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Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth the wait to find out! Everyone say hi to our littlest love, Layla Marie 💕💕 She came into this world making us laugh + cry the happiest tears. Weighing 7lb 3oz with the cutest cheeks and darkest hair, 20in long! Layla girl, you are everything our family needed and more 😭 IT'S A GIRL! Ahhhhh!!! Still can't believe it 🫶
09.18.23 🤍 09.18.23 🤍
Feeling ready to meet this babe!!! Give us your be Feeling ready to meet this babe!!! Give us your best guesses for baby’s gender — it’s a surprise and I’ve had zero “feelings” this whole time 🤣 I love hearing everyone’s predictions and reasonings though! Also throw your best name choices at us for both boys and girls because we still haven’t narrowed anything down, third child energy, no time to think 🤪✌️#herewegoagain
Happy Anniversary to my guy 💕✨ We remembered Happy Anniversary to my guy 💕✨ We remembered this is actually our 20th year together (yes, high school sweethearts 💗), but 8 years married. Adding kids to the mix has tested us in ways I never imagined (& turned your beard gray 🤣) AND also deepened and strengthened our love and relationship in ways I never knew possible. Thank you for supporting my endeavors, being the best partner to me and sharing equally in the raising our family, you’re also the second best flower farmer I know 😉 Cheers to us!!
Still in summer mode over here ☀️✌️ Still in summer mode over here ☀️✌️
8 months of growing you little love 💕 Pregnanc 8 months of growing you little love 💕

Pregnancy insomnia is getting the best of me lately, but the right words about this experience finally came to me in the middle of the night so here ya go —

Hopeful to bring our third living babe home this fall and complete our family. Hopeful (not absolutely certain) because I know nothing is guaranteed. When you have been through losses like we have, or infertility, you unfortunately understand that the reality is not all rainbows and butterflies.

That a positive pregnancy test does not guarantee a baby in your arms.

That hearing a heartbeat once, or even a few times, does not equal a living baby 9 months later.

That “making it” to an arbitrary amount of weeks does not mean you’re “safe.”

That one good scan does not guarantee a healthy baby that will survive outside the womb.

That making an announcement, having a gender reveal, decorating a nursery, choosing a name, having a shower, still does not promise a thing.

If this sounds harsh or extreme to you that’s because it is. There’s nothing  NOT harsh or extreme about losing a baby or going through infertility.

The truth is there are no guarantees, and as loss and infertility moms we know this and understand it better than anyone. No one can tell you with 100% certainty how your journey is going to go or that it will end with a healthy, living baby in your arms. All we can do is take it day by day, and hold on to slivers of hope, which I will say is possible, and really freaking hard.

If you are in the thick of loss or infertility or pregnancy after loss I see you, I am you. It sucks and the isolation can be crippling. The only thing I can offer is do what you need to do for YOU and give zero f**ks to anyone who can’t comprehend the magnitude of this experience.

Be kind to yourself, be ruthless in your search for answers, be fierce in protecting your heart and be all around unapologetic. This is a part of your story and it sucks and however you choose to navigate it is valid AF 💪

Here’s to us, the worst girl gang ever, with the best and strongest (not by choice) members 💗
Our fourth babe, coming soon ✨ Footage shot by Our fourth babe, coming soon ✨

Footage shot by @jessicamicciophoto and beautifully put together by @filmsoflife_co, eternally grateful to you both for bringing this beautiful and priceless film to life!
Who says you can't mix function and beauty? My @vi Who says you can't mix function and beauty? My @victorinoxnorthamerica Swiss Army Huntsman knife has become my go-to tool for crafting stunning floral arrangements with ease and precision. It's versatile, reliable and always at hand, making it the ultimate gardening and floral companion.

I can’t even count the number of times I use it during my flower truck events — cutting stems, cutting paper, cutting ribbon, screwing loose screws on the 1961 vintage VW frame! The convenience and versatility of this compact knife truly amazes me each time I use it!

With my Swiss Army knife in hand, I'm ready to take on any floral challenge that comes my way. 🌻💐🌷 #myVictorinox #partner 

#SwissArmyKnife #flowertruck #FlowerArrangements #GardeningLife #BloomAndGrow #ToolOfTheTrade #ConvenientTools #FlowerPower #FlowerArrangementsMadeEasy #EfficiencyAtItsFinest
They’re alive 🤩🌷 Should I do more flower t They’re alive 🤩🌷 Should I do more flower timelapses!? Which flowers would you want to see next!?

#timelapse #timelapsephotography #timelapsevideo #timelapseflower #flowertime #tulips #tulipsofinstagram #growflowers #cutflowergarden #gardeninglife #tulipseason #flowersofinstagram #flowertime #floraleducation #flowers #flowerphotography #localflowers #slowflowers #happyflowers #peacefulgarden #flowergarden #gardeningmakesmehappy #aflowerfilledlife #flowerfarm #flowerfarmer #farmerflorist #flowerfarmerflorist #slowfloralstyle #ayearinflowers
Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth the wait to find out! Everyone say hi to our littlest love, Layla Marie 💕💕 She came into this world making us laugh + cry the happiest tears. Weighing 7lb 3oz with the cutest cheeks and darkest hair, 20in long! Layla girl, you are everything our family needed and more 😭 IT'S A GIRL! Ahhhhh!!! Still can't believe it 🫶
09.18.23 🤍 09.18.23 🤍
Feeling ready to meet this babe!!! Give us your be Feeling ready to meet this babe!!! Give us your best guesses for baby’s gender — it’s a surprise and I’ve had zero “feelings” this whole time 🤣 I love hearing everyone’s predictions and reasonings though! Also throw your best name choices at us for both boys and girls because we still haven’t narrowed anything down, third child energy, no time to think 🤪✌️#herewegoagain
Happy Anniversary to my guy 💕✨ We remembered Happy Anniversary to my guy 💕✨ We remembered this is actually our 20th year together (yes, high school sweethearts 💗), but 8 years married. Adding kids to the mix has tested us in ways I never imagined (& turned your beard gray 🤣) AND also deepened and strengthened our love and relationship in ways I never knew possible. Thank you for supporting my endeavors, being the best partner to me and sharing equally in the raising our family, you’re also the second best flower farmer I know 😉 Cheers to us!!
Still in summer mode over here ☀️✌️ Still in summer mode over here ☀️✌️
8 months of growing you little love 💕 Pregnanc 8 months of growing you little love 💕

Pregnancy insomnia is getting the best of me lately, but the right words about this experience finally came to me in the middle of the night so here ya go —

Hopeful to bring our third living babe home this fall and complete our family. Hopeful (not absolutely certain) because I know nothing is guaranteed. When you have been through losses like we have, or infertility, you unfortunately understand that the reality is not all rainbows and butterflies.

That a positive pregnancy test does not guarantee a baby in your arms.

That hearing a heartbeat once, or even a few times, does not equal a living baby 9 months later.

That “making it” to an arbitrary amount of weeks does not mean you’re “safe.”

That one good scan does not guarantee a healthy baby that will survive outside the womb.

That making an announcement, having a gender reveal, decorating a nursery, choosing a name, having a shower, still does not promise a thing.

If this sounds harsh or extreme to you that’s because it is. There’s nothing  NOT harsh or extreme about losing a baby or going through infertility.

The truth is there are no guarantees, and as loss and infertility moms we know this and understand it better than anyone. No one can tell you with 100% certainty how your journey is going to go or that it will end with a healthy, living baby in your arms. All we can do is take it day by day, and hold on to slivers of hope, which I will say is possible, and really freaking hard.

If you are in the thick of loss or infertility or pregnancy after loss I see you, I am you. It sucks and the isolation can be crippling. The only thing I can offer is do what you need to do for YOU and give zero f**ks to anyone who can’t comprehend the magnitude of this experience.

Be kind to yourself, be ruthless in your search for answers, be fierce in protecting your heart and be all around unapologetic. This is a part of your story and it sucks and however you choose to navigate it is valid AF 💪

Here’s to us, the worst girl gang ever, with the best and strongest (not by choice) members 💗
Our fourth babe, coming soon ✨ Footage shot by Our fourth babe, coming soon ✨

Footage shot by @jessicamicciophoto and beautifully put together by @filmsoflife_co, eternally grateful to you both for bringing this beautiful and priceless film to life!
Who says you can't mix function and beauty? My @vi Who says you can't mix function and beauty? My @victorinoxnorthamerica Swiss Army Huntsman knife has become my go-to tool for crafting stunning floral arrangements with ease and precision. It's versatile, reliable and always at hand, making it the ultimate gardening and floral companion.

I can’t even count the number of times I use it during my flower truck events — cutting stems, cutting paper, cutting ribbon, screwing loose screws on the 1961 vintage VW frame! The convenience and versatility of this compact knife truly amazes me each time I use it!

With my Swiss Army knife in hand, I'm ready to take on any floral challenge that comes my way. 🌻💐🌷 #myVictorinox #partner 

#SwissArmyKnife #flowertruck #FlowerArrangements #GardeningLife #BloomAndGrow #ToolOfTheTrade #ConvenientTools #FlowerPower #FlowerArrangementsMadeEasy #EfficiencyAtItsFinest
They’re alive 🤩🌷 Should I do more flower t They’re alive 🤩🌷 Should I do more flower timelapses!? Which flowers would you want to see next!?

#timelapse #timelapsephotography #timelapsevideo #timelapseflower #flowertime #tulips #tulipsofinstagram #growflowers #cutflowergarden #gardeninglife #tulipseason #flowersofinstagram #flowertime #floraleducation #flowers #flowerphotography #localflowers #slowflowers #happyflowers #peacefulgarden #flowergarden #gardeningmakesmehappy #aflowerfilledlife #flowerfarm #flowerfarmer #farmerflorist #flowerfarmerflorist #slowfloralstyle #ayearinflowers
Never running out of uses for my @victorinoxnortha Never running out of uses for my @victorinoxnorthamerica Huntsman Swiss Army Knife 🌼🌸🌺 As a lover of all things floral, this Swiss Army Knife is my go-to tool for gardening and creating beautiful arrangements 🌿 Whether I’m tending to my flower farm, fixing up my flower truck or crafting a centerpiece for an event, it always does the job 👌🏼 Not to mention, as a busy mom, its versatility comes in clutch on a daily basis! No matter what I’m doing she’s always within reach 💐 #myVictorinox #partner #SwissArmyKnife #FlowerArranging #GardeningLife #MomLife
‘Lotus Love’ tulips coming back to life 🌷 W ‘Lotus Love’ tulips coming back to life 🌷 We’ve been pulling tulips by the truckload daily at the farm, it’s the midst of tulip mania and very hard for me to slow down but this time lapse was calling my name today!

#timelapse #timelapsephotography #timelapsevideo #timelapseflower #flowertime #tulips #tulipsofinstagram #growflowers #cutflowergarden #gardeninglife #tulipseason #flowersofinstagram #flowertime #floraleducation #flowers #flowerphotography #localflowers #slowflowers #happyflowers #peacefulgarden #flowergarden #gardeningmakesmehappy #aflowerfilledlife #flowerfarm #flowerfarmer #farmerflorist #flowerfarmerflorist #slowfloralstyle #ayearinflowers
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Christine Covino

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Top 8 Best Practices for Growing Tomatoes

September 13, 2022 / Gardening

Growing tomatoes can be tricky, but with these best practices for growing tomatoes you’ll be on your way to growing the juiciest tomatoes in no time!

best practices for growing tomatoes
Ripe cherry tomatoes on a plant in the garden.

Just think—in just a few short months, you can be harvesting stellar, juicy tomatoes in your own garden. Stay with me here as I go over exactly what I did from planting to harvest so hopefully you too can grow some killer tomatoes and not only enjoy them yourself but also share the wealth and impress all your friends! Gardening is all about sharing the abundance, right?🌿

Whether you have a big yard or an apartment terrace, here is my guide and best practices for growing tomatoes.

best practices for growing tomatoes

8 Best Practices for Growing Tomatoes

The best practices for growing tomatoes include:

  1. Buy starts from a local farm
  2. Plant your seeds deep
  3. Sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi before planting
  4. Plant them in the correct location
  5. Amend the soil with nutrient-dense additives
  6. Ground planting over pot planting
  7. Drain the soil well
  8. Consistent water is critical
  9. Fertilizing is essential
  10. Stake early and tie up often
  11. Prune them weekly

Before we dive into the best practices for growing tomatoes, it might be a good idea to start with this post about growing your first garden. I share tons of tips that will help you become an expert gardener in the post!

Click here to read about growing your first garden.

Okay, now for the tips.

best practices for growing tomatoes

Buy Starts from a Local Farm

I bought starts from our local farm because it wasn’t warm enough to start seeds in my zone (6a) and I was impatient! Growing tomatoes from seed is tricky if you don’t have a greenhouse and live in a cool climate— best practices for growing tomatoes suggests they want WARM temps for both air and soil plus lots of sunshine. These conditions are extremely challenging to provide inside your home. That’s why sometimes you’ll get very leggy tomato starts (not enough sun) or they’ll just be stunted and not grow AT ALL for weeks (too cold). In my opinion starts are worth every penny, let the growers use their greenhouses and you can reap the benefits with waaay less frustration!

Plant Your Seeds Deep

Plant your starts DEEP. Like deeper than you think! I planted mine when they were about 12” tall and had a few sets of leaves. I removed the bottom leaves, dug down about 6” and tucked the seedlings in deep. Tomatoes are fascinating because their entire stem can root out, that’s the little bumps you see towards the base sometimes! Little root nodes. The deeper you plant, the stronger root system your plant will develop, and if you’ve been following me for any length of time on Instagram you know I’m all about healthy root systems!

best practices for growing tomatoes

Sprinkle Mycorrhizal Fungi Before Planting

Speaking of roots, I highly recommend sprinkling a tablespoon of mycorrhizal fungi in each hole before dropping the plant in. This is one of my secret best practices for growing tomatoes. This stuff is MAGIC and we use it on every transplant whether it’s in the garden or in the landscape beds. It’s a combo of millions of beneficial soil fungi and bacterium that have a symbiotic relationship with plants’ roots. They help the roots grow and develop into super healthy plants!

These next tips should be obvious, but I must list them because they’re SO IMPORTANT to the health of your tomatoes and any garden plant.

Necessary Best Practices for Growing Tomatoes

Plant in the Proper Location

How much sunshine do tomatoes need? Tomatoes need 8 plus hours of direct sun! No joke, get them their sun otherwise you’ll have leggy, wimpy plants.

Amend the Soil with Nutrient-Dense Additives

I can’t stress this enough – healthy soil = healthy plants. We use compost, manure and worm castings in the early spring to create a healthy soil biome before even planting. Our beds are 8’x4’ and mostly filled with topsoil but each spring we add 4 bags compost and one small bag of worm castings. Be sure to rake the manure and worm castings lightly into only the top 3” of your soil (click here to learn more about worm castings in your garden). Your seedling roots need access to these nutrients immediately, and if dug in too deeply, might not grow as fast as you’d like. Next year I am also planning on adding beneficial nematodes to help deter pests and fungus!

best practices for growing tomatoes
Close up view of some fresh cherry tomatoes in a home farming plant. Home organic farming and eco fresh vegetables concept

Ground Planting Over Pot Planting

Most tomatoes prefer the ground as opposed to a container and best practices for growing tomatoes suggests to plant in ground as well. But if this isn’t possible, there are types of tomatoes that can survive in pots called “patio tomato,” so ask your local garden center if they carry them! And make sure, if you’re doing container tomatoes, you get BIG pots (like 24” diameter per plant) and it has very good drainage, with multiple holes, not just one in the middle. Prepare the soil for the pot the same way as for the ground but use a potting soil mix as the base.

best practices for growing tomatoes

Drain the Soil Well

This one is hard to describe but to me, well-draining soil means not too much clay (the type that holds on to water), and not too much sand (the type that can’t hold on to water). Ideally, you’ll have the perfect mix of both so the soil retains enough water for the roots to drink but doesn’t water-log and drown them. The good news is that compost helps both situations🙌 it makes clay soil more aerated and sandy soil more compact. I recommend adding compost as your first step if you suspect a soil issue!

Consistent Water is Critical

Water early in the morning at the same time. I water my tomatoes at 7 a.m. daily for 5 minutes. Try to keep the leaves dry if you are hand-watering.

Fertilize Often

The best fertilizer I have found so far for tomatoes has been Neptune’s Harvest fish emulsion. I use Neptune’s Harvest fish emulsion every 10 days until fruit appears. Just like us, tomatoes need food to grow big and strong! Nutrients matter with tomatoes!

best practices for growing tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes grown in a private garden

Stake Early and Tie Up Often

I use (stakes, cages, trellises? Your choice) and train them to climb early. Using floral tape is gentle on the stalks and easy to use. When staking, remember to keep the leaves off the ground so they don’t transport possible diseases back into the soil. Prune leaves to about 6” off the ground.

Prune Suckers Once a Week

These rascals are plant growth that can rob your tomatoes of nutrients. Pruning sends the energy to the fruit, not to the sucker growth and helps them stay disease-free longer. If the suckers stay, your fruit will be smaller and less flavorful. I hope I’ve convinced you to be ruthless, prune away, and help your tomatoes grow big and hearty!

Some people love letting their tomatoes grow wild and swear by not pruning off the suckers, but I find that removing the suckers both helps them stay disease-free longer and produces bigger, juicier tomatoes!

So, there you have it! My tried and true best practices for growing tomatoes.

As a master gardener, these are the tips and tricks I was taught and have implemented in my own garden with great success. As soon as the weather warms up, head out to your local nursery and be adventurous. Try Cherokee Purple for deep flavor or San Marzano if you want to make tomato sauce. My favorites are _____________. Please send me a comment about your tomato experience and what you like to plant. We all learn from each other. Happy planting!

If you loved this post, I think you’d like these ones too!

Easy Seed Starting Supplies

Quick Guide to Growing Great Garlic

21 Vegetables to Plant in Your Fall Garden

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  1. Best Herbs to Grow: 12 Herbs Both You and Your Garden Will Love says:
    March 29, 2023 at 6:15 pm

    […] was tucked under some tomatoes for a while and did fine, but didn’t thrive. Once I pulled out the tomatoes, she was much happier. Oregano is one of the more cold-hardy herbs so can be planted out before […]

    Reply

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Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth Baby SISTER is here!! Best surprise ever and worth the wait to find out! Everyone say hi to our littlest love, Layla Marie 💕💕 She came into this world making us laugh + cry the happiest tears. Weighing 7lb 3oz with the cutest cheeks and darkest hair, 20in long! Layla girl, you are everything our family needed and more 😭 IT'S A GIRL! Ahhhhh!!! Still can't believe it 🫶
09.18.23 🤍 09.18.23 🤍
Feeling ready to meet this babe!!! Give us your be Feeling ready to meet this babe!!! Give us your best guesses for baby’s gender — it’s a surprise and I’ve had zero “feelings” this whole time 🤣 I love hearing everyone’s predictions and reasonings though! Also throw your best name choices at us for both boys and girls because we still haven’t narrowed anything down, third child energy, no time to think 🤪✌️#herewegoagain
Happy Anniversary to my guy 💕✨ We remembered Happy Anniversary to my guy 💕✨ We remembered this is actually our 20th year together (yes, high school sweethearts 💗), but 8 years married. Adding kids to the mix has tested us in ways I never imagined (& turned your beard gray 🤣) AND also deepened and strengthened our love and relationship in ways I never knew possible. Thank you for supporting my endeavors, being the best partner to me and sharing equally in the raising our family, you’re also the second best flower farmer I know 😉 Cheers to us!!
Still in summer mode over here ☀️✌️ Still in summer mode over here ☀️✌️
8 months of growing you little love 💕 Pregnanc 8 months of growing you little love 💕

Pregnancy insomnia is getting the best of me lately, but the right words about this experience finally came to me in the middle of the night so here ya go —

Hopeful to bring our third living babe home this fall and complete our family. Hopeful (not absolutely certain) because I know nothing is guaranteed. When you have been through losses like we have, or infertility, you unfortunately understand that the reality is not all rainbows and butterflies.

That a positive pregnancy test does not guarantee a baby in your arms.

That hearing a heartbeat once, or even a few times, does not equal a living baby 9 months later.

That “making it” to an arbitrary amount of weeks does not mean you’re “safe.”

That one good scan does not guarantee a healthy baby that will survive outside the womb.

That making an announcement, having a gender reveal, decorating a nursery, choosing a name, having a shower, still does not promise a thing.

If this sounds harsh or extreme to you that’s because it is. There’s nothing  NOT harsh or extreme about losing a baby or going through infertility.

The truth is there are no guarantees, and as loss and infertility moms we know this and understand it better than anyone. No one can tell you with 100% certainty how your journey is going to go or that it will end with a healthy, living baby in your arms. All we can do is take it day by day, and hold on to slivers of hope, which I will say is possible, and really freaking hard.

If you are in the thick of loss or infertility or pregnancy after loss I see you, I am you. It sucks and the isolation can be crippling. The only thing I can offer is do what you need to do for YOU and give zero f**ks to anyone who can’t comprehend the magnitude of this experience.

Be kind to yourself, be ruthless in your search for answers, be fierce in protecting your heart and be all around unapologetic. This is a part of your story and it sucks and however you choose to navigate it is valid AF 💪

Here’s to us, the worst girl gang ever, with the best and strongest (not by choice) members 💗

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