For tomatoes, the best ground covers are organic mulches like straw or shredded leaves. They retain moisture, prevent weeds, and protect the plant from soil-borne diseases by stopping dirt from splashing onto the lower leaves when you water.
Regardless of what you might read or see in nursery promotions, planting tomatoes in October or November is not a fruitful experience, literally. The night temperatures are too low for the flowers to set fruit. Tomatoes planted in August or early September will grow quickly in the warm soil, warm nights and long days.
Keep tomatoes away from plants that share their diseases, compete for heavy nutrients, or attract common pests. You should avoid planting tomatoes near potatoes, eggplants, brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale), corn, and fennel.
The best things to put around tomato plants are organic mulch (to retain moisture and prevent disease) and companion plants (to deter pests and boost flavor).
Yes, coffee grounds are good for tomato plants. They add valuable organic matter to the soil, improve moisture retention, and provide a slow-release source of nitrogen, which is especially beneficial during the plant's early growth phase.
Baking soda can sweeten tomatoes and deter pests, but must be used sparingly to avoid harming plants. A light sprinkle around the base wards off slugs, ants, and aphids, and a diluted spray mix helps prevent fungus.
The best homemade tomato fertilizer is a nutrient-rich, liquid compost tea. It delivers a gentle, balanced boost of essential macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). To make it, steep a shovelful of aged manure or compost in a 5-gallon bucket of water for 24 hours, strain the liquid, and water your plants.
By volume, about 30% compost to the overall soil mix will be ideal. Next, for tomatoes and all plants to perform their best, the soil should include minerals as well. Pure compost will lack some of the important minerals tomatoes and other plants need to perform their best.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is used to control fungal diseases, deter pests, and slightly reduce soil acidity. However, it must be applied with caution; overuse can cause dangerous salt buildup and damage plant tissue.
The best ground covers for tomatoes prevent soil-borne diseases from splashing onto the leaves, retain moisture, and stop weeds. Top options include straw (prevents splash and decomposes nicely), shredded leaves (adds nutrients), or heavy-duty landscape cloth (blocks weeds entirely and is reusable).
When growing tomatoes, avoid planting before the danger of frost has passed, as cold temperatures stunt growth. Do not plant shallowly; bury stems deep in the soil for stronger roots. Never water from above—wet leaves invite blight—and avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen, which creates bushy leaves instead of fruit.
The best companion plants for tomatoes improve growth, deter pests, and attract beneficial pollinators. Top options include marigolds (repel nematodes), basil (deters aphids and tomato hornworms), and alliums like chives or garlic (repel spider mites and rabbits).
TOMATO OF THE YEAR 2026 🍅 Meet Sart Roloise, Tomatomania's newest standout and a true showstopper. This creamy yellow beefsteak is brushed with dramatic indigo shoulders and stripes, a stained-glass beauty that turns heads before it ever reaches the plate.
As the growing season draws to a close, tomato plants are often still loaded with fruit. To speed ripening late in the season, remove the growing tip of each main stem about four weeks before the first expected fall frost.
Gardeners bury an egg in the planting hole because it acts as an organic, slow-release fertilizer. As the egg decomposes, it releases essential nutrients like calcium, nitrogen, and phosphorus directly to the tomato roots, which helps build stronger stems and prevents blossom end rot.
To grow bigger tomatoes, maximize the fruit's size by pruning excess branches, restricting the plant to just one or two main stems, and plucking off early blossoms. This diverts the plant's energy into sizing up the remaining tomatoes rather than spreading resources across too many fruits.
Hydrogen peroxide can be highly beneficial for tomato plants if used correctly. It is a cheap, effective, and readily available remedy used to control fungal diseases, manage pests, and aerate waterlogged soil. However, because it is a strong oxidizer, using too much can damage your plants.
To protect your tomato plants, use Neem oil for common pests like aphids and whiteflies, or Btcap B t𝑩𝒕 (Bacillus thuringiensis) specifically for caterpillars and tomato hornworms. For a quick DIY option, mix 1 teaspoon of mild liquid dish soap and 1 cup of vegetable oil per gallon of water.
I'm sure you have heard the old saying that snow is “poor man's fertilizer.” The saying comes from the idea that snow storms deliver small but meaningful nutrients to the soil and there is real science behind that. As snowflakes fall, they collect nitrogen and ammonium and release them during the melt.
Top Picks
Never plant fennel, brassicas (like cabbage, broccoli, and kale), potatoes, or corn near tomatoes. These plants can stunt tomato growth, compete aggressively for nutrients, or spread devastating diseases and pests.
It is important to make sure the tomatoes receive sufficient water during the season. The soil should be soaked 6 to 8 inches deep at 7-day intervals. Mulches such as wheat straw or composted leaves around the tomato plants will prove to be a real asset in conserving soil moisture during July and August.
Urea fertilizer is the most important nitrogenous fertilizer. There are two main reasons for urea fertilizer to be the king of fertilizers. Firstly, it has high nitrogen content about 46 percent. Secondly, it is a white crystalline organic chemical compound. It is neutral and can adapt to almost all the land.