Growing Tomatoes in a Hydroponic Garden

Hydroponic tomatoes are easier to grow that most people imagine and, what is more, they taste delicious and are high in nutrients. Whether you are adding them to a sandwich, making a rich tomato and basil sauce, serving them in a crisp salad or simply enjoying the tomatoes on their own or with cheese, hydroponically grown tomatoes have a wonderful flavor. If you want to know how to grow tomatoes in a hydroponic garden, read on for some useful information.

Planting Hydroponic Tomatoes

You need to mark and space holes the same diameter as the pots you are using for your tomato seedlings. It is best to use shade cloth if the climate is warm, for the first few weeks. You need to mix fertilizer and water to a resulting pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Rinse the tomato seedlings to remove any dirt before you plant them. How to grow tomatoes in a hydroponic garden includes good preparation. You can use rockwool slabs, chopped rockwool slabs, cubes or blocks. A mixture of rockwool and fired clay is also a good growing medium. After planting your tomato seedlings in the hydroponic solution, you should check the water every day to make sure your water to nutrient ratio is right.

Temperature for Hydroponic Tomatoes

Tomatoes prefer temperatures of 70 to 80F during the daytime and 10F lower at night. These are the same temperatures that most growing vegetables thrive in. If you exceed these temperatures above or below more than 10F, your tomatoes might turn out nutritionally unbalanced, stunted or dead! That is why, when learning how to grow tomatoes in a hydroponic garden, it is vital to be aware of the correct temperature.

Lighting for Hydroponic Tomatoes

Tomatoes use the blue part of the light spectrum because they are long day plants. This means that a metal halide high intensity discharge lamp is the best thing to use if your plants are growing indoors rather than in the sunlight. They prefer 18 hours of light per day.

Humidity for Hydroponic Tomatoes

Tomatoes enjoy plenty of water but they also have to transpire it out with photosynthesis. This results in moderate humidity levels, which need to be controlled via good ventilation and air circulation. If you don't know how to grow tomatoes in a hydroponic garden and control the humidity, this can affect your tomatoes' nutrient intake. High humidity can result in calcium deficiencies in tomato plants, which can have long-lasting bad effects. Hydroponic tomatoes prefer 70% (80% is OK at night) humidity, if you are able to measure it.

Learning how to grow tomatoes in a hydroponic garden is perhaps a little more complicated than growing them outdoors but if you don't have the correct climate where you live, it might be a necessity. If you do have the right climate but prefer the rich taste of hydroponically grown produce, you might also want to try this. If you adhere to the above guidelines about how to grow tomatoes in a hydroponic garden, your tomatoes should turn out very well.

Tracy Ballisager is a stay at home mum. To read more on gardening tips go to http://www.gardening-tips-idea.com