Tomato

Latest stories

More stories

  • in Container Gardening, Urban Gardening

    Growing Tomatoes in Containers

    Cherry tomatoes in pots

    by

    Tomatoes are easily grown in containers—clay pots, plastic nursery pots, and wood boxes Container-grown tomatoes have the same growing requirements as garden-grown tomatoes: 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day, nutrient-rich soil, and enough water or soil moisture for steady, even growth. Best tips on How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Tomatoes. You can […] More

  • in Fruit Vegetables, Gardening Tips

    How to Ripen Tomatoes

    by

    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

  • in Harvest and Storage

    How to Harvest and Store Tomatoes

    Tomato ripening on vine

    by

    Harvest tomatoes when the skin is slightly firm, shiny, and uniformly colored for the best flavor. As a tomato ripens it will turn from a vibrant medium-green to a lighter shade, with faint pink or yellow stripes or flushing. Later the skin will mature to a uniform red or pink or yellow or white or […] More

  • in Gardening Tips

    How to Prune Tomatoes

    Tomatoes pruned to a single stake1

    by

    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

  • in Gardening Tips, Plant

    Grow Tomatoes on Stakes

    Tomatoes Trained to Single Stakes

    by

    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

  • in Fruit Vegetables, Tomatoes

    Heirloom and Hybrid Tomatoes

    Tomato Brandywine heirloom1

    by

    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

  • in Diseases, Pests, Problems

    Tomato Growing Problems: Troubleshooting

    Tomato Worm1

    by

    Tomato plants are susceptible to several diseases and pests. Preventing problems is the best-growing strategy. Best tips on How to Grow Tomatoes. Here is a troubleshooting list of possible tomato problems with brief control suggestions. For a full description of pests and diseases and prevention and controls click over to the Pest Problem Solver of […] More

  • in Fruit Vegetables, Tomatoes

    Growing Early-Season Tomatoes for Great Taste

    Sungold tomatoes

    by

    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

  • in Tomatoes

    Tomato Flavor Explained

    Tomato Cherokee Purple

    by

    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

  • in Preserve

    How to Home Can Tomatoes for Beginners

    Tomatoes Canned

    by

    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