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Everyone’s home is a little bit different, and the sun hits the yard a little bit different. This means that you have to plan the space for your garden well, to make sure each plant gets the sun and shade that it needs. Today, we want to talk about tomatoes, and if they need sun.

So do tomato plants need sun? Tomato plant requires full sun, as, without it, they won’t grow and develop into the ripe, sweet fruit that we all look forward to especially in Summer. In reality, in many climates, there is enough sun to grow tomato plants in Spring, Summer, and Autumn. The sun causes the plants to grow quickly and makes them taste really sweet.

Why your Tomato Plant needs the Sun

During the day, your tomato gets sunlight that is converted to energy overnight. This is why the sun is important, as the more sun your plant gets the faster it will grow, and the more fruit it will bear in its short growing season.

From the time you plant your tomatoes plant to the time you are picking the fruit takes 40-50 days. You will need some liquid fertilizer and other plant nutrients. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, and it is not possible for them to get all their nutrients from the sun.

When you are Growing your Tomato Plants in the Garden

Before you plant your tomato make sure that there is enough sun in your garden. You will need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight in your vegetable garden to get the best crop, less sun will mean that they don’t have enough energy to convert and grow.

Once your plant has grown large, you can pick it, and it will still ripen inside your house.

Reasons for Poor Fruit Yield

Some years you won’t have as many tomatoes, and when you look back, they were probably the cloudy years without much sunlight.

Some Summers we can certainly have cloudy, wet weather, and they are the years with the disappointing tomato crop due to lack of sun.

Can You Grow Tomatoes in a Pot?

Yes, if you have a nice sunny balcony, prepare some pots and plant your tomatoes. This is good, as you can move them from place to place and follow the sun, you may even get a longer growing season by doing your gardening like this.

Don’t forget to water the plants.

Is Morning or Afternoon Sun better for Tomatoes?

As long as your plants get the eight hours of sun it does not have to be all at once, either morning or afternoon sun is fine, and because the sun moves around, it does not have to be consecutive, you may find that you get 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon, and this would be fine. Just beware a really hot day can cook your tomato on the vine.

This is caused by UV rays, so when your tomatoes are fully grown, pick them and take them indoors to ripen on a window sill.

Without enough Sun this is how your Tomato Plant will look.

If you are planning a vegetable garden with tomatoes, don’t plant trees, as trees generate too much shade and your tomato plants will be spindly looking and will fail to thrive.

Good soil also plays a part when getting your plants to grow, consult your garden center for the right soil, and the right tomato plants for your area. If your tomatoes look like wilted weeds, they are probably not getting enough sun.

If you only have a tiny Garden Maximize Sun

You may only have a tiny section of the garden with full sunlight, so don’t try to plant in the shade, as tomatoes can climb up a trellis.

Often a fence is useful to climb your tomatoes up, so you can put some strings done horizontally allowing your plants to climb up towards the sun. This will certainly give you a maximum yield, as the plants will grow along the fence in the sun. Tomatoes are a member of t

he nightshade family, same as peppers and potatoes.

Because your plant is off the ground, you will be able to keep growing your trellis tomatoes until the first frost.

Cherry Tomatoes

The cherry tomatoes and also thick-veined tomatoes will grow well in a hanging basket. Once again this is a good idea for the home, as it allows your plants more access to the sun and a longer growing season. Mix the varieties in the basket to see what grows the best, and some are much more resistant to pests than others, and because you are eating the fruit, you don’t want to spray it.

If you are growing your tomatoes from seeds, they will take a bit longer. So for fruit sooner, plant seedlings not seeds.

Accelerating Tomato growth Harnessing the Sun.

There is a new tomato called the 4th of July, and it will be 49 days from when you plant until you eat it. So if you are planting in Spring, rake back the soil to let the sun warm up the garden beds, and place some plastic over the earth prior to planting to get the beds warm and ready to put seeds in.

Cold winds will slow the growth of your tomatoes, so erect some windbreaks and shelters. You can buy little tomato shelters called Tomato TLC kits, and they wrap around the plant while still allowing the sun in. Once the seedlings are in the ground wait around 5 weeks before mulching, as you are allowing the sun to reach the earth.

These simple little tricks help your soil to hold the warmth and will lead to faster-growing tomato plants for your family. Another way to extend your growing season, and to get the best from the sun’s warmth, is to erect a glasshouse and grow tomatoes all year round.

Conclusion

Your tomatoes are so easy to grow, as all you really need is the sun and a bit of work on the soil prior to getting your crop started. If you don’t have a lot of room, some of the plants grow about 3 feet tall, so it may be better to go for the smaller varieties that are just as nice, and can be grown in pots and hanging baskets in the sun.