Caring for Tomato Plants - How to Care for Tomato Plants

Before we learn the process of caring for tomato plants, there is a small fact about it. Although, many people mistake it for a vegetable, tomato is actually a fruit. In ancient times this 'fruit' was christened 'love apple' and was considered to be poisonous. It is one of the easiest plants to grow and with a little bit of care and nurturing, you can enjoy healthy and luscious tomatoes throughout the year. The first and foremost thing is to know the type of tomato you wish to grow. There are different types available, some may be strange and exotic while others may be the common types:

• Standard: The size of this tomato is about an inch and a half in diameter. It is spherical in shape and also known as the normal tomato.
• Beefsteak: These belong to the larger variety of tomatoes. Since their size is large, they take a longer time to grow and mature. So, they grow well only in greenhouses.
• Marmande: Marmande is a tasty variety of tomatoes. Their shapes are large and not very regular.
• Plum: This variety of tomato is found bottled or canned as in Italian canned tomatoes. It's oval-shaped, its flesh is firm and it freezes well.
• Oxheart: The shape of this tomato is conical. Its flesh is firm and tastes very good.
• Cherry: These tiny marble-sized tomatoes are a small version of the normal tomatoes.

Tomatoes also vary in their range of colors. Deep red, orange and bright yellow are the available colors. You might also get some exotic varieties like striped, green when ripe and very dark. Now, getting back to caring for tomato plants. First of all, you will have to plant them on a plot where there should be a minimum distance of at least a foot between each plant in the row. If you use stakes to support the plant, place them about 15 - 24 inches apart. Some tomato plants even require wider spaces. Here are a few tips on tomato plant care:

Step 1
How to Take Care of Tomato Plants? One of the most important steps is to water the plants. Since tomatoes needs a lot of moisture, it is better to check the soil around the tomato plants to see if it has dried up. If it turns out to be so, add more water because if there is less amount of water, the skin tends to split.

Step 2
Remove the weeds surrounding the tomato plants. Very often stray weeds tend to grow on tomato plants which attract pests. As a result, your plants will have to endure a number of tomato plant diseases. So, it is important to add mulch to your tomato plants' beds to discourage weeds.

Step 3
Add fertilizers rich in nitrogen to your tomato plants. But this should be done during early autumn when the plants begin to get heavy. Before that you need to add fertilizers in late summer within a time span of one or two weeks.

Step 4
Tomato plants requires strong support so it is necessary to tie them to a stake. This will ensure that the tomato plants do not get damaged or broken.

Step 5
If you care for tomato plants, protect them at any cost. Pests like whiteflies, aphids, red spider flies all destroy your plants. So, spray them with a gentle detergent solution. Pest control sprays are available at garden centers if the problem gets out of hand. Also, look out for mosaic virus affecting your plants. You will know it when the leaves turn yellow, distorted or mottled.

These are a few steps on how to care for tomato plants. Try growing tomatoes in your garden. It will definitely be a case of neighbor's envy, owner's pride!