Want juicier, tastier, and prettier tomatoes? Growing tomatoes must be the easiest in all of the gardening's feat. The challenge comes in being able to grow healthier, juicier, and tastier tomatoes. Here's probably the easiest instruction you can get on how you can grow tomatoes you'll love.

Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Probably because tomatoes are popular, whether it's a fruit or vegetable, is something that has long been debated about. Well, here's something we can agree on, growing tomatoes is easy, you can grow it as easily as scattering seeds in the ground and nature will do the rest. But, I'm sure you'd want to grow your tomatoes in the best possible way there is to grow them, so scroll on!

How To Grow Your Own Pretty And Juicy Tomatoes

Growing tomatoes are quite easy that you can even grow them on the balcony of your apartment, on the patio, in containers, or out in the wide open. Still a newbie in gardening? Don't you worry, this step by step guide will let you grow tomatoes just the way you like it! Get ready to harvest some juicy, tasty, and pretty tomatoes that you can use for your everyday cooking. Here's how:

Stage 1.  Prepare The Seedling Tray

You can start the process by growing tomato seeds indoors. Here's how:

• Prepare a seedling tray then fill it up with compost or soil that's loose and well draining.
• Poke two holes with your fingers in each box then place a single tomato seed in each hole.
• Cover with soil then gently firm the soil to prevent air pockets.
• Use a spray mister or gently water the batch with a few drops to each cell.

Stage 2. Seed Germination

You can promote the growth of your seeds by doing these steps:

• Place the tray in a warm area with a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cover the tray to help retain moisture and promote seed germination.
• Keep the seed tray moisture but not too wet.
• Put your seed tray under grow lights once your seeds have started to germinate, keeping the light a few inches above the seedlings.
• Remove the cover so air can circulate around the seedlings to help prevent disease problem.

Stage 3. Survival Of The Fittest

Not all of your seedlings will grow healthy as can be expected so you will have to choose the ones that look healthier and stronger to keep.

• Snip off the weaker seedlings in each cell from the soil base with a pair of scissors.
• Start feeding your seedlings with a soluble fertilizer every week, once they have developed two sets of leaves.
• Continue keeping your seedling tray moisturized.

Stage 4. How To Repot

Check your seedling about a month after sowing by gently removing one seedling from a cell in the tray. When the roots have filled the cell in the tray then it's good to go for re-pot. You can either choose self-watering transplant pot or a biodegradable cow pot for re-potting.

• Place a thin layer of soil in the bottom of a transplant pot and place the seedling in.
• Fill the pot with moist soil covering the roots and the stem.
• It's a good idea to cover the stem with soil and you will observe that roots will develop around the stem too.

Stage 5. Transplanting

You can now transfer your seedling into the garden once the danger of frost is gone. Doing these steps will ensure good growth.

• Pinch off the lower stems to avoid burying the foliage that could rot.
• Dig a trench  in your soil bed of eight inches deep and six inches wide.
• Lay your plant on its side in the trench and gently bend the top portion above the soil line.
• Cover the trench, packing soil firmly around the plant to keep it upright.

Stage 6. Watch Your Plant Grow

Finally, your tomato plant is set. You can do these tips for ideal growth:

• Put up a support around your plants like a trellis or a tomato cage.
• Keep your tomatoes watered and fertilizer for tomatoes.
• When flowers have started coming out, you can shake it gently once in a while to promote pollination.

Ready For Harvest!

Tomatoes taste much better when picked ripe from the plant but you would want to watch out for critters who are out to compete for the fruit with you. You can take pictures of your ripened tomatoes before picking them to document your good year for growing tomatoes!

Watch for the whole instruction for growing tomatoes here in this video from Gardener's Supply:

Wouldn't you love your tomatoes in your daily meals whether raw in a salad or well-cooked in stews? Do not be overwhelmed of growing too much but welcome this prospect. Tomatoes can be preserved in so many ways, you may never have to buy tomato sauce again. Do save your tomato seeds too for your future use.

Now that you've learned how to grow juicy tomatoes, pump up your gardening skills by learning how to grow lettuce indoors! Will you try growing your own tomatoes? I'd love to know what you think. Just post it in the comments below!

Featured Image via pixabay