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An Expert Shares How To Grow Healthy Tomatoes More Consistently
By TIFFANY SELVEY
Tomatoes are generally considered a low-maintenance staple in most home gardens, but you can significantly improve your crop output if you engage in crop rotation.
Crop rotation means strategically planting in different spots each year, effectively managing and maintaining control over your garden's health through detailed record-keeping.
Placing your tomato plants in the same spot every year gives common pests a consistent place to thrive and allows fungal spores that lead to blight to remain in the soil.
Tomatoes are considered "heavy feeders" because they deplete the soil quickly, so it’s also good to rotate them out with less demanding plants to prevent the soil from draining.
Don't place plants in the same area more frequently than every three years to give pests, fungal spores, and viruses time to die off. Waiting four years is even better.
Easily rotate plants by separating them into four categories (fruit-producing, leafy greens, roots, and legumes) and change their spots each year.