Tips on Tomato Plant Care

Pike Nurseries: 5 Easy Steps to Create A Marinara Garden
o Nothing can compare to garden-fresh marinara made from your own homegrown vegetables and herbs. It’s perfect for pastas, adds sauciness to chicken and makes a tasty dip for bread.
o Health Benefits
o It can be 100% organic
o Marinara sauce is low in fat and high in vitamins A & C

Step 1: Choose a place for your marinara garden
o Area about 2 x 2 feet in size or a few large pots
o Receives full sun
o Good Soil

• Amend soil with Planting Compost
• Raised garden beds
• Defines the space
• Great soil quality
• Elevated garden is great for children and easier on the back

Step 2: Choose the plants
Choose tomato and pepper plants that suit the style of sauce you would like to enjoy.
o Plant two to three varieties of tomatoes
o Our Organics tomatoes are a great choice since they are certified organic and have many different varieties
o Choose mild pepper plants (you don’t want your marinara sauce to taste like salsa)
o Add herbs like oregano and thyme for added spice

Step 3: Plant your garden
o Plant your tomatoes, pepper and herbs.
o Remember from last week, tomatoes can be planted up to the first set of leaves
o Add a handful of EB Stone Sure while planting to get your veggies off to a good start

Step 4: Water your garden
o Vegetables and herbs need to be watered regularly.
o The soil should feel slightly moist to the touch
o You can reduce how often you water by adding mulch to your garden
o If the tomatoes start to weep you need to water a little more

Step 5: Enjoy!
Enjoy the fruits of your labor by experimenting with a variety of homemade tomato sauces.