In my opinion, no list of survival gardening hacks is complete without tomato tips! There are so many different ways to care for tomatoes – the all natural way. No chemicals required!
Survival Gardening Hacks| 6 Simple Tips To Top Tier Tomatoes
My article, 8 Baking Soda Uses For Your Survival Garden To Try, I listed a tomato plant hack using baking soda. Since that article’s publication, survival gardeners have been inquiring about additional gardening tips and hacks. The one plant that has been inquired about the most? You guessed it…the tomato plant! In this article, I will share with you additional and all natural hacks for your beautiful tomato plants. Let’s begin!
1. Plant Deep
Due to the root system of a single tomato plant potentially becoming quite large, my suggestion is to give them plenty of space in between plants to allow for deep root systems to develop.
To give you an idea of how deep their root systems can potentially be, the root system of a seed-grown tomato plant can develop a taproot system up to 5 feet deep!
Starter plants can have root systems up to 3 feet deep and the roots are also more spread out than a taproot system. Planting deep and giving each tomato plant adequate space (from each other or from other plants) is key for a nice and healthy tomato plant.
If you have limited space, please check out my previous article Container Gardening for Your Patio or Balcony for some great tips on how you can grow perfect tomatoes even in containers!
2. Cow Manure
Cow manure is magic to any garden! This hack is known to grow large tomatoes and has been used for years by farmers and gardeners alike. After you dig deep holes for your tomato plants, you cover the bottom of each hole with a layer of cow manure.
Next, add about ¼ inch of sawdust on top of the cow manure, then add more soil on top of the sawdust. Finally, plant your tomato plant.
3. Epsom Salt
Epsom salt is rich in magnesium and produces plentiful results for tomatoes, peppers, and other blooming plants. Add 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt for every 1 gallon of water.
Spray this mixture onto your tomato plants every 1-2 weeks. For this hack, I personally recommend spraying more towards the bottom of the stem and soil area and not directly on the leaves and the actual tomatoes.
4. Eggshells and Coffee
This is what some gardeners call “direct composting” which means you will add composting materials directly to the plant instead of the composting bin. Coffee grounds will add nitrogen to the soil surrounding the tomato plant.
Next time you have your morning coffee, save the coffee grounds. Sprinkle an adequate amount of cooled coffee grounds to the soil about once every 1-2 weeks. Eggshells give any plant a nice calcium boost.
Simply sprinkle a ⅛ – ¼ inch layer of crushed eggshells to the soil surrounding the plant. After the shells start to decompose into the soil, it is safe to repeat this process as often as you like.
The combo of the coffee grounds and eggshells will give you a beautiful and healthy tomato plant! For more information on composting, check out my article Composting For Beginners | The Building Blocks To A Better Harvest.
5. Raw Cotton
This is becoming quite popular with gardeners! The purpose of this technique is to hold the soil in place – a mulching technique of sorts. Gardeners swear by this and state that their tomato plants thrive!
If you have access to a cotton gin or know someone with a cotton field, collect the cotton needed (after acquiring permission, of course) and simply place the cotton on the soil surrounding the plant.
6. Fish
This an old Native American technique and is another great example of direct composting. Fish will provide calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other vitamins and minerals for your tomato plants. Using this technique will make them flourish!
Fish heads are most commonly used for this technique. After you dig the deep holes for each of your tomato plants you just simply drop the fish head in and cover with a good amount of soil. You then add your tomato plant.
Watch this vegetable gardening hacks by GrowVeg:
So there you have it! Simple yet effective survival gardening hacks for growing a perfect tomato plant. Since most are natural, you wouldn't have to worry about chemicals getting into your tomato. Just remember to take care of your garden on a daily basis. You can even enjoy fresh tomato recipes from your harvest.
Do you have a tomato plant gardening hack you want to share with us? Let us know in the comment section below.
Here are some Survival Gardening Basic Hacks you might want to learn about!
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Editor's Note: This was first published on May 20, 2017 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
How is adding cow manure a “hack”?