Put the ripening fruit into the zip lock bag, and let it cover the fruit and stalks, so that it can protect the fruit from being stolen by the animals.
Start pressing the zip lock bag’s month from both ends, leave 0.5 cm openings on both side of the stem when get close to the fruit, so that the air can enter into the bag.
Cut off a bottom corner of the bag, so that the air and the water can flow. In hot weather, it will need more ventages, 1 cm long slit is enough.
If the animals eat the fruit, please don’t lose heart. But would be better if spend more time on their bagging.
o Another tips: put some red decorations of Christmas tree on the top of the tomato cage so that the birds will be attracted and peck them, and then your tomatoes will be safe.
Plant tomatoes in the flowerpot
• If the place you are living in is very small, and has only one corridor, then you can plant the tomatoes in the flowerpots.
• Find a pot about 45-60cm high and 38-50cm wide. Fill the pot with soil, fertilizer and the so on.
• Plant the tomato into the pot, and cover a layer of black plastic cloth, let the water go through from the little holes. Cut the edge into round, and stuff it into the soil, which can prevent the weeds, wild cats and insects.
• Insert 3-4 wood, bamboo or plastic sticks into the soil beside the main stem, use tapes or gauzes for plants to tie the main stem with the sticks, so that they can support its growth.
Tips
To improve its taste, promote its growing, increase the harvest and prevent insects, you can try to plant some accompanying plants together with tomatoes at the same time. For example, plant basils within the scope of 45 cm around the tomato, which can make the tomatoes taste better, and also can prevent insects.
• When plant the seedling on the ground, you can get a coffee can (open both ends) to cover up the seedling, and press half coffee can into the soil. When water the seedling, fill the can with water, and the water will permeate the roots to help the seedling to thrive.
Before planting the seedlings, put some organic fertilizer in the bottom of the holes. With the root grow deeper and deeper into the soil, they will access to this layer of nutrients timely, thus increasing the output of the fruit.
• Even though the stems or roots of the plants have been damaged, you can still save this plant of tomato. As long as you bury the ground stalks and lower branches into the soil, just like you bury 75% of the seedling into the soil when you plant it in the most beginning. The roots will continue to grow out from the fluffs and branches of the stalks.
• You can put some eggshells in the bottom of the holes before transplanting the tomatoes.
• If the temperature is always higher than 35℃, you can provide shade to every plant from 11am to 3pm every day, so that the high temperature and sunshine won’t “burn” the plants.
Don’t water them too much.
When the tomatoes have grown on the ground for 6 weeks, using tomato cages or supporting stakes can make tomatoes easier to fruit.
You’d better not use tomatoes cages or tie the plants with the supporting stakes at the beginning of planting. Use the cages or supporting stakes later can ensure the young roots won’t be hurt by them.
Warning
Only the fruit of tomatoes is edible, tomato vines are toxic.
• Water the plants in the morning, especially use drip irrigation or ditch, can help to prevent the diseases caused by mold or fungus.
• The tomato seeds are so small, so the depth of planting shouldn’t be too deep, or the seed can’t sprout, resulting in the loss of seeds. So you should follow strictly that plant the seeds into the soil with 0.5-1.5cm depth.
• Don’t pinch off every branch, which will make the plants fruit all tomatoes at the same time, and the plant will be much smaller than the normal one.
Tomatoes need good climate and soil condition to produce good fruit.
