CULTIVATE TIPS AND TRICKS
Tips for Growing Tomatoes in San Antonio, Texas
by Darinka Hudson
San Antonio is a great place to grow a food garden, and tomatoes are at the top of its growing list. Tomatoes love attention, but figuring out exactly what that means can be daunting. That’s why I’ve come up with 10 steps to help you grow them abundantly! 3. Place the bed in a south facing part of 1. Have fun with your garden and be
your garden that gets at least eight
yourself! Dance, sing, pray, listen to
hours of sun daily. Tomatoes require a
music, practice yoga, or read. Whatever
lot of sun because they use it to make
you do, have fun with your garden and
the energy they need to grow. A South
enjoy yourself.
facing garden will get the most amount of sun throughout the day as it moves
2. Grow in a raised bed or large
across the sky from east to west.
containers. The soil in San Antonio is void of nutrients because it’s mainly
4. It gets hot in San Antonio! During
caliche, a composition of clay and rock. A
periods of no rain, water your tomatoes
raised bed makes it easier to establish
every day and try to get them hydrated
the rich, loose soil that tomatoes require.
in the morning. This keeps your tomato
You’ll need a depth of at least 18” of soil
plants hydrated throughout the hot day.
so that the roots have enough room to
Make sure to water at soil level, and do
grow. These plants can get very tall, and
not get your tomato plants wet. Water
the roots need sufficient depth to keep
droplets act like a magnifying glass
the plant healthy. Tomatoes need a lot of
during the day, and the sun will burn the
nutrients, and are called heavy feeders.
leaves. Also, getting leaves wet at night
Therefore, make sure you plant them in
can cause mold to grow. Better to water
soil made of rich compost and gardening
deeply and less frequently, than shallow
soil.
and daily.
Cultivate SA | Summer 2021 | 45
