Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
How to Grow Tomatoes
Introduction
The aggregate demand for tomatoes in the United States has increased by more than eleven percent since 2003 (Seale et al. 436). As the world becomes a global village, the importation of tomatoes has increased by the same margin. Therefore, the tomato business is becoming more lucrative than in the yesteryears as the demand goes up. I have spent a huge part of my professional life studying the shifts in demand and supply of food commodities such as corn, tomatoes, soybeans, coffee, and tea. Therefore, I have an indispensable knowledge of the commodities that are likely to rule the market in the coming years. Therefore, the audience needs to gain critical knowledge of how to grow tomatoes. As such I am going to teach you the following;
- Planting the seedlings in pots and transplanting them to the garden
- Weeding out the plants and maintaining their health
- Harvesting the products and storing them efficiently
Many stages occur when growing tomatoes, and the process begins with planting the seedlings.
First Point
The first stage of growing tomatoes begins with sowing the tomatoes in individual pots with draining holes, clipping away the weaker seedlings, and transferring the seedlings to larger pots after they attain a minimum of four inches in height during rural and urban gardening.
- It is essential to start planting the seeds indoors eight weeks after the last frost in spring, maintaining a distance of half an inch or two centimeters between the seedlings as well as maintaining the temperature during germination at about eighteen to thirty degrees. If the temperature is less than twenty-five degrees, it is vital to blow a gentle breeze from a fan to disturb the seedlings every day hence growing stronger stems.
- Some people may decide to grow the tomatoes in the urban areas. Since such people do not have access to healthy compost manure such as those in the rural areas during the early stages of planting, Piezer et al. propose that they should develop a recycling strategy to tap into the organic products they throw away (1502).
After the seedlings attain a height of four inches, the farmer transplants them to the garden.
Second Point
During their lifecycle in the garden, the farmer has to weed out the unwanted weeds as well as spray pesticides to remove the pests that may invade the plants.
- Notably, the farmers have to keep the soil moist but not wet and keep watering the seedlings at regular intervals. It is essential to keep aged compost or mulch straw around the base of the plant to conserve the moisture. Nevertheless, there are available plant growth hormones that can help the plant grow well and improve the size of the fruit. For instance, 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid plant growth regulator is efficient in plants growing in hot areas (Baliyan 34).
- The process of weeding out the plants is easy. The farmer can remove the suckers that germinate around the point between the main stem and branches to maintain stronger and healthier stems. Some of the pests that attack tomatoes include cutworms that live in the soil, tomato hornworms, which are large caterpillars that can defoliate the plant and tomato fruitworms, which boreholes into the fruit. The farmer will have to spray pesticides to kill such pests or handpick them, as in the case of tomato hornworms. Some of the diseases that may affect the tomato are cracking fruit due to uneven water uptake during dry seasons and mosaic virus which can distort the leaves of the plant. Nonetheless, there are suitable herbicides to sprays to cure such diseases.
After the tomatoes grow and produce fruit, the farmer can harvest them.
Third Point
It essential for the farmer to harvest the products at their optimal growth period to attract better prices at the market since tomatoes require different growth periods such as early bloomers and later growers as well as ensuring proper storage and preservation.
- The farmer needs to mark the calendar the exact days when they planted the seedlings as well as the transplanting days. Besides, the farmer should harvest the products when the tomato fruits turn from a dull color to a glossy color. The farmer should let the fruit ripen as much as possible when on the stem and harvest them before the first frost sets in.
- The storage and preservation of the tomatoes may also determine the prices they fetch in the market. It is essential to store the tomatoes in a cool and dry place after harvesting rather than placing them in freezers. The storage areas determine certain factors such as peelability, which in turn affect the prices that the tomatoes fetch (Garcia and Barrett 20).
Conclusion
As the demand for tomatoes continues to grow, people need to take advantage of the paradigm shift and invest in the business. Nevertheless, the quality of the tomatoes depends on how the farmer handles the various stages of the crop. Besides, the people in urban areas can also use the instructions to grow tomatoes and avoid unhealthy foods.
Works Cited
Baliyan, S. P., et al. “The effects of 4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid plant growth regulator on the fruit set, yield and economic benefit of growing tomatoes in high temperatures.” Intl. J. Agril. Sci. & Res 3.2 (2013): 29-36.
Garcia, Elisabeth, and Diane M. Barrett. “Evaluation of processing tomatoes from two consecutive growing seasons: quality attributes, peelability, and yield.” Journal of food processing and preservation 30.1 (2006): 20-36.
Seale Jr, James L., Lisha Zhang, and Mohamad R. Traboulsi. “US import demand and supply response for fresh tomatoes, cantaloupes, onions, oranges, and spinach.” Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 45.1379-2016-113824 (2013): 435-452.
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
How to Grow Tomatoes
Introduction
The aggregate demand for tomatoes in the United States has increased by more than eleven percent since 2003 (Seale et al. 436). As the world becomes a global village, the importation of tomatoes has increased by the same margin. Therefore, the tomato business is becoming more lucrative than in the yesteryears as the demand goes up. I have spent a huge part of my professional life studying the shifts in demand and supply of food commodities such as corn, tomatoes, soybeans, coffee, and tea. Therefore, I have an indispensable knowledge of the commodities that are likely to rule the market in the coming years. Therefore, the audience needs to gain critical knowledge of how to grow tomatoes. As such I am going to teach you the following;
- Planting the seedlings in pots and transplanting them to the garden
- Weeding out the plants and maintaining their health
- Harvesting the products and storing them efficiently
Many stages occur when growing tomatoes, and the process begins with planting the seedlings.
First Point
The first stage of growing tomatoes begins with sowing the tomatoes in individual pots with draining holes, clipping away the weaker seedlings, and transferring the seedlings to larger pots after they attain a minimum of four inches in height during rural and urban gardening.
- It is essential to start planting the seeds indoors eight weeks after the last frost in spring, maintaining a distance of half an inch or two centimeters between the seedlings as well as maintaining the temperature during germination at about eighteen to thirty degrees. If the temperature is less than twenty-five degrees, it is vital to blow a gentle breeze from a fan to disturb the seedlings every day hence growing stronger stems.
- Some people may decide to grow the tomatoes in the urban areas. Since such people do not have access to healthy compost manure such as those in the rural areas during the early stages of planting, Piezer et al. propose that they should develop a recycling strategy to tap into the organic products they throw away (1502).
After the seedlings attain a height of four inches, the farmer transplants them to the garden.
Second Point
During their lifecycle in the garden, the farmer has to weed out the unwanted weeds as well as spray pesticides to remove the pests that may invade the plants.
- Notably, the farmers have to keep the soil moist but not wet and keep watering the seedlings at regular intervals. It is essential to keep aged compost or mulch straw around the base of the plant to conserve the moisture. Nevertheless, there are available plant growth hormones that can help the plant grow well and improve the size of the fruit. For instance, 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid plant growth regulator is efficient in plants growing in hot areas (Baliyan 34).
- The process of weeding out the plants is easy. The farmer can remove the suckers that germinate around the point between the main stem and branches to maintain stronger and healthier stems. Some of the pests that attack tomatoes include cutworms that live in the soil, tomato hornworms, which are large caterpillars that can defoliate the plant and tomato fruitworms, which boreholes into the fruit. The farmer will have to spray pesticides to kill such pests or handpick them, as in the case of tomato hornworms. Some of the diseases that may affect the tomato are cracking fruit due to uneven water uptake during dry seasons and mosaic virus which can distort the leaves of the plant. Nonetheless, there are suitable herbicides to sprays to cure such diseases.
After the tomatoes grow and produce fruit, the farmer can harvest them.
Third Point
It essential for the farmer to harvest the products at their optimal growth period to attract better prices at the market since tomatoes require different growth periods such as early bloomers and later growers as well as ensuring proper storage and preservation.
- The farmer needs to mark the calendar the exact days when they planted the seedlings as well as the transplanting days. Besides, the farmer should harvest the products when the tomato fruits turn from a dull color to a glossy color. The farmer should let the fruit ripen as much as possible when on the stem and harvest them before the first frost sets in.
- The storage and preservation of the tomatoes may also determine the prices they fetch in the market. It is essential to store the tomatoes in a cool and dry place after harvesting rather than placing them in freezers. The storage areas determine certain factors such as peelability, which in turn affect the prices that the tomatoes fetch (Garcia and Barrett 20).
Conclusion
As the demand for tomatoes continues to grow, people need to take advantage of the paradigm shift and invest in the business. Nevertheless, the quality of the tomatoes depends on how the farmer handles the various stages of the crop. Besides, the people in urban areas can also use the instructions to grow tomatoes and avoid unhealthy foods.
Works Cited
Baliyan, S. P., et al. “The effects of 4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid plant growth regulator on the fruit set, yield and economic benefit of growing tomatoes in high temperatures.” Intl. J. Agril. Sci. & Res 3.2 (2013): 29-36.
Garcia, Elisabeth, and Diane M. Barrett. “Evaluation of processing tomatoes from two consecutive growing seasons: quality attributes, peelability, and yield.” Journal of food processing and preservation 30.1 (2006): 20-36.
Seale Jr, James L., Lisha Zhang, and Mohamad R. Traboulsi. “US import demand and supply response for fresh tomatoes, cantaloupes, onions, oranges, and spinach.” Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 45.1379-2016-113824 (2013): 435-452.