How to grow tomatoes using plant food?

The tomato is the most popular garden vegetable in the United States, reports the University of Illinois Extension Service. Despite its well-loved status, the plant frustrates many gardeners, who may never get the yields that the catalogs and seed packets promise. If your tomatoes don't produce the way you want them to, one reason may be a lack of needed nutrients in your garden soil. Use the right plant food or fertilizer at the correct times during the growing season. Fertilizer is a mix of the basic nutrients a plant needs to grow and thrive, while plant food is a commercial mix of many different nutrients. You can use a commercial plant food for your tomatoes, or get specialized feeding for problem soil, and fertilize with one or more separate fertilizers.

1. Dig the tomato patch in a sunny spot after the soil has warmed. Use a thermometer to make sure the soil temperature is at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night and 60 degrees during the day. Apply an all-purpose starter plant food to the soil and dig it into the first 6 inches of soil.
2. Plant the tomato seedlings 24 inches apart. Install a tomato cage around each seedling and water the soil thoroughly. Tomatoes need a steady water supply of about 1 inch each week. Use a rain gauge to make sure your garden is getting enough naturally, and supplement with the hose or a watering system in drier weather.
3. Watch the plants to determine the next time to fertilize. When the green tomatoes are about 1 inch across, or the size of a golf ball, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ammonium nitrate plant food on the soil around each plant. Water the soil around the plants, taking care not to splash the fertilizer on the leaves.
4. Side dress the plants again in the same manner after two to three weeks, then again after two to three more weeks. Water the soil carefully after each application.
5. Weed carefully around the plants during the entire growing season. Weeds steal needed nutrients from tomato plants, reducing the amount of food for helping to grow more crops.