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Tomatoes are one of my favorite salad vegetables, and although you can buy them year-round, they are always much more flavorful when harvested from your own backyard.
Whether you choose to grow tomatoes from seed or buy seedlings, you could be making a big mistake when you plant. Instead of harvesting a luscious crop of juicy tomatoes, you could be gathering a meager selection of small fruits.
So, to ensure you’re not disappointed with your homegrown tomato harvest, check out the correct spacing required between plants.
Article continues belowWhy you need to space tomatoes correctly
Apart from soil type, fertility and temperature, plant spacing should also be carefully considered.
While you might be tempted to cram in as many plants as possible, so you have a bumper harvest, increasing competition between plants can reduce the yield and vegetable quality in your yard.
This increased competition means your plants are fighting for sunlight, water, and nutrients, and are more susceptible to disease, as tight spacing reduces airflow and encourages pests to thrive.
Apart from encouraging your plants to grow a healthy crop of delicious tomatoes, adequate spacing will allow you to reach between plants to water and care for them without causing damage.
Your tomatoes are too close
If your tomato plants are positioned too close together, they may grow jungle-like, with branches intermingling. You may also notice abnormally tall and narrow, spindly plants as they compete with neighbors for sunlight. What’s more, due to the lack of sunlight and poor airflow, the lower leaves of your plants might turn yellow. And the leaves may remain soggy if there is a long period of rainfall.
Pests and diseases are another problem that are more common when tomatoes are packed in tight. Blight and fungus are encouraged by a lack of airflow, so watch out for early and late blight and powdery mildew. The warning sign is black or brown spots on your plants.
The biggest consequences are lower yields and smaller tomatoes, and, due to limited sunlight, your fruits may stay green for longer or not ripen evenly.
How to plant your tomatoes for optimum growth
Most tomato plants need to be spaced 24 to 36 inches apart for optimum growth, though this depends on the variety you're planting, whether you’re growing determinate or indeterminate types. But, before you start digging, check your seed packet or plant label for guidelines, to ensure you’re getting it right.
Determinate tomatoes, or bush tomatoes, are more compact than indeterminate types, which makes them ideal for small spaces or containers. When planting them in the ground, ensure they are spaced at least 24 inches apart.
Indeterminate tomatoes, also known as cordon or vining tomatoes, often need staking due to their height and need more space than determinate types. Give indeterminate tomatoes another foot, and plant them 36 inches apart.
Get this step right, and you can look forward to a healthy tomato harvest that grows to its full potential.
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