How to Grow Money Maker Tomatoes

tomatoes image by rafalwit from

Moneymaker tomatoes, also called Lycopersicon lycopetsicum, produce medium-sized fruit in the late summer. It is not a tomato variety often sold in garden centres, but the seeds are readily available from online gardening sites and seed catalogues. The Moneymaker is slightly more study than other tomato varieties, and, though it still requires staking, will hold up well in climates with heavy rainfall or mild wind. Moneymaker tomato seeds should be planted indoors in the late winter and transplanted outdoors when temperatures rise.

Fill a sectioned seed tray with potting soil until each of the compartments is 3/4 full. Poke a 1/4-inch hole into the centre of each compartment using the tip of a pencil.

Insert one Moneymaker tomato seed into each hole and cover the hole with additional potting soil.

Water the compartments in the seed tray until the soil is completely moist and water runs out the bottom of the tray.

Place the seed tray in a location that receives bright sunlight, such as near a window or in an unheated greenhouse outdoors. Water the top of the soil every one to two days to prevent it from drying out. The Moneymaker tomato seeds will germinate in approximately one to two weeks.

Wait until the Moneymaker tomato plants are 3 inches tall and transplant each seedling into a separate pot filled with potting soil. Leave the seedlings in the same indoor location and continue watering them until they grow to be approximately 6 to 9 inches tall.

Choose an outdoor planting location that receives full sunlight and well-drained soil. Dig a hole with a garden spade that is approximately 3 inches deeper than the root ball of the Moneymaker seedling.

Set the seedling into the hole and pick off any leaves that are inside the hole or at the surface of the soil with your fingers. When properly planted, 2 to 3 inches of the lower stem should be under the soil line. Fill in the hole with soil and pack down firmly with your hands.

Insert a plant stake into the ground 3 inches behind each Moneymaker seedling by pushing it into the ground with your hands. Tie the seedling to the stake loosely using a piece of gardening tape. Wrap the tape around the plant and tie it in a knot behind the stake.

Spread a slow-release granular fertiliser on top of the soil under the Moneymaker tomato and water the soil well until it is completely moist. Apply the amount of fertiliser as indicated on the packaging. After the initial fertilisation, wait until the Moneymaker plant develops yellow flowers and begin fertilising it every two weeks throughout the growing season.

Most recent