Harvest Tomatoes a Month Sooner

In this article I will share two gardening hacks I use to encourage rapid, early growth in my tomato starts that results in faster flowering, good fruit set and ends up producing ripe fruit a month sooner than nursery tomato starts planted at the same time. The best part is it is 100% organic and fully compatible with certified organic market gardening! Here is how to harvest tomatoes a month sooner:

Harvest Tomatoes a Month Sooner

This technique works with all varieties of tomatoes: heirloom, cherry, beefsteak, hybrid – all of them – and does not depend on you buying any type of “fast ripening” strain. Use your favorite seed or starts and they will produce fruit 3-4 weeks sooner than untreated plants of the same age.

Tools & Products Required:

This technique utilizes a 1 gallon black fabric grow bag per tomato start, 1 bag of potting soil, organic fish foliar feed, organic liquid kelp, organic cal-mag supplement and a wagon, garden cart, wheelbarrow, utility sled or some way to move your plants around your yard to the sunniest spot that can get wet and not be harmed by holding water. I purchased all my supplies from Amazon except for the potting soil, which came from a local home improvement store. 1 large bag of potting soil (64 quarts/70 liters/30 pounds) will fill 12-15 of the one gallon black grow bags holding tomato starts. If you want to be certified organic, you must select organic potting soil with no fertilizers added. (Affiliate links.)

Use the Black Grow Bag Trick

Step 1: 4-6 weeks before your last frost date, plant each of your starts in a 1 gallon black grow bag. You will probably need a very shallow layer of dirt in the bottom on which you set the root ball. Tomatoes should be “planted up to their necks” with as much of the stem covered by dirt as possible. Pepper plants should be planted up to the first leaf set.

Harvest Tomatoes a Month Sooner black grow bag trick — This Black Cherry Tomato is planted up to the first set of true leaves in a 1 gallon black grow bag. Around 3 inches of green stem is below the soil surface with the root ball sitting on about 1/2 inch of soil on the bottom.

Step 2: Arrange the grow bags in your wagon/garden cart. It is okay to crowd them in and to have the bags squish together a bit.

Step 3: Foliar Feed. Use the recipe below to foliar feed your starts. This will result in explosive growth. The fish foliar feed in the blend will also deter deer from feasting on your tender young plant starts.

Step 4: Move the wagon/cart to the sunniest spot of your yard each day. If you are able to move them twice a day to follow the sun, that is best. Wheel them back into your garage in the evenings to prevent any overnight frost damage. Foliar feed the starts every 72 hours for the best results and drain any standing water as needed.

Why Does This Work? The black fabric grow bags, which hold little soil, heat up quickly in the sun. Warm soil sparks explosive root growth, especially in tomatoes. The portability allows you to give them bright daytime sun while protecting the plants from too-cool temperatures overnight. All of this produces early growth because it mimics summertime garden conditions (very warm soil temperatures) which encourages quicker flowering and fruiting.

This trick works for any variety in the pepper family or tomato family including ground cherries, tomatillos, huckleberry, wonderberry, and litchi tomato berries. Squash and most other herbs or veggie starts can also benefit from this trick if used about 2 weeks before planting out.

Use This Rapid Growth Foliar Feed Recipe

Harvest Tomatoes a Month Sooner foliar feed secret recipe

In a 2 to 2.5 gallon watering can (I use Behrens) combine 1 Tablespoon Trident’s Pride Fish Foliar Feed, 1 Tablespoon Organic Liquid Kelp and 1 teaspoon Cal-Mag. Exact measurements are not needed – just eyeball it as your pour it into the bottom of an empty watering can then fill with water to mix the solutions. Use this as a foliar feed by deliberately watering the leaves of your plants in the morning. Plants will absorb the nutrients within 15 minutes and an improvement in growth can be seen in 24-48 hours. It is truly an incredible combination! Works beautifully on all vegetable plants as well as onions, herbs, flowers, flowering shrubs and vines.

If you would like to qualify as 100% certified organic, opt for this organic Cal-Mag product. (Affiliate links.)

That’s It!

The combination of the warm black grow bags, moving the starts to a bright, sunny spot and foliar feeding every 72 hours sparks wild growth and the plants begin to eagerly flower. I plant the starts in my raised garden beds as soon as the last frost has passed, after a minimum of 4 weeks of using both the black grow bags and foliar feeding. The plants are sometimes 3 feet tall with flowers and green set fruit by the time they go in my garden bed.

I hope this helps you harvest and enjoy your tomatoes a month sooner, too!