The best tomatoes to grow in cool or cold climates are short- to mid-season tomatoes—that is tomatoes that mature in the shortest number of days, 55 to about 75 days from transplanting. Short- and mid-season tomato varieties commonly require less days of heat to ripen fruit and are naturally adapted or have been developed for cool…
Tomato
Tomato Seed Starting Tips
Tomatoes are a tender, warm-weather crop. Start tomatoes indoors 10 to 8 weeks before the last expected frost in spring. Set tomato seedlings into the garden after all danger of frost is past. There are more than 1,000 varieties of tomatoes—most are red, others are pink-orange, yellow, purple, brown, whitish-green, or striped. Best tips on…
How to Harvest and Store Tomatoes
Harvest tomatoes when the skin is slightly firm, shiny, and uniformly colored for 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 green—depending…
Paste Tomatoes for Home Gardens
Paste tomatoes have a meaty texture and concentrated flavor. They are also known as “sauce,” “pear,” “plum,” “saladette,” “Roma,” and “Italian.” Use paste tomatoes for cooking sauces, juicing, drying, or eating fresh sliced in salads or on the side. Paste tomatoes come in a variety sizes—from an inch or two long to large 2-pound fruits….
Tomato Flavor Explained
Tomato flavor is a balance of acid and sugar recognized by the tongue and the effect of volatile compounds within the fruit that cause aroma recognized by the nose. Simply put, the human perception of tomato flavor involves the integration of taste and smell. Tomato flavor is commonly described as sweet, tart, tangy or balanced….
Companion Planting and Tomatoes
Want to enhance the flavor or your tomatoes? Grow leaf lettuce, chives, or marigolds nearby. The notion behind companion planting is that some plants naturally grow better together, that they form natural alliances. How such alliances work is not completely clear; companion planting is based widely on reported observation. Tomato companion plants—said to ward off…
Self-Pollinating Vegetables
Some vegetables are self-pollinating meaning they do not need the assistance of bees or other insects or the wind for pollination and the production of fruit. Self-pollinating vegetables include tomatoes, green peppers and chili peppers, eggplants, green beans, lima beans, sweet peas, and peanuts. Pollen is required for a flower to produce a fruit. Self-pollinating…
Tomato Planting Tips
Set out tomato seedlings in midafternoon after the air and soil has warmed for the day. Seedlings set out on cold mornings are more susceptible to chilling injury—their metabolic reserves have been depleted overnight. Tomato seedlings that have 5 to 7 true leaves are ready for planting out in the garden—but be sure the garden…
Grow Tomatoes This Spring
No tomato tastes better than the one you’ve grown yourself. Whether you are growing tomatoes for slicing on sandwiches, salads, snacking, cooking, or canning, there is a tomato or two that will grow easily where you live. Here’s a collection of tips to help you start growing the tastiest, juiciest tomatoes ever in your home…
Tomato Ripening Tips for Season End
Pick ripe tomatoes as soon as they ripen so that the plant continues to produce new fruit. This is very important at the end of the season when you want the plant to concentrate on swelling and ripening the remaining fruits. Remove yellowing leaves from plants towards the end of the season to allow more…
