How to Grow Amazing Tomato Plants

What are You Waiting for? Get going!!!

Support your Vines

Here’s an easy, strong, and inexpensive way to support your Tomato Vines with basically a clothes line approach.  I’ve used this method many times (except I simply tie my lines to the posts).

Click the picture below for all the detailed instructions.

More styles for your inspiration:

How I pick my plants

I love to buy my tomato plants from our local annual Master Gardener’s fair. I do this for three reasons, one to support the local growers, two to acquire plants that are already accustomed to my climate area, and three to find already mature plants as I do not have the facility to start these from seeds.  This is just my preference; what works for me and really has nothing to do with the success of my garden.

Online Research: I get a rough idea of what types of tomatoes I want by what else but on-line research.  You could go into your local gardening or nursery center cold and look at the plant tags and little pictures, but I find it much easier to go in already having an idea of what I’m looking for.  I check out Burpee’s first.  Here’s a link right to their tomato section .  I usually have an idea of what types we can and will use such as large beefsteak variety for those summer backyard BBQs or nice salad size etc.

Checking Burpee’s site helps me see what I’m looking for, read other customer’s reviews, and through their details and information, help me build a rough wish list with the name and some details of varieties I want to focus on.  I copy and paste the details and maybe a picture right into a Google Doc I can then print or access via smart phone, computer and or laptop (Google Docs is intuitive, accessible anywhere and extremely easy to use, but that’s a whole different story for another article).  Here’s a snapshot showing my Google Doc and a couple that are on my list for this year.What if they don’t have…Often times our local growers will have a good number of the Burpee varieties.  What if they don’t have exactly what I’m looking for?  The list also helps if I can’t find a certain variety on my list, I can find a similar type and variety.  I tend to end up with a mixture of Hybrid and Heirlooms and I like to try or add a different type each year.  It’s a way for me to learn which work well for us and helps me build our “favorites” list.  For instance the Pineapple Heirloom has become one of our favorites for its big, beautiful, yellow, very juicy and tasty fruit.  Last year, we tried a variety called Fourth of July, it came with high recommendations and as you can see from the link – good reviews.  Our experience was much less than good, producing fruit that was roughly large sized cherry tomatoes.  I may give it a go again next year, but will not for this year’s selection.

Identifying and Solving growing problems

Blossom End Rot, Blight, Cracking, Hornworm, Wilting foliage…

First of all don’t pass up the wisdom of those that have been around and know.  My Father-in-law is one of my personal best resources!  Second, invest in good reference material.  Buy yourself a book.  Something you can refer back to year after year that focuses on the task at hand, includes proven techniques as well as solutions to issues you may encounter.  I can certainly attest to just dropping plants into unprepared soil without much thought other than “this looks like a great spot” only to be sorely disappointed with little or no fruit!  This year I wanted a step by step guide with help in not only growing but trouble shooting as well.  Many issues of course are best dealt with by avoiding them all together.  Proper preparation of the garden site, soil, irrigation and drainage, how you will support your vines, and how many plants you can maintain are all important to consider.  Preparation of my site has begun removing weeds that have taken root over the winter months and breaking up the soil.  I need to decide whether I add necessary mulch, fertilizer and so on to my existing soil or if I buy already prepared soil…  I usually break up my existing soil, mix in a good amount of home-grown compost etc and have decent success.

Update Log:

Cheating just a little this year.

Prepping my planting area, I noticed quite a few “freebies” popped up from last year’s crop.  I’ve selected a handful of the best looking specimens, carefully transplanted to temporary pots to be planted once all my prep work is done.  Now of course which varieties they are is a complete Mystery!  At least I roughly know what I planted last year.  (Could be Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Pineapple, etc…).  I’ll use these and add in some purchased, locally grown varieties.

(Note – I Google’d information on each variety below and provided some brief  information)

• Black Krim – (aka Black Crimson and Black Crim) Originally from the Isle of Krim on the Black Sea in the former Soviet Union.
• Cherokee Purple – Is the name of a cultivar of tomato, unusual for the deep purple/red hue of its fruit. This cultivar originated with Craig LeHoullier, who claimed it was a century-old cultivar originating with the Cherokee people.
• Pinapple – Bicolored red and yellow fruit grows very large, up to 2 lbs., and is streaked with red both inside and out.

Sources for individual tomato information ranged from Wikipedia to websites carrying these varieties.

Some good recipes to get you hungry while we wait for this year’s crop!!!