10 tips for growing tomatoes

1. Start indoors: You can get ahead of the tomato growing season by starting your seedlings indoors in a pot.
2. Give your tomatoes something to climb: Remember that tomato plants grow like a vine. They like to grow upwards. So when planting your tomatoes outdoors, give them some tall stacks or a fence wall or something to climb up.
3. Trimming those vines: Keep your tomato vines pruned. This helps to provide sunshine to the tomatoes and will help them grow larger. You especially want to trim those vine shoots growing out the sides.
4. Don't handle wet tomatoes: At least not while they're still on the vine. This increases the chances of rot setting in, or of the tomatoes having bad spots.
5. Watch your watering: This is a tricky one. You don't want the tomato plants to become too saturated or rot could set in. On the other hand, if you don't water enough, rot could still settle in. Keep your tomato plants watered regularly, especially at the root level, but don't drown them.
6. Use a fan: This might sound a little wacky, but it works. Tomato plants need a strong stem to grow better and taller, and apparently the wind helps the tomato to build a strong stem, kind of building strong muscles in your arms. When your plants are still in the seedling phase, use an electric fan on them to help build those stems. But don't put the fan on high and keep it blasting away at the poor seedlings all the time or you'll end up with flattened seedlings. Adjust the fan's power and its distance from the seedlings as you see fit; usually a little less is better than a little more.
7. Make sure the seedlings get plenty of light: Tomato seedlings need at least 14 hours of sunlight a day, and can use as much as 18 hours' worth. So, if you're planting your seedlings outdoors, make sure they will be in a spot where they get sunshine for most of the day. If you start with your seedlings indoors, invest in some fluorescent growing lights.
8. Don't overload the manure: Manure tends to have high levels of nitrogen, and while this is good for your tomato vines, it's not so good for the tomatoes themselves. Too much nitrogen and you won't get many tomatoes, though you should still have a healthy plant. Just make sure you know what's going in the soil for your tomatoes.
9. Put down some mulch: Natural mulches help to hold water in the ground for tomatoes, so provide plenty of natural mulch around where your tomatoes are growing. But don't put down the mulch until the ground has warmed some, at least 65 or so degrees, or the mulch won't be as helpful. Mulch also helps to keep away weeds and some insects harmful to tomatoes.
10. Plant your tomatoes deep: You want your tomato plants to be strong, right? Of course you do. To help achieve this, went planting the seedlings outdoors, bury the plant deep enough so the soil just covers the top leaves. This will urge the plant to spread its roots deeper, which will help to grow a stronger plant.