Tomatoes are one of the most versatile homegrown vegetables. And why not? They have great nutritional value, hundreds of varieties, and are fantastic for adding to your dishes.
That aside, you can’t even have to look for additional space to plant them. With the right tomato plant care tips, you can plant them everywhere, be it in a bag or hanging upside down in a pot.
In this blog, we will provide a list of handy tomato plant care suggestions to help you embark on your vegetable-growing journey.
So, let’s learn how to grow tomatoes in Canada without fail.
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Types of Tomato Plant Seeds
Tomato seeds are available in hybrid and heirloom types. Before we go through the tomato plant care tips, let’s briefly discuss the types.
Cross-pollinating two parent kinds has produced hybrids, which are new types with desired traits like disease resistance or plant height.
You cannot keep a seed from a hybrid and expect to acquire the same combination of features in the next generation.
Instead, the seed must constantly be created by cross-pollination, a kind of human interference, to retain those desirable characteristics.
Heirlooms maintain the same qualities throughout the generations.
Additionally, heirlooms are open-pollinated, which means pollination happens spontaneously in the field rather than being assisted by humans.
The five other common types that you will find in Canada are:
- Beefsteak Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Grape Tomatoes
- Determinate (bush) Tomatoes
- Roma Tomatoes
How To Grow Tomatoes in Pots
- You can grow tomato plants in any container if it is big enough for the type you choose and, of course, by focusing on tomato plant care.
- Smaller pots work well for compact, determinate varieties (that grow to a certain height). If you are learning how to grow tomatoes, make sure you have a space with a minimum diameter of 18 to 24 inches.
- Adding high-quality potting soil to containers is a step that will make the tomato plant care steps easy.
- Make room for mulching.
- Give it more water than you would a ground-planted tomato plant. Clay containers dry out the fastest; for best results, use glazed or plastic clay. This ongoing tomato plant care step will always be crucial no matter where you grow your tomato plant.
How to Grow Tomatoes from Seeds
Growing tomatoes for beginners can be a little confusing. So, we’ll simplify the steps involved in growing tomatoes in the following pointers.
First, wait to grow tomatoes until after the coldest weather has passed.
When the weather warms up, you can start your seeds indoors up to four or six weeks before the last day of frost.
When the leaves are six inches tall, you can consider taking them outdoors.
To learn how to tomatoes from seed in Canada, follow these instructions:
- Moisten the seed-starting mix after adding it to a tray for seed-beginning or to three- or four-inch pots.
- Plant seeds one seed per cell on the cell tray, three or four seeds per pot, and 1/4 inch deep.
- After lightly covering and watering the seeds, cover the pots with clear plastic sheets to help keep the pot from drying.
- Place in a place that keeps between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, close to a sunny window, or under grow lights.
- Once the seeds have sprouted, remove any plastic. Suppose more than one seed sprouts in the pots; removing the weaker ones is included in the tomato plant care routine.
- When seedlings’ roots in cells surpass their growing medium, they can be moved into pots measuring three or four inches.
- After there is no danger of frost, harden off your seedlings by putting them outside in a shaded area.
- Then, you can gradually expose them to the sun. For instance, they can be kept out early in the morning.
- If the outside temperature drops below 45ºF, bring them inside. If nighttime lows remain above 55ºF, you can move them into the garden.
Tomato Plant Care Tips For the Best Harvest
Here are the tomato plant care tips in Canada that yield the best outcomes:
1. Give It Direct Sunlight
Growing tomatoes somewhere with as much direct sunshine as possible will yield the best results.
Tomato plants need seven to eight hours of direct sunlight per day to thrive. However, that doesn’t mean any less than that would kill them. They will do fine in six hours of sunlight as well.
2. Avoid Crowding Seedlings
This is a tomato plant care tip that beginner gardeners can easily overlook.
Thinning out the seedlings and placing one robust plant in each tiny pot will provide your tomato seedlings lots of room to grow and spread out.
Overcrowding stunts development, stresses plants, and can even cause illness.
As soon as tomato seedlings have their first set of leaves, transplant them into 4-inch pots.
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3. Water Your Thirsty Tomato Plant
If you want a juicy harvest, giving them plenty of water is the most important tomato plant care step.
Some people only water their plants when they are in the growing stage. If you are inconsistent with it or if there is a lack of water, your tomato skin will split or even develop blossom end rot.
To achieve the finest outcomes requires consistency.
Depending on the conditions of the region where you decide, it’s mostly safe to water every other evening.
Always water your tomatoes at the soil level to prevent foliage disease and enhance the root system.
If you want to check that the roots are soaked, you can dig your index finger into the soil.
You can use soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems to make this tomato plant care step easy.
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4. Use Mulch
Apply a layer of mulch across the soil’s surface to prevent soil moisture from evaporating too quickly in the sun.
Use natural mulch, such as mulched leaves or shredded bark, devoid of artificial dyes.
Mulch can also prevent weeds from sprouting, which is beneficial because weeds can deplete your vegetable plants’ growing soil of nutrients.
If you want to know more about mulching, your search ends here.
5. Prune Tomato Suckers
New small stems will emerge from the point where larger branches join the main stem of your tomato plants as they grow.
These little suckers may look innocent, but they take away the energy the tomato plant requires. That’s why getting rid of them is a key to tomato plant care.
You can use your thumb and forefinger to pull these off.
6. Help Them Stand Straight
As your tomato plants grow to a height of 10 to 12 inches, it would need some support.
Cages, string trellises, wooden or metal stakes with ties, or other sturdy support structures keep the plant straight, giving you the following benefits:
- Better Air Ciculation
- Strong root development
- Easy access to the tomato plant
- Disease prevention
7. Plant Tomatoes Deeply
Plant them just deep enough so the soil’s surface is an inch or two above the lowest pair of leaves.
Some gardeners suggest planting tomatoes on their sides because it hooks the plant into the soil and disperses the root system across a wider region.
By doing this, they will help secure the main stem as it grows straight up toward the light.
9. Allow Air Circulation
If you start your seeds indoors, ensure they have some air movement. This is another tomato plant care you can’t ignore.
To do this, turn on a fan for five to ten minutes twice daily. Alternately, spend a few minutes, several times a day, gently rubbing your hands around the top of leaves of tomato plants.
10. Encourage Pollination
Bees, beetles, butterflies, and other garden pollinators assist in pollination.
However, you can use hand pollination if you don’t see these natural pollinators in your lawn.
When you detect that each flower has opened, gently tap it twice with your brush to encourage the upper male pollen to settle onto the lower female pistil.
With this tomato plant care tip, you can increase production significantly.
11. Remove Damaged or Dead Leaves
Damaged plant material is prone to fungus development and can potentially harm your plant as it spreads.
Cut off the pieces and throw them in the trash using sterile shears.
12. Examine and Adjust Your Soil
The best soil has a pH of 6.5 to 6.8, which is slightly acidic. A soil test can tell you if there are any missing nutrients or if the pH is not as your tomato plants may need.
This is the foundational step of tomato plant care that decides if your plant will grow as tall and lush as you may be expecting.
If you don’t want to do the soil test yourself, you can get it from the landscaping professionals in Ontario.
According to the soil test results, you can get a fertilizer that will fulfil the nutrient deficiencies in the soil.
13. Put In Some Good Vegetable Fertilizer
For optimal results, use a water-soluble fertilizer designed especially for tomato plant care.
To help transition into the ground, consider using a starter fertilizer once a week in addition to the fertilizer that will create a nutritional balance in your soil.
How to Fix Issues in Tomatoes Plants
- Harvest ripe tomatoes as soon as possible to relieve stressed plants.
- Select tomato types that can withstand high temperatures, such as heat-tolerant ones, if you reside where midsummer temperatures usually reach the 90s.
- If summer droughts are typical in your area or you often forget to water, use soaker hoses or drip irrigation to help maintain uniform soil moisture.
- Fungal infections like early blight, which first causes black patches to appear on lower leaves, thrive in humid climates.
- Throughout the season, remove any leaves that appear sickly or diseased. The only ways to prevent late blight, a more deadly disease that kills plants rapidly are to keep the garden free of plant debris and treat the leaves with chlorothalonil.
- Additionally, you should watch out for pests. For instance, large green caterpillars, known as tomato hornworms, consume tomato foliage in the middle of summer and occasionally contaminate tomatoes.
- Plants that start producing early in the season will start to exhibit indications of fatigue by late summer.
- By cutting off wilted leaves and branches, you can extend the life of the tomato plant in Ontario.
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FAQs
Which tomato varieties grow best in Canadian climates?
If you live in a colder area in Canada, look for cold-tolerant cultivars like Early Girl, Stupice, or Montreal Fork. Cherry and grape tomatoes have shorter growing seasons but also typically do well.
How can tomato plants be frost-protected?
On chilly nights, you can protect your plants from frost by covering them with row covers, cloches, or even old sheets. Furthermore, planting in raised beds helps enhance drainage and soil warmth.
Which pests and illnesses commonly affect tomatoes in Canada?
Aphids, whiteflies, and tomato hornworms are common pests. Blight, mildew, and blossom end rot are diseases that may cause problems. To reduce issues, rotate crops, cover plants when needed, and conduct routine plant inspections.
In Conclusion
These tomato plant care tips will give you fresh, juicy tomatoes to add to your daily dishes.
Choose the brightest area in your yard and ensure no trees, fences, or structures will shadow it for more than half the day.
Check the soil and moisture, use fertilizer, and use tomato cages or stakes to keep your plants facing the sun and upright.
If you want to get started but don’t have gardening experience, call us to learn to accomplish your goals.