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Best Tomatoes to Grow in Cool and Cold Weather
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 fewer days of heat to ripen fruit and are naturally adapted or have been developed for cool […] More
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Grow Tomatoes in Containers
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
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Heirloom and Hybrid Tomatoes Explained
Do heirloom tomatoes (or other heirloom vegetables, for that matter) have benefits or advantages when compared to hybrid tomatoes? The answer is not simple. The 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 […] More
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in Tomatoes
10 Tomatoes for Small Spaces
Small tomato plants that deliver a big flavor are just right for growing in small gardens and on decks, patios, and balconies. Small tomato plants range in size from 18 inches tall or less to no more than 3 or 4 feet tall. Small tomatoes require no staking or caging—but you can. Fruits on small […] More
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How to Choose a Tomato for Your Garden
Grow enough tomatoes this year for fresh eating and also for cooking, canning, or preserving (if that’s what you have in mind). But don’t grow more than you can use or give away. Planting more tomatoes than you need is a fairly common mistake. (A mistake you’re never fully aware of until late in the […] 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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Epsom Salt, Tomato, and Pepper Growing
Epsom salt used as a foliar spray or soil additive will help tomato and pepper plants grow and produce larger tastier yields. Late in the season use an Epsom salt spray to increase tomato and pepper yield and keep plants green and bushy; early in the season add Epsom salt to the soil to aid […] More
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How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Tomatoes
Tomatoes are warm-season annuals that grow best when the soil temperature is at least 55°F (12°C) and the air temperature ranges between 65° and 90°F (18-32°C). Here is your complete guide to growing tomatoes. Quick Tomato Growing Guide Good Products for Growing Tomatoes: Types of Tomatoes Bush and Dwarf Tomatoes Vining Tomatoes Other Tomato Classifications […] More
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Fertilizer for Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants
Summer fruiting crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants will benefit from a side-dressing of organic fertilizer when they first set fruit and every 4 to 6 weeks thereafter. An alternative is to water in a dilute solution of fish emulsion, seaweed extract, or kelp meal every 10 days. Feed fruiting crops that have flowered […] More
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How to Prevent Tomato and Pepper Blossom Drop
Tomatoes and peppers drop their blossoms when environmentally stressed. But when conditions are less extreme, a plant that has dropped its blossoms will flower again, set fruit, and be productive. Temperatures too cold or too hot; weather too dry or too wet; soil too nutrient-rich or deficient are the most common reasons tomatoes and peppers […] More
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How to Harvest and Store Tomatoes
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
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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. […] More
Stephen Albert
