I once watered a cactus for a year before I realized it wasn’t real. I have nothing approaching a green thumb. I envy you souls who’s plants look so awesome!
I love growing tomatoes! I give them away roadside and can’t keep up with the folks riding by to grab them! I do a variety and they are so full of flavor I have people looking forward to my tomatoes every year! Sharing is caring! ❤
Hello Hugh, Love your channel. I live in California and have access to lots of farms in my area. Went on a tour on a tomato farm once, and I have always remembered what the foreman told us all, " be mean to your tomatoes, dont overwater them". If you do they will not develop a strong root system searching for water. I have been growing tomatoes for years and have followed his advice. I have an abundance of fruit every year to share with family and friends. Glad to hear you agree with him.
@@locomojoboy2 I water twice a week by hand. I use a gallon pitcher. As i use containers for all my vegetables, I will water until the water runs out of the bottom. Then once more about 3 gallons. I generally use 10 gallon pots. If it gets really hot for a few days in a row, I will give them an extra day of watering.
Infrequent deep irrigation may be best, but not watering for 10 days after putting tomato starts in the ground here in central California ensures that you will have little brown crispy bits on the planting mounds before the first prescribed drink.
Yes, I would not recommend this in south Louisiana and likely any place else. He also should have cut off those lower leaves rather than leave them in contact with the mulch….
This video provides very detailed information on how to grow tomatoes from start to finish. I learned a lot about sowing seeds, taking care of plants, and pest control. I’ll definitely keep following more videos from the channel!
Good video, though I would have also mentioned and have done that when you plant them, you want to plant them deeper then they are in the pods. Remove the branches closest to the ground to prevent any mud and dirt from getting on them, to prevent any diseases from splash up. Not to mention, each of those tiny little furs is a root waiting to sprout, so the deeper you can plant it..the more roots will form and spread.
I planted my tomatoes this way for the first time this year. I always just planted them container deep before. What you were suggesting has been a game changer for my tomato plants. They have been so much better this year
I have learned more from watching your videos than any other gardening channel! I followed your advice about not watering my tomato plants for a week after transplanting them outside. My tomato bed has NEVER been this healthy & productive the first week in June. Even my heirlooms are disease free & healthy in our hot humid climate ❤️
Wow! I wish I had known this before I planted this year! My plants have been routinely plagued with blight from the start and I am glad to hear that yours remained disease free with this method! Thank you much for sharing your results - I will definitely be applying the principles and will not water the first 2 weeks next year. Happy Gardening!
Cool ppl find it strange so I don't mention it often but when i slaughter chicken humanely i used the blood to watery garden and the plant really do love it i put the feathers to decompose and i use the offal to get worms that way they are broken down also without throwing them out..... that in term feeds the chickens.
I bury fish heads. I buried one about a week ago, just waiting for just after new moon and then I will plant. Here in the Caribbean is very hot and I read that the new moon phase before full moon pulls water to the surface similar to how it behave with tidal activities. Hoping this is helpful in trying the no water method suggested by Huw.
That's really bad for the cats...they will eventually experience health issues. Setting them up for a hard life. Species appropriate diet. Good them good homemade raw food
The first video I watched on tomatoes was few years back when you were in you teen growing beautiful tomatoes under plastic shed. Now its even better you have a beautiful poly tunnel with beautiful tomato plants. I only have 2 successes, one in an open field and one in an aquaponic system. After that I have many failures because not protected from rain and we seem to get alot of rain nowadays. Planning to build a greenhouse with raised beds for them.
I usually water my tomato plants daily as in the summer my greenhouse is regularly around 30 degrees Celsius. I've had to start mulching my growing beds with grass clippings from when I mow the lawn just to stop it drying out so fast and the plants wilting. I'll have to try this though next year when I first transplant and before my greenhouse gets too hot
I start mine early (Christmas) so they are nice and tall, then plant not only deep, but sideways as well; giving me up to two feet of roots for each plant. This allows me to keep more suckers on the plant, increasing my yields.
I going to do that cos I red once that tomatoes in the nature just ramble along ground and you can grow another just buy puttings a sideshoot in ground
@@josmond3504 Yes, If the plant is long enough when I put it in sideways, I sometimes leave one or two side shoots above ground and get three plants growing out of one vine.
Suckers really are the goal if you want large yields. I let suckers grow to about 1/4 thick and roughly 3-4" long, then I cut them off an plant them on their own. Treat them like any other tomato plant from that point and they will produce just fine. What's more, they will start fruiting a bit later in the season so, as your initial plants are starting to slow down and even die, those suckers will be moving right along.
My tomatoes grow taller than 9 feet, and produce more that 100 tomatoes (heirloom, better boy, early girl and more), I plant the whole plant minus a couple leaves, and plant on a 45 degree angle downward, over the buried portion I placed a piece of tree bark from a leafy tree. I also put wood ashes in and around the hole, and use weed barrier ground cloth to keep the weeds out, every year in October I put between 8 and 10 inches of grass clippings and leafy organic material over the garden. Even from my first tomato garden I’ve never had small tomatoes.
We do the same here, planting the tomato almost horizontally. I don't like to dig more than 5 / 6 inches. We also add nettles and/or bone pouder in the hole (and soil to avoid roots to be in direct contact). Also, for me compost should no be in the hole, but on the surface, so nutrient gets carried on when watering (and not carried away).
Thank you for explaining each detail very understanding and why you have to do be focusing how deep you have to the plant you taken your time to show your work THANKS and that help me a lots, THANKS AGAIN
Just came upon your video after planting some tomato seeds indoors 4 days ago. So this is serendipitous -- and what great tips in the transplant period you have shared!! Thanks so much Huw!!
I have a drip irrigation system for the tomatoes and greenhouse crops. Keeps the soil surface dry and allows the water so soak in. I have the droppers on a timer so the watering is overnight.
I've always had issues with fungus when watering over night. The best method for me is to water at first light as the sun seems to inhibit fungus growth.
I'll bury even more of the plant. I'll even lay the plant down sideways at turn the top upwards then bury the base. This gives a tremendous amount of stalk to grow roots from. Consistent watering is crucial, not only for preventing fruit splitting, but also for eliminating blossom end rot. I've also had much better harvests using drip irrigation that from spray sprinklers. I'll water like this fellow suggested.. once every 4 days with a good soaking rather than a light watering every 2 days. Roots are key with tomatoes. My raised beds are outside though. I am not sure how his tomato plants survive a whole week, or even 10 days without their first watering.
incredible video mr huw but i m little bit comfused In the beging you said that i must not water them and few later you said to fill a hole with water and plant the tomato 🍅 what do you suggest afterall
I use the horizontal planting method for Tomatoes and have found it works best for not only best flavor, but overall health and well being for the plant throughout its whole life.
@@fcsoldeu5338 I disagree. The reason is the nutrient that gets into the Tomato is quite noticeable compared to one just planted in a vertical normal fashion. If you don't believe me then do a comparison for yourself. Best wishes!
I still use the probably ‘old fashioned’ method of burying 6” plant pots alongside the plant, and using these to ensure that the water, and any plant food you use, goes straight down to the roots. This also means that the surface soil stays dry and helps to control blight towards the end of the season.
That's a great idea! Could you plz tell me how far out from the plant stem were the 6" pots and how many per plant? Thanks for sharing your 'probably old fashioned' method - those are the best, having withstood the test of time! Your method is similar to the 2 liter pop bottle idea where the bottom is cut off, holes are drilled in the cap & it is partially buried in the soil next to the plant and is filled with water by what used to be the bottom. I prefer your method because I think the pop bottles are somewhat unsightly but I don't want to get anywhere near the leaves when watering as the soil, apparently, is blight ridden.
Great video Huw. Watering deeply is the key and drive the roots down. Sometimes you have to be a little mean to plants because they don't know what is good for them in the long haul
Thank you Huw. I have been following your videos for some time. This is basically what I do with my tomatoes and had a very good crop again this year. I do have an additional step, which with the extremely long summer and record temperatures in NZ this year, really paid . I bury a bottle with small holes in the bottom between every two plants and water through the bottle every 4 days. I apply soluble fertiliser through this system as well.
I always cut back all the low branches that might have water splashing on them during the growing season. This helps stave off the viruses and other soil borne diseases. Laughing! I had to edit this comment because I was auto-corrected to “soul borne diseases” which is kinda true when you think about tomato blight!
I agree with deep but less frequent watering but the soil in your video looks quite moist to me. Like we would have here in California in the rainy season. I would also like to know similar trick for making the roots go deeper for other veges. This yr my pepper plants are growing with what looks like a shallow root system.
I mulched my tomatoes directly after planting as I wanted to keep the leaves off the bare ground to prevent dirt splashing on the them. But I planted them in a trench so the root area is not yet mulched.
I'll tell you my secret.... I plant them as deep as possible about 12 inches, remove the lower leaves like huw says, then water EVERY OTHER day, 10l per plant. I do let theM go dry before planting to prevent black end rot. I have had 12kilos per plant using a potash fertiliser using this method with coeur de boeuf, no staking and a plastic fabric on the ground using copper sulphate (bouille bourgignon) to prevent blight and damage to the fruits. I had almost 150kilos for 12m2 patch.
I never push down on the plant as I don't want to pack the soil and make it harder to root out/hurt draining. If I do the rest right I have never had a plant that couldn't support it's fruit and fall over. I like to dig deeper than I'll plant as well and leave the soil looser under the plant with a little fertilizer and water to really help it go down. The faster the roots can spread out the better.
you have raised garden beds how far down can they go also I was taught never to push down on the soil after planting. You are right about not over watering but you should water really well after transplanting until the roots take hold then hold off.
Hi I live on an island but land for farming is scarce. We have a lot of container gardening. Have always had trouble getting a good tomato crop. From yr video I know I was not planting deep enough and over watering. I will try this deep and hold back the water method and see what happens. In other news tho the bananas, plantains and mangoes are bearing fruit.!! Thank you.
My grandad told me a tip with watering tomatoes. Put a small pot with drainage holes as close to the stem as reasonable and water exclusively into that. I'm going to try it out this year with my crop and as recommended in this video, do a deep water once every 5 days to see if I can encourage the roots.
This has given me a idea I'm going to use a water bottle upside down and drill holes in it and cut the bottom of the bottle that is going to be the top were I put the water in. thanks for sharing this I will also keep my eyes open for deep skinny flower pots.
I planted a tomato plant in my flower pot in June. It’s growing fast and I will need to either put it in a very large flower pot, or inside a large plastic bag or in the ground. I have not decided yet. The tomato plant will grow very large and wide because I have planted some in the past years. My brother did not have much luck with his tomato plants. He gave up. I only water once a week.
Thanks for the tip Huw! I do the exact opposite and get huge bumper crops in a tight space. With sub-irrigated (wicking) planters, the plants always have a constant supply of water in the reservoir. My tomatoes get massive. Not just leaves. Plenty of fruit too. (Just don't use too much N). They are constantly getting consistent moisture. Interestingly, the roots still grow quite large as well.
Makes more sense that a well watered and fertilized plant would just grow stronger roots faster, resulting in a larger plant that in turn grows even bigger deeper roots to support its rapid growth. This video sounds like another garden myth that just gets repeated over and over again by people that never ran the side by side comparison themselves.
🌼🌻🐝☀️🌺👨🌾Tomatoes are my favorite thing to grow and eat! Yay tomato sandwiches! All the hard work is worth it to me to get to see the new growth everyday it brings me so much joy! It’s the start of my 3 year gardening but there is still so much to learn and I appreciate your tips, tricks and advice! I look forward to learning more from each other as we grow!
Im a newb but in my polytunnel ive never had to buy a tomato plant since the seeds from the last crop seem to just grow so well. Even my soil is rubbish as the water seems to not want to mix with it but i gotta say im never short of good tomatoes. Now imagine if i actually had a bit of knowledge. So this was good advice.
thanks for the great video it was verry informative , but i want to know how the flowers of the tomatoes will be pollinated in the green house without insects or wind.Big hug from Croatia.
I planted some sugar drop tomatoes indoors, 2 plants per 60cm pot and cagey linky terlissy sticks, and have just had my first tomato cluster start growing. But I don't know until they are ripe if they will taste the same as the expensive supermarket varierty.
My problem was that I planted my tomatoes in the greenhouse and then the weather turned very warm and the soil was drying out quickly. I then felt I had to water them however I do have sheep’s wool and grass clippings to help control the moisture so thanks for the tip.
I’m a new grower I have 20 tomatoe plants and 20 odd chilli plants I need all the tips I can get they are a few inches tall know some died some didn’t I used miricle grow for some and not for others I wish I kept more of a log of what I done it’s weird how come grew better then othered but then I moved them to early from seedlings so Iv learnt a lesson already
question: how does this work with a no dig garden on grass on top of cardboard etc? there is not the depth to dig this? otherwise you are heaping and heaping products on the cardboard that becomes expensive...?
I wonder how well those roots will break through the rock hard red clay we've got here. I dug deep the other day, tossed half a sardine in, then planted my tomatoes pretty far up the stem. If they can dig into that clay, they'll have a _great_ foundation.
The plants will grow in heavy clay, but for me, they didn't get great root penetration on their own. They produced, just required a little more attention on water and fertilizer. It took a couple seasons of adding peat moss and/or coco coir to break the clay up. I've also had success using carrots and parsnips to help break up virgin clay.
@@sylviabeam8483 No problemo and good luck! The clay can be discouraging at first, but it is definitely something that can be improved year over year. I have tried adding a ton of amendents in 1 season and it helped, but seemed waste of money/resources. Slow and steady! I agree with "no dig" method as a goal, but for me, breaking new ground is much more successful with 2-3 years digging and additives.
@@foodhoarder9434 I neglected to mention that this is in a raised bed. So there's about 6 inches of soil/fish emulsion infused biochar, another ~6 of rotting wood, then the clay. I was able to punch down pretty far with a bulb planter to get the transplants set. We'll seed I guess. Tomatoes did great last year, except for all the blasted stinkbugs and hornworms.
My tomato plants have just finished here in Thailand, I composted the last of them today. Even though we are in the northern hemisphere, it is now getting too hot for tomatoes. I had a bumper crop after following your tips in your previous "tomato growing" vids. I managed to puree a lot down and store in mason jars, so I can make sauces as and when. Thanks for the fantastic tips Huw.
@@taxigirl5637 Then your varieties were specifically bred for heat tolerance or have been acclimated to the heat over several seasons. I too get up to 110+ and any that aren’t bred for heat will not be able to pollinate because the pollen simply won’t stick. Believe me, I’ve tried (even using electric toothbrush throughout the day). I had a lot of luck with a dwarf called Lil Faithful (it was bred in Florida, which makes a lot of sense for heat tolerance!) and a mystery golden heirloom that wasn’t labeled correctly by the seed vendor. (I stupidly didn’t save seeds.) 😭 So with that said, what are these lovely tomatoes that I obviously should be growing? 😍
@@melissasullivan1658 actually I don’t! I have about 40 different varieties. The issue is you need to shade the flowers from getting above 95. Once the pollen goes above 95 it goes sterile. That’s the key, many of my varieties are short season plants which tends to like cooler temperatures. If you implement the shade I was talking about and get heat tolerant seeds on top of it you should be able to grow tomatoes year round!
@@taxigirl5637 I actually gave up on Shadecloth, believe it not, because I found my microclimate was so hot (it’s a concrete balcony 🔥) that Shadecloth wasn’t doing enough. I’ve switched to super early varieties and super early transplanting and so far it’s worked really well, but I would love a plan for early fall since technically I should be able to get another harvest. We will see.
Dude! I grew up growing vegetables on the farm as soon as I could walk. We planted 500 tomato plants every year and worked all our acres by hand!! No machines...just muscle and sweat from before sunup to after sunset. That was JUST the tomatoes! To plant tomatoes....dig a deep hole...throw in a scoop of composted manure....water that hole till it's nothing but mud....take your tomato sprout...pack it in mud and bury it deep. Days later, after the top of the ground starts to dry out....poke around the crusted ground and pour water on it (one other thing, make a mounded ring of dirt like a "dike" around the plant to hole the water near the roots)....we carried gallon jugs from the spring and gave each plant a drink (about 1/2 gallon per plant..........That's when people actually did work and TAUGHT their children what work was about......we ALWAYS ATE GOOD off the farm!!! Not the shit in the groceries stores that city slickers think is food. PS : we ALWYS grew about a bushel of tomatoes off each plant...at end of season they were green but we ripened them in the cellar and barns...or sold them or canned then as greenies....still had 500 bushels for sell and self-use from 500 plants. I have grown over 400 different varieties in my life....the best that I grow now are San Marzano II (a great huge Italian-paste tomato and the Celebrity Hybrid because it withstands ANYTHING that disease and pest can throw at it!!! AND I HATE those watery types they sell in stores, with people thinking the "bigger the better"?!?! If you want BIGGER....dig a hole that will fill 2 "5-gallon buckets" (which is 2/3 cubic feet per bucket)....grab a big hand-full of super concentrated fertilizer ( I mix my own specs, but 10-10-10 will do)......fill the cone shaped hole half way....water it in like all hell, fill the rest of the hole with GOOD soil...mud that in and then plant your tomato in that top half of good soil. If you grow an indeterminate variety....you may end up growing a 25 FOOT vine with over a bushel of tomatoes!!! Like I have done!! ( as the fertilizer dissolves and the roots grow deeper, they hit the FOOD zone and EXPLODE!!
Amazing tips 🤗 new to gardening last year but was bottom feeding my tomato plants from seedlings for this very reason 👍🏻 love you videos. Very professional and informative.
We live in a desert climate (SW Idaho/USA) and it is windy as well as hot and dry so I’m hesitant to purposefully NOT water my tomatoes for 7-10 days. Maybe 3 days after a good soaking. I understand the principle (lazy plant) but think it’s too harsh on baby plants - at least here.
I have actually done this when I have planted alot of things and then forgot to water it in....I don't think I waited a week or more to water them....this would only work in a tunnel though ....because we get a good bit of rain....unless I had some way of keeping them covered .... I would like to try it when I get a tunnel though...
I am growing tomatoes in containers. Does this tip apply to containers as well? In California summer heat, I am finding that the top 3-4 inches of the soil gets dry in 1-2 days and the plant starts looking tired, so I water every other day.
Hi Hugh, great video, just what I needed. Thought you might like to know that your eight tips video that you pointed to at the end of this video didn't show up on the screen, and I'd love to see it!
When my neighborhood was built years ago they probably leveled everything then applied 6+ feet of "fill dirt" to grade the area. When I dig down and get about a foot it is very bland colorless dirt. I can't imagine there's many nutrients down there. Do you think there are any benefits in that fill dirt down there?
I get the initial dry period, it makes sense, the roots go deeper looking for water. But what if you use the blumat type of watering? Would ideally moistened soil be worse??
In Texas this would require a drip tape buried deeply as it's early May and our heat index is at 104-105 F already and the high pressure has been parked over the costal area for months with 1" of rain in 5 months and we should usually have 24"-30 " of rainfall by May !
I just moved to Texas and I am wondering how often to water my tomatoes (and the rest of my garden) when the temps are from 90!° and above. Still only twice per week?
I once watered a cactus for a year before I realized it wasn’t real. I have nothing approaching a green thumb. I envy you souls who’s plants look so awesome!
😂😂😂 ❤️💜❤️
What a funny story. Thanks for sharing
Bahahahahahahah thanks this really Made me laugh.
😂I once did that at work 😂😂talk about embarrassing
Waaay to funny thanks
I love growing tomatoes! I give them away roadside and can’t keep up with the folks riding by to grab them! I do a variety and they are so full of flavor I have people looking forward to my tomatoes every year! Sharing is caring! ❤
Where do you live? - Asking for a friend 😉
Hello Hugh, Love your channel. I live in California and have access to lots of farms in my area. Went on a tour on a tomato farm once, and I have always remembered what the foreman told us all, " be mean to your tomatoes, dont overwater them". If you do they will not develop a strong root system searching for water. I have been growing tomatoes for years and have followed his advice. I have an abundance of fruit every year to share with family and friends. Glad to hear you agree with him.
How often do you water them? When the soil looks dry?
I have tried and tried to bring my husband to this thinking.
@@locomojoboy2 I water twice a week by hand. I use a gallon pitcher. As i use containers for all my vegetables, I will water until the water runs out of the bottom. Then once more about 3 gallons. I generally use 10 gallon pots. If it gets really hot for a few days in a row, I will give them an extra day of watering.
Infrequent deep irrigation may be best, but not watering for 10 days after putting tomato starts in the ground here in central California ensures that you will have little brown crispy bits on the planting mounds before the first prescribed drink.
Same here in Florida.
Yes, I would not recommend this in south Louisiana and likely any place else. He also should have cut off those lower leaves rather than leave them in contact with the mulch….
He's not in California though or Florida .
Ya, here in southern az, once the leaves start to go limp you got about 2 hours before its dead
You do this to any plant... they have to be hardened off to the area ALWAYS before going in ground.
This video provides very detailed information on how to grow tomatoes from start to finish. I learned a lot about sowing seeds, taking care of plants, and pest control. I’ll definitely keep following more videos from the channel!
Good video, though I would have also mentioned and have done that when you plant them, you want to plant them deeper then they are in the pods. Remove the branches closest to the ground to prevent any mud and dirt from getting on them, to prevent any diseases from splash up.
Not to mention, each of those tiny little furs is a root waiting to sprout, so the deeper you can plant it..the more roots will form and spread.
I planted my tomatoes this way for the first time this year. I always just planted them container deep before. What you were suggesting has been a game changer for my tomato plants. They have been so much better this year
I could not believe he didn't remove the bottom leaves! He is bound to get early blight!
I have learned more from watching your videos than any other gardening channel! I followed your advice about not watering my tomato plants for a week after transplanting them outside. My tomato bed has NEVER been this healthy & productive the first week in June. Even my heirlooms are disease free & healthy in our hot humid climate ❤️
Wow! I wish I had known this before I planted this year! My plants have been routinely plagued with blight from the start and I am glad to hear that yours remained disease free with this method! Thank you much for sharing your results - I will definitely be applying the principles and will not water the first 2 weeks next year. Happy Gardening!
I put powdered milk on my plant for blight an its good now
I add the juice from canned mackerel. The cats eat the mackerel, and the tomatoes love the nutrients…
Respect to you for your waste saving! cats really shouldn't eat any salt at all in their diet though, it can make them really sick!
@@charlieguy6872 yes, but if u rinse the fish and use the juice in garden, it hasn’t effected my 7 cats.
Cool ppl find it strange so I don't mention it often but when i slaughter chicken humanely i used the blood to watery garden and the plant really do love it i put the feathers to decompose and i use the offal to get worms that way they are broken down also without throwing them out..... that in term feeds the chickens.
I bury fish heads. I buried one about a week ago, just waiting for just after new moon and then I will plant. Here in the Caribbean is very hot and I read that the new moon phase before full moon pulls water to the surface similar to how it behave with tidal activities. Hoping this is helpful in trying the no water method suggested by Huw.
That's really bad for the cats...they will eventually experience health issues. Setting them up for a hard life. Species appropriate diet. Good them good homemade raw food
The first video I watched on tomatoes was few years back when you were in you teen growing beautiful tomatoes under plastic shed. Now its even better you have a beautiful poly tunnel with beautiful tomato plants. I only have 2 successes, one in an open field and one in an aquaponic system. After that I have many failures because not protected from rain and we seem to get alot of rain nowadays. Planning to build a greenhouse with raised beds for them.
This balance makes it a calming and restful color - perfect for creating those stress-busting outdoor spaces.
I usually water my tomato plants daily as in the summer my greenhouse is regularly around 30 degrees Celsius. I've had to start mulching my growing beds with grass clippings from when I mow the lawn just to stop it drying out so fast and the plants wilting. I'll have to try this though next year when I first transplant and before my greenhouse gets too hot
I start mine early (Christmas) so they are nice and tall, then plant not only deep, but sideways as well; giving me up to two feet of roots for each plant. This allows me to keep more suckers on the plant, increasing my yields.
I going to do that cos I red once that tomatoes in the nature just ramble along ground and you can grow another just buy puttings a sideshoot in ground
@@josmond3504 Yes, If the plant is long enough when I put it in sideways, I sometimes leave one or two side shoots above ground and get three plants growing out of one vine.
Yes! The tomato plants I have seen grown this way are gorgeous and fruitful!
Suckers really are the goal if you want large yields. I let suckers grow to about 1/4 thick and roughly 3-4" long, then I cut them off an plant them on their own. Treat them like any other tomato plant from that point and they will produce just fine. What's more, they will start fruiting a bit later in the season so, as your initial plants are starting to slow down and even die, those suckers will be moving right along.
My tomatoes grow taller than 9 feet, and produce more that 100 tomatoes (heirloom, better boy, early girl and more), I plant the whole plant minus a couple leaves, and plant on a 45 degree angle downward, over the buried portion I placed a piece of tree bark from a leafy tree. I also put wood ashes in and around the hole, and use weed barrier ground cloth to keep the weeds out, every year in October I put between 8 and 10 inches of grass clippings and leafy organic material over the garden. Even from my first tomato garden I’ve never had small tomatoes.
We do the same here, planting the tomato almost horizontally. I don't like to dig more than 5 / 6 inches.
We also add nettles and/or bone pouder in the hole (and soil to avoid roots to be in direct contact). Also, for me compost should no be in the hole, but on the surface, so nutrient gets carried on when watering (and not carried away).
Zac
I wasn’t aware that better boy, early girl, Was a heirloom.
@@markwilliams903 oh they aren't. Just mention my preferences in bad grammar ;)
@@HalfInsaneOutdoorGuy 😂 No problem.
Thank you for explaining each detail very understanding and why you have to do be focusing how deep you have to the plant you taken your time to show your work THANKS and that help me a lots,
THANKS AGAIN
Nature is amazing. Many ways to get what you need. Love that.
Just came upon your video after planting some tomato seeds indoors 4 days ago. So this is serendipitous -- and what great tips in the transplant period you have shared!! Thanks so much Huw!!
I have a drip irrigation system for the tomatoes and greenhouse crops. Keeps the soil surface dry and allows the water so soak in. I have the droppers on a timer so the watering is overnight.
I've always had issues with fungus when watering over night. The best method for me is to water at first light as the sun seems to inhibit fungus growth.
I'll bury even more of the plant. I'll even lay the plant down sideways at turn the top upwards then bury the base. This gives a tremendous amount of stalk to grow roots from. Consistent watering is crucial, not only for preventing fruit splitting, but also for eliminating blossom end rot. I've also had much better harvests using drip irrigation that from spray sprinklers. I'll water like this fellow suggested.. once every 4 days with a good soaking rather than a light watering every 2 days. Roots are key with tomatoes. My raised beds are outside though. I am not sure how his tomato plants survive a whole week, or even 10 days without their first watering.
Wow! Thank you for sharing your knowledge in gardening!😘Mabuhay Richard !watching from the philippines🇵🇭
Thank you so much!!😊
So many tomatoes to be harvest thank you for the sharing this
4:34 thats what he said
come oooon i couldnt help it.
brilliant video tutorial thanks, my first ever gardening attempt this year. subscribed!
This is fabulous, I have liked all teachings and pieces of advice. Very awakening
Man, I am so happy that I found you and your channel. The content is great! Really informative. Thanks!
You are most welcome! :)
incredible video mr huw but i m little bit comfused In the beging you said that i must not water them and few later you said to fill a hole with water and plant the tomato 🍅 what do you suggest afterall
Curious as to why the root ball is not slightly loosened to promote root spread vs the compressed condition as removed from pot.
You run the risk of damaging the roots that way. The roots will move out just fine from the, seemingly, compressed ball.
I use the horizontal planting method for Tomatoes and have found it works best for not only best flavor, but overall health and well being for the plant throughout its whole life.
flavor has nothing to do with it.
@@fcsoldeu5338 I disagree. The reason is the nutrient that gets into the Tomato is quite noticeable compared to one just planted in a vertical normal fashion. If you don't believe me then do a comparison for yourself. Best wishes!
@@NorthernThaiGardenGuy This is good to know - Thank you!
I've just started my own garden this year and videos like this have been of so much help! 👌 Thank you for all these great tips and tricks!
So did I and I made a bit of a mess out of it buy over watering.
Lesson learnt
Good technique. I plant my tomatoes about 70% in the ground. About 3 times deeper than the demonstrated technique. I will try this technique as well.
These are wonderful tomato growing tips! Greetings from Missouri ♡
Glad you like them! Greetings from Wales :)
Thanks Mr, great advice. The quality of your channel is superb.
I still use the probably ‘old fashioned’ method of burying 6” plant pots alongside the plant, and using these to ensure that the water, and any plant food you use, goes straight down to the roots. This also means that the surface soil stays dry and helps to control blight towards the end of the season.
Like an Ollie (I know that’s spelled wrong)?
That's a great idea! Could you plz tell me how far out from the plant stem were the 6" pots and how many per plant? Thanks for sharing your 'probably old fashioned' method - those are the best, having withstood the test of time! Your method is similar to the 2 liter pop bottle idea where the bottom is cut off, holes are drilled in the cap & it is partially buried in the soil next to the plant and is filled with water by what used to be the bottom. I prefer your method because I think the pop bottles are somewhat unsightly but I don't want to get anywhere near the leaves when watering as the soil, apparently, is blight ridden.
If only I could grow such a healthy plant!!!
Great video Huw. Watering deeply is the key and drive the roots down. Sometimes you have to be a little mean to plants because they don't know what is good for them in the long haul
Thank you Huw. I have been following your videos for some time. This is basically what I do with my tomatoes and had a very good crop again this year. I do have an additional step, which with the extremely long summer and record temperatures in NZ this year, really paid . I bury a bottle with small holes in the bottom between every two plants and water through the bottle every 4 days. I apply soluble fertiliser through this system as well.
I always cut back all the low branches that might have water splashing on them during the growing season. This helps stave off the viruses and other soil borne diseases. Laughing! I had to edit this comment because I was auto-corrected to “soul borne diseases” which is kinda true when you think about tomato blight!
I agree with deep but less frequent watering but the soil in your video looks quite moist to me. Like we would have here in California in the rainy season.
I would also like to know similar trick for making the roots go deeper for other veges. This yr my pepper plants are growing with what looks like a shallow root system.
Thank you Huw. Excellent tip. I grew my tomatoes in my house, and water them, only when the leaves 🍃 were drooping. The tomatoes 🍅 were gorgeous
That’s what I do too, water when they start drooping
your ohotography is looking good Huw
I mulched my tomatoes directly after planting as I wanted to keep the leaves off the bare ground to prevent dirt splashing on the them.
But I planted them in a trench so the root area is not yet mulched.
I'll tell you my secret.... I plant them as deep as possible about 12 inches, remove the lower leaves like huw says, then water EVERY OTHER day, 10l per plant. I do let theM go dry before planting to prevent black end rot. I have had 12kilos per plant using a potash fertiliser using this method with coeur de boeuf, no staking and a plastic fabric on the ground using copper sulphate (bouille bourgignon) to prevent blight and damage to the fruits. I had almost 150kilos for 12m2 patch.
Are you somewhere with hot summers?
No staking? How in the world? Surely you have some support for those giant beefsteaks...
over watering even in AZ
AZ is hot so how do you water the tomato plant?
@@HelmetVanga tomatoes are dry climate plants?
I never push down on the plant as I don't want to pack the soil and make it harder to root out/hurt draining. If I do the rest right I have never had a plant that couldn't support it's fruit and fall over. I like to dig deeper than I'll plant as well and leave the soil looser under the plant with a little fertilizer and water to really help it go down. The faster the roots can spread out the better.
But one should push the soil down enough to eliminate any air pockets around the roots.
好美的菜园，向往的乡村生活
Huw do I remove the bottom leaves from my Tomato plants in the greenhouse. Thanks Hazel 🌱
you have raised garden beds how far down can they go also I was taught never to push down on the soil after planting. You are right about not over watering but you should water really well after transplanting until the roots take hold then hold off.
Hi I live on an island but land for farming is scarce. We have a lot of container gardening. Have always had trouble getting a good tomato crop. From yr video I know I was not planting deep enough and over watering. I will try this deep and hold back the water method and see what happens.
In other news tho the bananas, plantains and mangoes are bearing fruit.!!
Thank you.
My grandad told me a tip with watering tomatoes.
Put a small pot with drainage holes as close to the stem as reasonable and water exclusively into that.
I'm going to try it out this year with my crop and as recommended in this video, do a deep water once every 5 days to see if I can encourage the roots.
This has given me a idea I'm going to use a water bottle upside down and drill holes in it and cut the bottom of the bottle that is going to be the top were I put the water in. thanks for sharing this I will also keep my eyes open for deep skinny flower pots.
Thank you for this tip - your videos are always helpful and very informative!
Great tip with watering. I’ll definitely try this.
I planted a tomato plant in my flower pot in June. It’s growing fast and I will need to either put it in a very large flower pot, or inside a large plastic bag or in the ground. I have not decided yet. The tomato plant will grow very large and wide because I have planted some in the past years. My brother did not have much luck with his tomato plants. He gave up. I only water once a week.
Thanks for the tip Huw! I do the exact opposite and get huge bumper crops in a tight space. With sub-irrigated (wicking) planters, the plants always have a constant supply of water in the reservoir. My tomatoes get massive. Not just leaves. Plenty of fruit too. (Just don't use too much N). They are constantly getting consistent moisture. Interestingly, the roots still grow quite large as well.
May be, but, for more flavour LESS watering.
@phillip wareham Do expand...
Makes more sense that a well watered and fertilized plant would just grow stronger roots faster, resulting in a larger plant that in turn grows even bigger deeper roots to support its rapid growth. This video sounds like another garden myth that just gets repeated over and over again by people that never ran the side by side comparison themselves.
What fertilizer do you feed your tomato plants?
@phillip wareham Urine contains urea...a nitrogen source.
Our urine is sterile, unless active urinary tract infection
Its always nice to sit amongst the greenery and not have to worry about mosquitoes.
thanks for sharing water to plants tips
excellent and sensible advice -- thank you.
🌼🌻🐝☀️🌺👨🌾Tomatoes are my favorite thing to grow and eat! Yay tomato sandwiches! All the hard work is worth it to me to get to see the new growth everyday it brings me so much joy! It’s the start of my 3 year gardening but there is still so much to learn and I appreciate your tips, tricks and advice! I look forward to learning more from each other as we grow!
No wonder I had more tomatoes last year than I knew what to do with. I am a hopeless neglectful gardener, but my tomato plants loved it apparently!
😂
Happy gardening
I use the olla pots, works amazingly.
Im a newb but in my polytunnel ive never had to buy a tomato plant since the seeds from the last crop seem to just grow so well. Even my soil is rubbish as the water seems to not want to mix with it but i gotta say im never short of good tomatoes. Now imagine if i actually had a bit of knowledge. So this was good advice.
thanks for the great video it was verry informative , but i want to know how the flowers of the tomatoes will be pollinated in the green house without insects or wind.Big hug from Croatia.
I planted some sugar drop tomatoes indoors, 2 plants per 60cm pot and cagey linky terlissy sticks, and have just had my first tomato cluster start growing.
But I don't know until they are ripe if they will taste the same as the expensive supermarket varierty.
We live in the Philippines it's hot here....we need to water early morning and evening.
Love the new look . Haven't seen a video in a while .
should you do the same if you plant from seeds? I've been told that you should water them after sowing every day, and when they sprout every week.
Just bought your book on audible. I really am loving the bartering tips you have. Looking forward to starting out small.
My problem was that I planted my tomatoes in the greenhouse and then the weather turned very warm and the soil was drying out quickly. I then felt I had to water them however I do have sheep’s wool and grass clippings to help control the moisture so thanks for the tip.
wow, this episode is very informative, thanks for sharing
Thank you, I loved the watering advice ❤
Very useful, even for a novice.
Glad to hear it! :)
After planting into that deep hole how often do you water them?
Great video so once you planted and you used grass how often did you water or do you just leave them.
Good advice, thanks. Sometimes I'll allow the leaves to wilt a little. I just don't want to over water.
I’m a new grower I have 20 tomatoe plants and 20 odd chilli plants I need all the tips I can get they are a few inches tall know some died some didn’t I used miricle grow for some and not for others I wish I kept more of a log of what I done it’s weird how come grew better then othered but then I moved them to early from seedlings so Iv learnt a lesson already
question: how does this work with a no dig garden on grass on top of cardboard etc? there is not the depth to dig this? otherwise you are heaping and heaping products on the cardboard that becomes expensive...?
excellent idea thank you for the explanation.
You are welcome! :)
Great tips. Thanks, Huw.
What about container gardens? You have to water more frequently?
Great video, thank you. I’m going to apply this when moving chilies into a bed.
👍🏻
Fantastic! Best of luck!
Great advice! Makes total sense.
thank you so much for sharing such a useful information🙏
I wonder how well those roots will break through the rock hard red clay we've got here. I dug deep the other day, tossed half a sardine in, then planted my tomatoes pretty far up the stem. If they can dig into that clay, they'll have a _great_ foundation.
The plants will grow in heavy clay, but for me, they didn't get great root penetration on their own. They produced, just required a little more attention on water and fertilizer.
It took a couple seasons of adding peat moss and/or coco coir to break the clay up. I've also had success using carrots and parsnips to help break up virgin clay.
@@foodhoarder9434 thank you for this advice because I have the same problem with red clay but been adding compost
I suggest watching some videos on humic acid and what it can do for your soil, particularly sandy and clay soils.
@@sylviabeam8483 No problemo and good luck!
The clay can be discouraging at first, but it is definitely something that can be improved year over year. I have tried adding a ton of amendents in 1 season and it helped, but seemed waste of money/resources. Slow and steady!
I agree with "no dig" method as a goal, but for me, breaking new ground is much more successful with 2-3 years digging and additives.
@@foodhoarder9434 I neglected to mention that this is in a raised bed. So there's about 6 inches of soil/fish emulsion infused biochar, another ~6 of rotting wood, then the clay. I was able to punch down pretty far with a bulb planter to get the transplants set.
We'll seed I guess. Tomatoes did great last year, except for all the blasted stinkbugs and hornworms.
My tomato plants have just finished here in Thailand, I composted the last of them today. Even though we are in the northern hemisphere, it is now getting too hot for tomatoes. I had a bumper crop after following your tips in your previous "tomato growing" vids. I managed to puree a lot down and store in mason jars, so I can make sauces as and when. Thanks for the fantastic tips Huw.
Really? It got to be 110°F (over 43°C) here in Colorado last summer and I still grew tomatoes.
@@taxigirl5637 Then your varieties were specifically bred for heat tolerance or have been acclimated to the heat over several seasons. I too get up to 110+ and any that aren’t bred for heat will not be able to pollinate because the pollen simply won’t stick. Believe me, I’ve tried (even using electric toothbrush throughout the day). I had a lot of luck with a dwarf called Lil Faithful (it was bred in Florida, which makes a lot of sense for heat tolerance!) and a mystery golden heirloom that wasn’t labeled correctly by the seed vendor. (I stupidly didn’t save seeds.) 😭
So with that said, what are these lovely tomatoes that I obviously should be growing? 😍
@@melissasullivan1658 actually I don’t! I have about 40 different varieties. The issue is you need to shade the flowers from getting above 95. Once the pollen goes above 95 it goes sterile. That’s the key, many of my varieties are short season plants which tends to like cooler temperatures. If you implement the shade I was talking about and get heat tolerant seeds on top of it you should be able to grow tomatoes year round!
@@melissasullivan1658 it’s true that the smaller tomatoes are more heat tolerant, the cherries seem much less affected
@@taxigirl5637 I actually gave up on Shadecloth, believe it not, because I found my microclimate was so hot (it’s a concrete balcony 🔥) that Shadecloth wasn’t doing enough. I’ve switched to super early varieties and super early transplanting and so far it’s worked really well, but I would love a plan for early fall since technically I should be able to get another harvest. We will see.
Does it work with tomatoes grown in containers?
At my school in the greenhouse we are growing early girls, romas, and beefstakes.
Dude! I grew up growing vegetables on the farm as soon as I could walk. We planted 500 tomato plants every year and worked all our acres by hand!! No machines...just muscle and sweat from before sunup to after sunset. That was JUST the tomatoes! To plant tomatoes....dig a deep hole...throw in a scoop of composted manure....water that hole till it's nothing but mud....take your tomato sprout...pack it in mud and bury it deep. Days later, after the top of the ground starts to dry out....poke around the crusted ground and pour water on it (one other thing, make a mounded ring of dirt like a "dike" around the plant to hole the water near the roots)....we carried gallon jugs from the spring and gave each plant a drink (about 1/2 gallon per plant..........That's when people actually did work and TAUGHT their children what work was about......we ALWAYS ATE GOOD off the farm!!! Not the shit in the groceries stores that city slickers think is food.
PS : we ALWYS grew about a bushel of tomatoes off each plant...at end of season they were green but we ripened them in the cellar and barns...or sold them or canned then as greenies....still had 500 bushels for sell and self-use from 500 plants. I have grown over 400 different varieties in my life....the best that I grow now are San Marzano II (a great huge Italian-paste tomato and the Celebrity Hybrid because it withstands ANYTHING that disease and pest can throw at it!!! AND I HATE those watery types they sell in stores, with people thinking the "bigger the better"?!?!
If you want BIGGER....dig a hole that will fill 2 "5-gallon buckets" (which is 2/3 cubic feet per bucket)....grab a big hand-full of super concentrated fertilizer ( I mix my own specs, but 10-10-10 will do)......fill the cone shaped hole half way....water it in like all hell, fill the rest of the hole with GOOD soil...mud that in and then plant your tomato in that top half of good soil. If you grow an indeterminate variety....you may end up growing a 25 FOOT vine with over a bushel of tomatoes!!! Like I have done!! ( as the fertilizer dissolves and the roots grow deeper, they hit the FOOD zone and EXPLODE!!
Do you have a channel with more tips? Be good if you did. 👍
Thanks for sharing your experience🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍
0
You should plant about 80% of that tomato plant deeper into the ground. Every node where a leaef is will then produce root if buried!!
Very informative video, thank you!
Great tips..thanks a mill 🙏🏼🍀💕
very helpful, thank you!
Amazing tips 🤗 new to gardening last year but was bottom feeding my tomato plants from seedlings for this very reason 👍🏻 love you videos. Very professional and informative.
We live in a desert climate (SW Idaho/USA) and it is windy as well as hot and dry so I’m hesitant to purposefully NOT water my tomatoes for 7-10 days. Maybe 3 days after a good soaking. I understand the principle (lazy plant) but think it’s too harsh on baby plants - at least here.
Thanks so much, I did notice that there were tomato leaves close to the ground. Would it be advisable to cut them off?
Wow this is fantastic advice for growing in your exact climate.
Very we explained with a beautiful accent
I have actually done this when I have planted alot of things and then forgot to water it in....I don't think I waited a week or more to water them....this would only work in a tunnel though ....because we get a good bit of rain....unless I had some way of keeping them covered ....
I would like to try it when I get a tunnel though...
I am growing tomatoes in containers. Does this tip apply to containers as well? In California summer heat, I am finding that the top 3-4 inches of the soil gets dry in 1-2 days and the plant starts looking tired, so I water every other day.
Hi Hugh, great video, just what I needed. Thought you might like to know that your eight tips video that you pointed to at the end of this video didn't show up on the screen, and I'd love to see it!
When my neighborhood was built years ago they probably leveled everything then applied 6+ feet of "fill dirt" to grade the area. When I dig down and get about a foot it is very bland colorless dirt. I can't imagine there's many nutrients down there. Do you think there are any benefits in that fill dirt down there?
I get the initial dry period, it makes sense, the roots go deeper looking for water. But what if you use the blumat type of watering? Would ideally moistened soil be worse??
Would you say this applies to growing here in southern Italy with our very hot and dry summers?
In Texas this would require a drip tape buried deeply as it's early May and our heat index is at 104-105 F already and the high pressure has been parked over the costal area for months with 1" of rain in 5 months and we should usually have 24"-30 " of rainfall by May !
I just moved to Texas and I am wondering how often to water my tomatoes (and the rest of my garden) when the temps are from 90!° and above. Still only twice per week?
Good tips. I feel like this is what they did hundreds of years ago.