Growing Blue Tomatoes
Growing blue tomatoes is similar to growing regular tomatoes, but their blue color comes from direct sunlight. The more sunlight, the darker these tomatoes get.
Blue tomatoes are a recent development in the gardening world. These darkly colored tomatoes were created by cross breeding domestic and wild tomatoes. Though darker in pigment, these tomatoes are juicy and delicious and are quite the visual treat in any home garden. Here are some tips for growing delicious blue tomatoes.
Location And Planting
Blue tomatoes need to be placed in an area with a lot of sunlight. Sunlight is what gives these tomatoes their unique, blue coloring, so make sure that they are in an area with ample sunlight, otherwise these tomatoes will mature red and not be as flavorful.
You also want to choose a location that has healthy, rich, well-drained soil. These plants require high-nutrient soil to develop a strong root system, which in turn, produces juicy, large tomatoes. Make sure to add organic material to your soil when planting. Dig a hole about 6-8” deep and lay the tomato on its side when planting so only the top leaves protrude from the ground. Backfill the hole and mulch around the plant to support drainage.
Care After Planting
Water your plant regularly in early stages of growth. Water once every 2-3 days and make sure you allow time between watering for the soil to dry. Try not to get water on the plant leaves; water on the leaves can lead to infection and disease so avoid this if possible.
Prune back leaves after growth. Leaves will shade the tomatoes and not allow them to get that desired blue color. It may be inevitable that some shade gets on the tomatoes and that’s not a problem. However, the more you aid in pruning back leaves the darker and tastier your tomatoes will get.
