If you’re growing your first tomato plant in an AeroGarden, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your crop.

Tomatoes like strong light and warm temperatures to thrive. If your AeroGarden doesn’t get enough of these qualities, your tomatoes will grow slower.

Light

Growing your own tomatoes at home is a great way to ensure that you get a taste sensation that is head and shoulders above the ones you buy in supermarkets. It’s not difficult and can be done even by those with self-proclaimed “black thumbs.”

Choosing the correct tomato variety is also important. If you want to grow big, red heirloom tomatoes, then you’ll need a plant that can stand up to the weight of the fruit.

Once your plants are growing to a certain height, start pruning them. The goal is to keep them from getting too tall and causing them to crowd out the lights.

To prune, follow each branch until you find where it branches from the main stem and cut that point. This will make the stem less likely to grow into or over the lights and allow your tomato plant to grow more fruit.

Water

Growing tomatoes hydroponically inside an aerogarden is a great way to enjoy homegrown fruit all year round. It’s a unique way to grow heirloom varieties like cherry and yellow tomatoes that aren’t bruised by winter snow.

The best part is that you can grow them with minimal work, and they’ll give you an abundance of delicious fruit throughout the year. They’re also very easy to harvest.

After germination, monitor the water level and nutrient indicator to keep your plants happy. Adding water when necessary, and nutrients as advised by the control panel will keep your tomato crop producing for a long time.

Once sprouts appear, thin them out as soon as they’re about 1 inch tall. Remove the weakest stems and leave one healthy one in each pod.

Pruning helps promote a strong main stem, and ensures that your plant produces a consistent harvest. This is a simple process (think “plant haircut”), but it’s vital to ensuring that you get the most out of your aerogarden heirloom tomato crops.

Nutrients

The most important nutrients are water and fertilizer. Using the correct amount of each can help your tomatoes thrive and turn into healthy plants that produce an abundance of tasty fruits.

Depending on the number of tomato plants you are growing, different amounts of liquid nutrients will need to be added. This is a very easy task and one that can be done with the help of your AeroGarden’s nutrient reminder and timer.

After a week, your tomato seeds should start sprouting. They need temperatures above 60 degrees F to germinate properly.

Your plants should be positioned in a warm indoor location with good air temperatures and at least 16 hours of light per day. Move your lights up a little bit each week, to keep them close to the first tomato leaf.

Pruning

One of the most important things to remember when growing heirloom tomatoes in an Aerogarden system is to prune your plants. This will help strengthen the main stem and encourage it to branch out, allowing it to bear the weight of many tomato pods without breaking or tipping over.

A strong plant will also be able to pollinate more flowers than a weaker one, which is important for producing larger fruit. To do this, use a clean pair of pruning shears to cut the main stem above the fifth branch.

Pruning your tomatoes in the Aerogarden can be an easy way to improve production and yield. It will also help keep your tomatoes healthy and free from diseases that can cause them to grow slowly or not ripen at all.