| Preparation for a bountiful harvest of tomatoes | | | | tomato from a seed and harvesting fruit in the |
| begins while snow still covers the ground. Before | | | | same growing season takes advance preparation. |
| you can plant a beautiful row of seedlings, you | | | | If you prefer not to gamble with starting your |
| must take several planning steps. Consulting a | | | | own seeds, many companies offer mail-order |
| comprehensive cultivation guide on growing | | | | seedlings of endless varieties. Plan for your |
| tomatoes will aid your planning process and help | | | | seedlings to arrive for planting once the danger of |
| ensure you end up with a bountiful disease free | | | | frost is completely past. Tomato plants are |
| crop. | | | | tropical in origin and have little tolerance for cold. |
| Choose Your Tomato Varieties | | | | For adventurous gardeners, harvesting a tomato |
| Hundreds of choice tomato varieties abound - | | | | grown from seed to fruit is a rewarding |
| enough to confuse gardeners. Tomatoes come in | | | | experience. Start seeds at least eight weeks |
| every shape, size and color. Huge tomatoes that | | | | before you wish to plant. Sow seeds thinly on a |
| take two hands to carry are related to tiny grape | | | | bed of light potting mix inside. Keep the seeds |
| tomatoes no larger than the top of a thumb. | | | | moist, but not overly wet. Misting daily does the |
| Purple, yellow, orange and red tomatoes all spring | | | | trick. Once the seedlings have their second set of |
| from the same gene pool. Perfect round | | | | leaves, "prick out" the seedlings (gently remove |
| tomatoes, oblong tomatoes, little marble-sized | | | | seedlings one at a time, while holding the leaves) |
| tomatoes, and huge scrunchy looking tomatoes | | | | and plant into small pots of their own. Once frost |
| grow around the world. Tomatoes that grow as a | | | | danger has passed, "harden off" your plants by |
| never-ending vine share space with tomato plants | | | | putting them outside during the day, and bringing |
| that grow in a compact, shrub form. For your | | | | them in at night. After a week or two of |
| summer tomato garden, choose several tomato | | | | "hardening off," you may plant outside. |
| varieties, as each variety is best suited for its | | | | Prepare the Garden Soil |
| own culinary responsibility, and each takes specific | | | | While your tomato seeds are germinating on their |
| care and tending. | | | | warm and comfy windowsill, use the time to prep |
| For summer-long harvesting, choose tomato | | | | the garden soil. Tomatoes need an organically rich, |
| plants that are "indeterminate," or keep growing | | | | yet well-draining soil. If you have extremely wet |
| and growing and growing. These tomatoes will | | | | and heavy soil, avoid walking on it during the |
| continue to set new fruit throughout the entire | | | | winter, as excessive walking with compact the |
| summer. These varieties are best for small | | | | soil. Add organic matter on top of the soil to help |
| cherry or grape sized tomatoes, as getting large | | | | prevent winter erosion. Once the soil warms |
| fruit from these types of plants requires more | | | | enough to be workable, double-dig the soil (Dig all |
| work. | | | | of the soil out, mix in some organic matter, and |
| For shorter harvesting periods and larger | | | | put soil back in) to break up hardened areas and |
| tomatoes, choose "determinate" varieties, which | | | | allow for good root penetration. |
| grow to a certain size and stop. These plants put | | | | Plant the Garden |
| more energy into producing each fruit, resulting in | | | | Once the soil is prepared, seedlings are |
| larger, juicier fruit. | | | | hardened-off, and temperatures are warm (or |
| Pre-Order Seedlings or Sow Seeds | | | | warming), plant your tomato garden, and prepare |
| Tomatoes are fragile in the beginning. Growing a | | | | for a summer of delicious harvests. |