Raised Bed Gardening for Tomatoes

Would you like to grow your own tomatoes and get fresh ones from the garden? In this blog, I will show you how I’ve grown my own tomatoes in a greenhouse in Sweden. There are some great tips and tricks you can use that will surely help you and make you a successful tomato gardener! Since this blog is also about homeschooling, I will share how you can involve your kids in this kind of cultivation.

If you want to grow tomatoes from seeds, I definitely recommend it. However, if you prefer to buy a tomato plant from the store, that is also one hundred percent okay! Do what fits you and your family. Some of us have limited space and do not have room for pre-cultivation. Therefore, a store-bought tomato plant might be a great solution for you.

On the other hand, if you have the space and time for pre-cultivation, it is a good idea to sow the seeds indoors beforehand. My experience is that plants pre-cultivated at home grow better—they are stronger and yield a greater harvest. This kind of cultivation is also an amazing opportunity to teach your children about the process of sowing seeds, preparing the soil, and cultivating tomato plants. I can almost promise you that the kids will love working with you if you allow them! Mine have certainly loved helping me with the different parts of cultivating the tomatoes.

How to Start and When: Growing From Seeds

Since the growing season is short, you will have to start early! This is perhaps the most important thing to remember about tomato cultivation: Start early enough! In Sweden, we have to sow the seeds in late January or in early February (at least I have done that, with great results). Tomato plants need time to grow, and if you start late, you will not harvest any tomatoes. Well, maybe you will harvest some small tomatoes, but the fruit production will be limited. You do not want to have no tomatoes or limited harvest after all the work you have put into cultivation, right? Therefore, you will need to pre-cultivate the tomato plants. 

If you are late in the season but still want to plant tomato plants in your garden, you will need to buy the plants! There is no shame in buying plants from the store. You could say that you are adopting the plants, and when you buy them, they are yours! Be happy with that!

On the other hand, if you have sown the tomato seeds, be ready to give them light when you see the plant emerge from the soil. Make sure they get plenty of light. The more light your plant gets, the better it will grow. If the plants have to search for light, they won’t grow as strong and will become weak. I know that this is kind of hard because in winter, there isn’t much sunlight. You could experiment with grow lights, and that might definitely be a great way to help your plants grow.

This is what you will need for homegrown tomatoes:

• Tomato seeds. There are many different kinds of tomato seeds. Pick the ones you would like to eat or cook when it is time to harvest. I have had very good experiences with cherry tomatoes. I can highly recommend them!
• Tomato soil or nutrient-rich soil.
• Raised beds or big pots.
• For better results: a greenhouse. Think simple here; you can use a small greenhouse. You do not need a big and fancy one. You could also try to find a small place sheltered from the wind and with a lot of sunshine.

Prepare the raised beds for your tomatoes

As with everything you want to grow in your garden, you need to have good soil! Soil is very important, and it needs to be loose and include lots of nutrients. What has worked extremely well for me is using grass clippings as fertilizer. If you already have soil from earlier, make sure you stir the old soil so that it becomes airy and loose and blend it with new soil. I also remove some of the old soil before I add the new nutrient soil.

If you are not a fan of raised bed gardening, you can cultivate in big pots. I will warn you though, this cultivation method requires more water since the soil in the pots dries faster. And the root system has limited space to grow. Therefore, if you want the very best results, make sure your plants get enough space, and a raised garden bed will be a good start and a good solution for this purpose.

Plant Out The Tomato Plants and How to Grow Them

When the night temperature is above four degrees Celsius (about 40 degrees Fahrenheit), the plants can be placed outside. Dig deep holes and plant the tomato plants deep down in the hole. This will make the stem develop multiple roots above the older root system. Now you can remove the lower leaves, put new soil around the plant, and water it well. These plants will grow and become large plants, which means they do not like too little space. Yet, I have discovered that they do not need plenty of space either, haha! I guess it depends on the soil quality and the depth of your raised bed. Experiment the first year, and then learn from it and do differently the next year. We are constantly learning, and that is what makes it so fun!

The young tomato plants need your tender care in the beginning. Help them develop and grow by providing a shield from the wind and watering them. String up your plants as they grow or choose another type of support structure that can help your plants to grow. Using tomato cages is also an option. You can choose which option is best and most practical for your tomato plants.

The best fertilizer that I use is fresh grass clippings. This will be done some weeks later when we start cutting the grass. This is both a great fertilizer and keeps the beds warm and free from weeds. When the plants grow, you can cut the bottom leaves to help the plant grow and focus on making good tomatoes for you. Also, you will need to remove the side shoots. Always think about how you can help the plant focus on growing your tomatoes, which is your ultimate goal. Be careful though, not to harm the main stem.

When the flowers start to grow, make sure you have an open door in your greenhouse. We need the bees and bumblebees to help us here. They help us in the process of pollinating our tomato plants. Also, be mindful of the heat in your greenhouse. Full sun is great, but the heat can get too high. Remember to open the windows whenever the plants need it.

I usually put fresh grass clippings 2-3 times over the summer, or at the same rate as the old grass clippings decay. Water it regularly. Look at the plants and the leaves. They tell you a lot of information. Try to keep the balance between enough nutrients and enough water, but not too much, just enough. Even though I am not an experienced gardener, I have cultivated big and tasty tomatoes, and I hope that some of this advice I give you here will help you with tomato plant growth and gardening, with or without the kids.

When the plant has grown to the ideal size, you just cut the top. This will help the plant focus even further on growing the tomatoes. Always study the leaves because they will tell you how the plant is feeling. Healthy tomato plants have healthy leaves.

How to involve your kids in Tomato cultivation

My simple advice is to have them with you, engage them in what you are doing, and give them tasks here and there. When they feel that you are including them and that you need their help, they will join you and help you. Note though, you will need to slow down your pace and be prepared for messy work. Working with kids is often very messy and chaotic, haha. The easiest way out is to get used to it and accept it.

Let them help you with sowing the seeds. You can cut empty milk cartons to use if you like and then water the seeds that you have sown in soil. It is also fun to plant label and document your work. Write down when you started sowing and what kinds of seeds you sowed. When you work with your kids like this, you talk to them about the process and why you start sowing so early. Then you have to find a good place for the seeds to grow. Ask your children where you can find a good place that is not too cold. Asking questions is an amazing tool to include your kids. By showing your interest in your kids and relying on their thinking and opinions, they will grow and practice their leadership skills.

Include your children when you plant your plants outside in your greenhouse and water them. The whole process is very educational for them. They get to work with their hands, watch you and how you work and then experience the harvesting too. Let them go outside and pick the tomatoes themselves (depending on their age and maturity of course) and let them feel the responsibility that they can carry that is suitable for their age.

Be mindful that kids have a limited attention span. Especially young children will only focus and work with you for a couple of minutes. Let that be enough. It is okay to teach them little by little. As they grow and get older, you slowly but surely increase the workload and gradually expect more of them. For example, a nine-year-old could do everything you do, but with your help and guidance of course. If you have siblings, you will also notice that they are good at different things and have different kinds of interests. Try to meet them as best as you can. Some might love to water the plants, while others would love to harvest the tomatoes.

I know this because I have kids that are not alike, haha! And I have a boy that loves to work with water, lakes, and everything that is moving around, haha. I have also kids that prefer sitting still and working quietly for a longer period of time. This is just how it is and how it should be. I am very grateful for the variety and that my kids love doing what they do.