How to make your tomatoes grow sweeter?

Author: Prof. Rosie Sauer  |  Last update: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Sprinkle a little less than ¼ cup of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda around one of the tomato plant seedlings and mark it with a stake tag. Water and tend to your tomato plants as they grow. Sprinkle a little more ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda on the soil after the plan is half grown.

How do I make my tomatoes taste sweeter?

1> Add sweetness: Counteract the acidity of the tomatoes by adding a sweet ingredient like sugar, honey, or grated carrots. This balances the flavors and reduces the sharpness of the tomato taste. 2> Balance with fat: Incorporate fat into the sauce, such as olive oil, butter, or cream.

How do you grow super sweet tomatoes?

The plants will grow best in full sun. Plants should be spaced about 24-36 inches (61-91.5 cm.) apart and generally mature in about 70 days. Because these vines become so laden with fruit, growing Sweet 100 tomatoes on a trellis or fence generally works best, but they can be staked or grown in tomato cages as well.

What can I add to soil to make tomatoes taste better?

To enhance the natural flavors of all fruits and vegetables, mulch generously with compost and water sparingly, as needed. Sparingly? Yup. Excess water and high nitrogen fertilizer both dilute flavor, and tomatoes grown on the dry side will develop the boldest flavor.

What is the best fertilizer for sweet tomatoes?

Water-soluble potassium sulfate makes a great boost formula for growing sweeter tomatoes. Just make sure to use a clean, high-quality potassium supplement a fine particle size (<0.015 mm). Fine particles dissolve more rapidly, and they are better suited for irrigation or foliar sprays.

How to Grow SWEETER Tomatoes. Separating Myth from Fact

What does Epsom salt do for tomatoes?

Tomatoes are prone to magnesium deficiency later in the growing season, which can show with yellowing leaves and diminished production. Ultra Epsom Salt treatments at the beginning of their planting and throughout their seasonal life can help to prevent and remedy magnesium deficiency in your tomato plants.

Are coffee grounds good for tomatoes?

Tomatoes thrive in loamy soils with good drainage and high organic matter content. Adding composted coffee grounds to planting beds is a great way to build healthy soil for tomato planting but won't provide all the required nutrients.

What does baking soda do to tomato plants?

The baking soda absorbs into the soil and lowers its acidity levels giving you tomatoes that are more sweet than tart. Although I haven't done this with every plant on my patio, having a few extra sweet nuggets to mix into a fresh tomato salad has been a wonderful discovery!

How to get more flavorful tomatoes?

6 Secrets for Growing the Tastiest Tomatoes
  1. Healthy soil, healthy plants. Enrich soil with Tomato-tone and compost every other week to keep plants supplied with essential nutrients.
  2. Remove damaged plants. ...
  3. Water well. ...
  4. Cover the soil. ...
  5. Protect plants from heat. ...
  6. Remove tomato suckers.

What do you sprinkle around tomato plants?

Second when tomatos begin to appear and are about 1 inch in diameter lightly sprinkle baking soda around each plant to make them sweeter. Repeat this process again when tomatoes are about half grown.

How do you grow big tasty tomatoes?

9 Tips for Growing the Biggest, Reddest, Juiciest Tomatoes Ever
  1. Know what you're growing. ...
  2. Choose heirloom or hybrid. ...
  3. Match your tomato to your garden. ...
  4. Go deep. ...
  5. Provide support. ...
  6. Prune your plants — or not. ...
  7. Water from below. ...
  8. Fertilize mindfully.

What is the sweetest tomato to grow?

Sweetest tomatoes to grow
  • Plum tomatoes ripe on the vine. Tomato 'Apero' 'Apero' is a cherry variety with Brix rating of 9.5. ...
  • Cherry tomato 'Apero' ripening on the vine. Tomato 'Floridity' ...
  • Mini plum tomato 'Floridity' Tomato 'Sungold'

Do tomatoes get sweeter on the vine?

Ripening off the vine extends harvest, quality with no taste difference. Home gardeners should pick tomatoes sooner than later. There is a common misconception among the public and home gardeners that vine-ripened tomatoes taste better.

How do you intensify tomato flavor?

Well, if you really want to amp up the taste of your tomatoes, cream of tartar is your answer. Yes, there are other ways to make your tomatoes taste even better and increase the acidity. There is lemon, vinegar, or my personal favorite, balsamic.

What does baking soda do for plants?

Prevent Fungal Disease

MAKE IT: Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2-3 drops of liquid soap in 1 liter of water. Spray the solution on the infected plants. Baking soda helps the plants become less acidic and prevents fungal growth.

How to grow sweetie tomatoes?

Tomatoes need a warm sheltered site and a minimum of 6 hours of sun daily. Any less and they won't produce very well. These deep-rooted plants are quite drought tolerant and don't really need a lot of water once they are established. In fact, keeping them dry encourages strong root growth.

How to bring out the sweetness in tomatoes?

Broiling is the secret to bringing out the natural sweetness in tomato slices. Even though tomatoes are always available in grocery stores, there is nothing like eating them fresh off the vine. For many people, the season for enjoying homegrown tomatoes is one of their favorite times of the year.

What fertilizer gives tomatoes the best flavor?

Good tomato fertilizer is organic. Artificial fertilizer (especially nitrogen-containing fertilizer) gives less flavor to tomatoes than organic fertilizer. We saw this happening very clearly in our pot tomato nursery.

What can I plant with tomatoes to make them taste better?

Basil. Since a lot of dishes that include tomatoes also use basil for seasoning, it seems like they should be grown together in the garden as well. Many gardeners believe that basil grown as a companion plant will enhance the flavor of the tomatoes.

How to make tomatoes sweeter when growing?

Sprinkle a little less than ¼ cup of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda around one of the tomato plant seedlings and mark it with a stake tag. Water and tend to your tomato plants as they grow. Sprinkle a little more ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda on the soil after the plan is half grown.

Why is aspirin good for tomato plants?

The salacylic acid of aspirin mimics a hormone in tomato plants. If you do a Google search you will see a lot of documentation on this fact. The hormone naturally triggers a defense response in tomatoes.

Are egg shells good for tomato plants?

The eggshells will naturally decompose, and they will add calcium and nitrogen to your soil; necessary nutrients for your plants. Calcium is very good for tomatoes because it prevents blossom end rot.

Are banana peels good for tomato plants?

Banana peels are also brimming with potassium, which is excellent for plants like tomatoes, peppers or flowers. “Banana peels also contain calcium, which prevents blossom end rot in tomatoes,” the Cape Gazette adds.

How often should I put coffee grounds in my plants?

A good rule of thumb is to feed and water your plants once a week with a weak coffee solution. They'll appreciate the additional nutrients, as well as the water. And while we're here, let's talk for a minute about those leftover coffee grounds as well.

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