- Starting from seeds
- You can purchase your seeds from a garden shop. The seeds can be started indoors where you can mix them in a tray with some peat moss.Always make sure that’s it moist to enhance the germination process. Before you transfer your tomato seedlings into your garden, place the mixture in a plastic pot.
- Let your plants slowly adjust to the outdoor weather
- During the day you can place your heirloom tomato plants in the shade. It’s not good to place them in the direct sunlight as that can negatively affect the growing process.
Bring your plants indoors in the night. You can do this for about a week and then plant your tomato seeds into your garden or container.
- Regular watering
- Water your plants on a daily basis within the first week of its growing stage. Keep adding mulch in your container or vegetable garden.
Not only does this help with boosting the growth of your plants, it also helps prevents pests and diseases. You can allow your tomatoes to get a little sun for some color.
- Providing support
- You can use a tomato cage or some wooden stakes to give your plants some support. This is to help your plants grow nice, tall and upright without slanting.
- Harvesting
- You can harvest your crops as soon as they have some color. After you pick them you can place them in your kitchen near your windowsill to allow it to continue with the ripening process.
Don’t leave your tomatoes too long on the plants as you wouldn’t want any worms or creatures feeding on them.
Cherokee Purple Tomato Tips
When planting your tomatoes, don’t plant them next to tobacco plants. This is a method of preventing any plant diseases. There’s a virus called tobacco mosaic that’s dangerous for your plants.
When tending to your plants, refrain from smoking. It’s also best to not tend to them after you smoke as well.
Tomato Plant Gardening Step By Step Guide for Cherokee Purple Tomato
I’m just basically going to cover the harvesting process in some detail.
The 2 things you’ll need are a gardening scissors or a sharp knife and a container to place your tomatoes.
1. How to determine when the fruit is good for harvesting- The size of the fruit must be big and must be about 1 pound in size. Look at the color as it must be a deep purple or close to burgundy.
Examine the texture, as it must be strong but not too tough at the same time.
2. How to harvest- Pick the fruits that are ripe. Use the scissors or knife and cut the tomato stem from the plant.
3. Collecting your fruits- You can place your tomatoes in a container or a fruit basket. Be gentle as you don’t want to damage the texture of the fruits.
4. Store your tomatoes- After picking the tomatoes from the plants you can place them in the fridge. It’s one of the best ways to store them right after you harvest them.
5. Canning tomatoes- If you don’t want to eat your tomatoes after harvesting you can freeze or can them. This is a very effective way to store them for later use.
Here are Some Guidelines to Take Note of
These type of tomatoes can take about 65 to 80 days to mature and can grow to about 8 feet tall. That’s pretty tall when you really think about it. If you notice any cracks on the tomatoes, pick them immediately.
Don’t let your crops stay on the vine for too long once they’re ripe as they can begin to rot and you don’t want any of your fruits to waste.
If you want, you can use your seeds for another growing season. All you have to do is to wash and dry the seeds. You can dry the seeds with a paper towel. The dried seeds can be stored in a Ziploc bag or a sealed envelope in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
When growing your tomato, ensure that you can accommodate the height as it can grow tall even if you’re growing them in containers.
That’s basically it for growing cherokee purple tomato. It’s tasty as I’ve mentioned before and easy to grow. Cherokee purple tomato is one of the best tomato varieties out there and is a common favorite especially in cooking.
It’s perfect to experiment with in vegetable gardening.
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