Garden Beds
Tomatoes enjoy a good deal of sun and warmth so the perfect position is North facing. In saying that every couple of years you should move the position of your tomatoes. This stops the ground from becoming imbalanced.
Garden Beds should be slightly raised, particularly if you have a clay soil. This stops your plants from becoming water logged and rot setting in.
If the space you are planting is empty during winter, mix a compost to the through the soil. If you are organised turn the compost in a couple of weeks later. Compost containing leaves, grass or straw, ensures carbon rich soil. Organic matter such as manure or blood and bone is also advantageous.
Before planting, dig in a general purpose fertiliser containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Many people just use Dynamic Lifter which is great for the initial growth, but once the plant is established the high level of nitrogen can prevent the intake of nutrients required for the fruit to grow. Only use it in the initial stages and only in small doses.
Finally get your stakes ready. If you are using timber stakes and your plants from the previous year had disease throw them away and buy new ones. Their are a variety of different stakes on the market which can be sourced from your local hardware store.
Pots
If you are going to use pots choose ones with decent drainage holes. The drainage holes should be on the side of the pot as well as the bottom . Most terracotta pots have only one hole. These Terracotta pots should be slightly raised so the hole is off the ground. It also helps to drill some extra holes The size of pot depends on the variety of the plant. Tall growing plants need large pots. Smaller sized tomatoes can go in much smaller pots. The risk of going to small is you will be forever water the tomatoes because they will dry out.
Deep saucers are great idea, especially if you are way for extended periods. The trick is to let the plant use all the water, this way the plant will get decent oxygen flow to the roots.
Garden soil in pots can also cause root rot. The fine granules in garden soil are so small, that they compact down in the pot causing poor drainage. A decent potting mix has both big and small pieces of pine-bark, allowing better air flow around the roots. Like everything, you pay for what you get - expect poor results from a $4.00 potting mix. You will need to pay $10.00 plus for a decent potting mix that will give you the desired results. No other fertilisers or manures should need to be added initially.
