TOMATO PLANTING BASICS

1.Find a full sun location in your garden.

2. Dig a hole twice the size of the pot that your plant is in and a little deeper than the pot.

3. Place the plant in the hole. It is ok to bury the stem a couple inches too, but don’t let the leaves rest on the soil. If lower leaves are resting on the soil and the plant has plenty of others, you can pinch those lower leaves off.

4. Fill the soil in around the roots and the lower stem.

5. Pack the soil in firmly and give the plant a deep watering around the base.

6. Many people use tomato cages or a stake, but you may find that these plants will far outgrow a tomato cage and may need more support in the future.

7. Water the plant deeply 1-2 times per week if it does not rain.

8. I personally like to remove the “sucker” from my plants as they grow. These are the little stems that pop out in the armpit between the main stem and the side branches. I simply use my fingernails to pinch baby suckers or use scissors if they get larger.

9. Watch your plants grow, watch the yellow flowers form and watch the tomatoes ripen for harvest.

10. Enjoy a fresh tomato. I usually get my first tomatoes in late June or Early July.

11. Post your pictures on Instagram for a chance to win a fig tree.

WIN A FIG TREE!

(We will pick someone randomly in the first week of August)

(Winner not picked based on plant success)

HOW TO WIN!

#1 Put update pictures of your plants on Instagram. More pictures = more chances to win!

#2 TAG US @doctorgianni

#3 USE THE HASHTAG #drgianniplants

(Also, if you have any questions about your plants I will happily answer them on Instagram)

Every year is a learning experience and even if you don’t get any world record tomatoes it is still worth it!