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Growing Tomatoes in Containers
Growing tomatoes in containers is one of my favorite ways to enjoy homegrown, flavorful tomatoes—no matter how much garden space I have. Over the years, I’ve experimented with different container sizes, soil mixes, and watering schedules to perfect the process. Whether you have a small patio, balcony, or simply want to keep your tomato plants […] More
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How to Ripen Tomatoes
Standard-sized tomatoes take 20 to 30 days from blossom set to reach full size–commonly called “mature green”; they take another 20 to 30 days to ripen, that is begin to change color. A tomato can be picked when it begins to change color–from green to red, pink, yellow, or orange depending upon the cultivar. The […] More
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When and How to Harvest Tomatoes for the Best Flavor
Harvesting tomatoes at the right time ensures the best flavor, texture, and nutritional value. Over the years, I’ve learned that picking tomatoes too early results in bland fruit, while waiting too long can lead to splitting or overripeness. The key is knowing what to look for and how to handle your tomatoes to get the […] More
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How to Prune Tomatoes
Pruning a tomato means removing unneeded growth tips from the plant. These growing tips are sometimes called shoots or suckers. Growth tips are the new growth–the small leafy-bud growth–located in the “V” or crotch between two stems. Pruning or pinching away new growth allows a tomato plant to concentrate its energy on the development of […] More
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in Gardening Tips, Plant
Grow Tomatoes on Stakes
Grow tomatoes on stakes to ripen fruits earlier than plants that are not staked. Grow tomatoes on stakes to keep fruit cleaner and easier to spot at harvest. You can grow almost twice as many staked tomatoes in a given area than if you let plants grow unstaked or in cages. Tomatoes grown on stakes […] More
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How to Choose a Tomato for Your Garden: Best Varieties for Success
How do you choose which tomatoes to grow in your garden? Here’s a suggestion: Make a list of how you and those in your household enjoy tomatoes. Consider the 5-S’s— salads, sandwiches, sauces, soups., and salsa. There are tomatoes perfect for each of these uses. Plant 1 to 3 tomato plants for each household member […] More
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Heirloom and Hybrid Tomatoes
Do heirloom tomatoes (or other heirloom vegetables, for that matter) have benefits or advantages when compared to hybrid tomatoes? The answer is not simple. Natural selection of tomatoes Most of the crops we eat today, including tomatoes, have evolved from less desirable wild plants. Over generations and generations, humans have selectively created many plant varieties […] More
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Tomato Growing Problems: Pests, Diseases, and Solutions
Growing tomatoes is incredibly rewarding, but even the most experienced gardeners face challenges along the way. Over the years, I’ve dealt with everything from hornworms devouring my plants overnight to sudden outbreaks of blight that threatened an entire season’s crop. Understanding the most common tomato-growing problems—whether caused by pests, diseases, or environmental stress—has helped me […] More
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Growing Early-Season Tomatoes for Great Taste
Early-season tomatoes ripen fruit 55 to 70 days after being transplanted to the garden as 6-week-old plants. Because great tomato flavor comes with just the right combination of sugars and acids that are the product of sunlight and photosynthesis, early-season tomatoes are often dismissed as less tasty than mid- and late-season tomatoes (which require 80 […] More
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in Tomatoes
Tomato Flavor Explained
Flavor is probably the best reason for selecting a tomato for kitchen garden growing. Once you have identified your favorite tomato (or tomatoes), the memory of that fruit’s flavor will easily get you started in spring and keep you going until harvest year after year. Getting to know new tomatoes and their tastes will bring […] More
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in Preserve
How to Home Can Tomatoes for Beginners
Canning is the best way to enjoy fresh, flavorful garden-grown tomatoes long after harvest time. Canned tomatoes are ideal for use in soups, stews, and casseroles. You will need 22 pounds of fresh tomatoes for a canner load of 7 quarts and 14 pounds of fresh tomatoes for a canner load of 9 pints. That’s […] More
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How to Sun-Dry and Oven-Dry Tomatoes
Sun-dry tomatoes or oven-dry tomatoes to use for seasoning in salads, soups, stews, casseroles, mixed vegetables, and snacks. You can also rehydrate dried tomatoes for use in cooking. Dried tomatoes are fresh, ripe tomatoes that have been placed in the sun, in an oven, or in a food dryer to dry out the water content. […] More
Stephen Albert
