Growing Great Tomatoes

Written by Amy Gordon (last updated August 6, 2021)

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Tomatoes are the most common plant grown in a vegetable garden, even though they are not really vegetables at all. Tomatoes taste great and are perfect for mixing in with almost everything, including fresh salad and cooked as tomato sauce on pizza. You have many different options for growing tomatoes, so why not grow them in your own garden area so you can go out back to pick up the fruit rather than to your local grocery store.

If you are going to grow tomatoes in your backyard, you will probably want to get determinate tomatoes, which means they start and stop growing at a certain time and take only a small amount of space. You have two main options when growing tomatoes—start from seeds or buy the plants from your local nursery. It really just depends on how much time you want to take before you start having actual tomatoes. It will take about two months to get them to plant form, and may not be done successfully without a lot of work.

After you have your tomato plants, you can transplant them when the weather does not get below 50 degrees at night. Plant them about 2 to 3 feet apart from each other. Tomato plants need to grow up, and this can be done in a number of ways. You can use a tomato cage if you want a quick fix. You can also try using a more decorative method, such as a bamboo tripod.

When planting your tomatoes, remember that they need plenty of sun. As for soil, tomatoes can handle pretty much everything. If you want, you can add fertilizer to the soil, which will help the tomatoes grow a little bigger, but they will grow with almost whatever you throw at them. The most important part of growing tomatoes is to make sure that they receive plenty of water.

As long as you planted the tomatoes in plenty of sun and give them plenty of water, you should have great tomatoes in just a short amount of time. Once they ripen, just pick and store them in a cool, dark place. They will taste great and will become quite a treat. Just remember not to refrigerate your tomatoes or they will lose their flavor.

Author Bio

Amy Gordon

Amy Gordon loves keeping things simple, natural, and safe so she can spend more time having fun. Every day she learns new things about making life at home easier and she loves to share it with you! ...

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What is six more than 3?

2012-07-03 13:27:01

Colleen Smith

My daughter and husband prefer tomatoes to be put in the refrigerator. I do not. How can I make them realize they taste better kept out of the frig?


2012-07-03 07:26:04

Steve Dollerd

I live in the panhandle of Florida, near Panama City, Florida. What type,brand name , of tomato do I need to plant , so that I can get vine fresh tomatoes in July and August ? I have tried every name barnd I can try , and none produce in the hot months. I have also read that tomatoes will stop producing tomatoes, when daytime high temperatures are above 95 degrees, any truth to that? Thank you.


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