth in the soil. This can help direct water to the plant’s root system when sloping towards the plant. You can keep weed growth down and moisture in by laying heavy layers of newspaper around the plants and keeping them damp.
Pruning:
By pruning the suckers at the joints of the stem and leaves, you will focus more of the plant’s energy on bearing fruit. If you don’t prune, you will get more tomatoes, they will be smaller in size, and be sure you have plenty of mulch to keep the vines and fruit from direct contact with the soil. If you decide not to stake plants, the suckers will root themselves into the ground. This can help provide more water. If they are not rooted, they will take more of the water the plant gets.
Fertilizer:
You can use natural fertilizers, such as manure or fish emulsion on the tomato plants. Using compost from your recycling pile is another way to add nutrients without chemicals, when you are organic tomato gardening.

Growing plants from seed is not always an easy job, and the following techniques to ensure that seeds get a healthy start.1. Keep records to allow for better planningAn often overlooked aspect of plant propagation is the art of record keeping. Whether you are producing a few plants for your home flower and vegetable gardens or working at a larger-scale nursery, developing a propagation journal will prove indispensable.2. Store seed properly to maintain viabilitySeeds are a fragile commodity, and if not treated properly, their viability will sharply decline.To maintain dormancy, keep seeds in a cool, dark location with low humidity, like a refrigerator. It’s recommend to label them (seed name, source, year) and storing them in a small reclosable bag or empty film canister that is, in turn, kept in a larger plastic container. Once you are ready to sow, you can test the viability of many, but not all, seeds by soaking them in water for a few hours. The seeds that are still living will sink to the bottom, while the dead ones will float on the surface.3. Use wide, flat containers to avoid overcrowdingPlastic pots or containers are preferable to clay pots when starting seeds, as they retain moisture more consistently. Wide, shallow containers prevent both overcrowding of seedlings and excessive moisture around fragile, young roots. Plants that resent root disturbance when transplanted are best sown into small, individual containers like cell packs or plug trays. Recycled plastic containers, like empty yogurt or margarine tubs, work well, too, provided you’ve poked holes in the bottom for drainage. No matter what type of container you use, it must be clean and free of pathogens.4. Prevent disease by providing air flow and drainageThe fungal infection often referred to as damping-off is usually caused by excessive moisture and poor air circulation. However, there are a few cultural techniques that will help to keep fungal agents at bay. After covering the seeds with planting mix and tamping them down, spread a thin layer of 50 percent milled sphagnum and 50 percent starter chicken grit (finely ground stone) over the surface to keep the soil around the emerging shoots dry and provide an inhospitable environment for pathogens.5. Cover trays with plastic wrap to keep the moisture level constantSeeds are very sensitive to the extremes of overwatering and underwatering. In addition, heavy-handed watering can disturb newly germinated seedlings. Securing plastic wrap over the surface of a freshly sown seed pot can help to keep the moisture level constant. However, the pot must still be checked daily for moisture and germination. If you find that you need to rehydrate your seed container, place the entire pot in a basin with 2 to 3 inches of warm water and allow the planting medium to wick moisture from the bottom. If just the surface has dried, you can lift the plastic covering and spritz the surface with water from a spray bottle. As soon as the seeds germinate, remove the plastic wrap.

6. Keep seeds warm to encourage germinationMost seeds require temperatures of 65° to 75°F to germinate. Placing seed containers near an existing heater or using a space heater with the proper precautions can raise the ambient temperature as needed. In addition, a heating pad designed for plant use placed directly under the seed containers will warm the planting mix and encourage germination. When using any additional heat source, be sure to check for moisture often, since the seed containers may dry out more quickly.7. Feed them wellProper nutrition at a consistent rate will keep your seedlings growing strong. When the embryo inside a seed is developing, it relies on food stored in the endosperm to fuel its growth. As the shoot emerges from the soil and the true leaves develop, the initial nutrients supplied by the endosperm will be depleted and supplemental fertilization is then required. Most seed-starting mixes contain a small nutrient charge to help make this transition while not burning the developing roots. However, once the true leaves emerge, it is time to begin a half-strength liquid fertilizer regimen on a weekly basis.8. Acclimate seedlings to direct sunlightBefore seedlings can be planted outdoors, they need to be hardened off, or acclimated to direct sunlight and fluctuating temperatures. It is best to do this over a three-day period by placing them in direct sunlight during the morning only of the first day, then increasing their time outside by a few hours each day until they are vigorous enough to be transplanted.9. Transplanting from pot to groundWater the ground outside and the seedlings thoroughly before transplanting. This helps prevent transplant shock. It’s preferable to transplant on a cloudy day so strong sun won’t wilt your seedlings. Dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball and set the transplant into the hole so the root ball will be covered by 1/4 inch of soil. Press the soil firmly around the roots. A small depression around the plant stem will help trap moisture. Water immediately after transplanting and every day for the first week. Be sure to water deeply so you plants won’t develop shallow roots.

There are several important things to know when you are gardening tomatoes. First of all, you want to make sure that you have plenty of room for your tomatoes. Then, you want to be sure that each plant has enough room to grow straight up, and that you have provided them with frames or other things to grow on. Also, you want to keep the pests away from the tomatoes, and be sure to harvest them when they are perfectly ripe.
Room
When you are gardening tomatoes, you are going to need to be sure that you have plenty of room. Tomatoes need to be planted about a foot away form each other, or a little bit less or more. Check the type of tomato to be sure that you are doing it right. Also, each tomato will be growing up but will be very willowy and fragile.
Therefore, you need to make sure that you provide your tomatoes with tomato cages or with other things that they can grow on. This will help you give your tomatoes a great start, and make gardening tomatoes even easier. If you can use a tomato cage to help guide your tomatoes, you’ll find that it is much easier for you to be able to garden tomatoes.
Pests
There are many things that will try to get your tomatoes that you must plan for as you are gardening tomatoes. Be sure that you have protected them with cages which will help them grow but which will also protect them from animals that might try to eat them. Insects and small animals will still be a bother, so protect your plants with a safe and effective pesticide. This will help you keep the bugs off of your tomato plants. Also, use a rabbit fence or another garden fence to protect your gardening tomatoes as well as your other plants from animals.
The last thing that you must be sure of is that you are harvesting your gardening tomatoes at the right time. You want to pick the tomatoes when they are ripe, but you do not want to leave them very long. You want to be able to let them finish ripening after you have picked them, so that they will be good for longer for you.
If you enjoy gardening, you will love gardening tomatoes. They are easy fruits to grow, and a few plants can provide you with all of the tomatoes that you need for sauces, eating, cooking, and canning.