Tomatoes are a staple in many gardens, and for good reason. These versatile fruits (yes, they're fruits!) are delicious and easy to grow with a bit of extra knowledge, attention, and care. This guide will teach you what you need to know to grow delicious and healthy tomatoes.
Choosing the Right Tomato Variety for Your Garden Goals
Tomatoes come in many shapes, sizes, and flavors; what are your garden goals? Abundance? Snacks? The BEST BLT ever!? Canning/Freezing for later? There is a tomato for each of these! When selecting a variety, consider your growing conditions (in-ground or raised bed?), space, and what you intend to use the tomatoes for.
Here are some popular varieties to consider:
Cherry Tomatoes: Small, sweet, perfect for salads and snacking.
Beefsteak Tomatoes: Large, juicy, and not super flavorful, but great for sandwiches/BLTs.
Roma Tomatoes: Firm and flavorful, ideal for sauces, and great for canning and freezing.
Heirloom Tomatoes: Diverse in color and taste, often known for their intense flavors. (These are the ones we dream about in February and wish the grocery store could replicate)
Preparing the Soil
Tomatoes thrive in well-drained, nutrient-rich soil, you can prepare your garden bed by:
Testing Your Soil:
It can be done as needed or every year or two. If you've had a flop year, I highly suggest soil testing in the spring to see where you're starting.
You can buy at-home tests to check the pH level; tomatoes prefer slightly acidic soil (pH 6.0-6.8).
Amending the Soil:
Add compost or well-rotted manure (I love rabbit and chicken!) to improve soil structure and fertility.
When tending to my garden bed in the spring, I add blood and bone meal. It takes several months to break down slowly, but it's a good base for your garden.
After digging the hole but before putting in the plant, I toss in a handful of crab and lobster shells from Neptune's Harvest for the added calcium, which helps prevent blossom end rot.
When the plant is starting to grow, I'll also fertilize it with Neptune's Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer 2-3-1. I don't use this after the plant is big and healthy; if you do use it, it tends to focus on growing the plant's leaves and not the fruit.
Mulching:
Apply a layer of mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
I will also sprinkle wool pellets around the base of the plant for a slow release of nitrogen, potassium, and other micronutrients, as well as water absorption, to help keep the earth damp as the plant grows.
I love Kestral Ridge Wool Pellets.
Planting Tomatoes
Timing is crucial when planting tomatoes, as they don't like frost. You can start from seed or buy plants from a local nursery; I do a little of both.
Start Seeds Indoors: Begin 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost date.
Transplant Outdoors: Move seedlings to the garden when they're about 6-8 inches tall and the danger of frost has passed.
Plant Deep: Bury 2/3 of the plant's stem to encourage strong root development or on a horizontal slant, like the photo.
Caring for Tomato Plants
Proper care ensures healthy plants and abundant harvests. Check them daily, talk to them, encourage them, and thank them.
Watering:
Tomatoes need consistent moisture. Water deeply at the base of the plant to avoid wetting the foliage, which can lead to disease. Aim for about 1-2 inches of water per week.
Fertilizing:
Use a balanced fertilizer when planting and switch to a high-phosphorus fertilizer when flowers appear. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers as they promote foliage growth over fruit production.
Fish Bone Meal: as a granular side dressing (in the soil vs. on the leaves)
Chicken/Rabbit Manure in small amounts in the soil
Kelp Meal around the base of the plant in the soil
If your plant isn't producing enough or seems stressed, you can use Fox Farm Liquid Plant Food - Big Bloom.
Add to water and apply until the plant looks healthy.
Pruning:
Remove suckers (small shoots that grow between the stem and branches) to direct the plant's energy toward fruit production. Pruning also improves air circulation, reducing the risk of disease. I do this every week or two as stems and leaves grow. It's not the end of the world. If you accidentally cut off some stems with flowers, you'll still have plenty of tomatoes.
Support:
Use stakes, cages, or trellises to support the plants and keep fruits off the ground, reducing rot and pest problems.
Common Pests and Problems
Tomatoes can be susceptible to various pests and diseases.
Aphids and Whiteflies: Use insecticidal soap or introduce and encourage beneficial insects like ladybugs.
Tomato Hornworms: To control these caterpillars, handpick or use Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). If you see one, remove it and smush it immediately—they are ruthless!
Blight: Practice crop rotation, remove affected plants and apply fungicides if necessary.
Cracking: Maintain consistent watering to prevent irregular growth and cracking of the fruit.
Here's a link to a post all about garden pests.
Harvesting and Enjoying Your Tomatoes
Tomatoes are ready to harvest when fully colored and slightly soft to the touch. If you have competition with pests in your garden, like ground squirrels or chipmunks, you can pick the fruit as soon as it starts to "blush," which means it gets a little color, still green but turning red. All the nutrients the plant needs are packed inside, and now it needs a bit of time for them to turn red, which they can do inside your home. Usually, if the temps are over 85 degrees, this is the threshold for tomatoes, and they won't "ripen" over this, so you can bring them inside if it's terribly hot outside, too. They should redden in a few days.
Fresh Eating: Enjoy them raw in salads, sandwiches, or snacks.
Cooking: Use them in sauces, soups, and stews.
I love slow-roasting cherry tomatoes in the oven in EVOO, S&P. Once they have exploded and are slightly browned, I let them cool, pour all the contents into a jar, and freeze. This makes the best pasta salad; the EVOO and tomato juice make it almost creamy. It's amazing!
Preserving: Can or freeze tomatoes to enjoy them year-round.
Come the end of September, when I'm over tomatoes, I'm known to take a whole Roma tomato, wash it, core it, toss them in a ziploc, and freeze until I'm ready in February to see one again. I defrost in a colander in the sink so the extra water drains out, the skins slip off, and then I toss it in a pot to make whatever meal we're having.
A Few Final Tips for Success for Next Year's You.
Rotate Crops: Avoid planting tomatoes in the same spot each year to prevent soil-borne diseases.
Companion Planting: Grow basil, marigolds, or nasturtiums nearby to deter pests and enhance growth.
Monitor and Adjust: This is my #1 tip: keep an eye on your plants and be ready to adjust care as needed. Check them daily and keep a pulse on your garden. You can keep a garden journal with dates to review and notes to see what you've done. This comes in handy when you need reassurance about what you've done in the following years.
Growing tomatoes is incredibly rewarding; the taste alone is worth it! You'll produce a boatload of delicious fruits throughout the season that your friends and neighbors will love! With these tips and a little care, you'll be well on your way to a successful tomato harvest.
Happy gardening!
Feel free to share your tomato-growing experiences or ask any questions in the comments below!
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