How to Grow Tomaccio

Growing in Containers

• 1

  Fill 12-inch patio pots with potting soil. Allot one pot per plant. Position these pots next to a trellis on a sunny balcony, deck or other area of your yard. Tomaccio can grow up to 9 feet tall.

• 2

  Remove Tomaccio seedlings from the pots they came in, unless you bought them in peat pots. Dig holes in the potting soil of each 12-inch pot. Make the hole wide and deep enough to fit the root ball -- or peat pot -- of each Tomaccio seedling.

• 3

  Place the seedlings in each hole and gently scoop soil around them to keep them in place. Water them immediately after planting.

• 4

  Keep Tomaccio well watered. Plants grown in containers dry out faster than those planted in the garden, so you may need to check the soil twice daily in the hot months. When watering Tomaccio, deep watering is best. Water the plants until the moisture seeps from the drainage holes in the pots.

• 5

  Fertilize the Tomaccio plants every two weeks with a tomato-specific commercial fertilizer after you notice the first flower develop.

• 6

  Remove suckers from the central stem to promote good growth. Suckers rob the plant of vitality.

• 7

  Loosely tie the stem to the trellis as the plant grows. Use a soft, flexible material such as pantyhose strips to prevent injury to the plant.

Growing in the Garden

• 8

  Wait until all danger of frost has passed in your region. Choose a sunny area near an existing trellis, or add a new trellis to support these plants. Prepare the garden soil. Break up large soil clumps at least 6 inches deep in the ground.

• 9

  Remove Tomaccio seedlings from the pots they came in, unless the seedlings are in peat pots. Dig holes in the garden soil 18 inches, and wide and deep enough to fit the root ball -- or the peat pot -- of each Tomaccio seedling.

• 10

  Place the seedlings in each hole and gently scoop soil around them to keep them in place. Water them in after planting. After that, water them at least once a day during warm dry weather. When watering Tomaccio, it is best to water deeply so it gets down to the roots. Test the soil by sticking a pencil or a similar object down at least 6 inches to see that water is reaching deep enough.

• 11

  Fertilize the Tomaccio plants every two weeks with a tomato-specific commercial fertilizer after you notice the first flower develop.

• 12

  Remove suckers from the central stem to promote good growth. Suckers rob the plant of vitality. You must also tie the stem to the trellis as the plant grows to keep it stable. Use a soft, flexible material such as pantyhose strips to prevent injury to the plant.