On this blog entry I'll be giving you some information on growing one of the most rewarding gardening experiences you can have in your own back yard. If you enjoy tomatoes then you should probably stick around and see how you can grow your own!
As a youngster I disliked tomatoes profusely. I was the only one in the family who seemed to abhor them, so I knew that I must have a problem. I tried them once in a while just to remind myself how repulsive they were to me. Then it happened... I tried a garden grown, sun ripened tomato off the vine on a slice of toast and mayonnaise. I experienced something not so repulsive and something that I'd soon eat pretty much every day of my life in some form or another. If you are a tomato connoisseur you know that store bought tomatoes are just lacking something...TASTE! They don't taste a whole lot like anything if you ask me. There is just something about a home grown tomato that enhances the flavor of food like nothing else you can grow in your garden.
GETTING STARTED
It doesn't matter if you have some large pots or an area in the ground, you will be able to plant tomatoes. For new gardeners I highly recommend going to your garden store in the spring and picking out some nice tomato plants that have already been started for you. You don't need the large plants either to be successful. Buy the small plants that are cheaper. Don't forget to also pick up some bone meal to add to your soil when planting.
You should get standard garden varieties that are well known like beef master, beefsteak, celebrity, early girl, better boy, sweet 100's, romas and so on. If you are into funny looking tomatoes then look for the heirlooms. Just a word of caution; these varieties might be harder to grow and not produce as many delicious red fruits for you.
Once you have your tomato plants you are ready to head to the garden. Tomatoes love lots of water, but need good drainage. So it is best to plant them on a hill, or to hill up the dirt in your garden where you will plant them. For an example watch the video I'll post below. Next dig a small hole that is about twice the size of the container holding your tomato. At this point you should take some bone meal and add a table spoon or as directed on the package to the hole.
Now a key fact that will give your tomato a head start is to burry half to 3/4's of the plant (if it is small). Break off the bottom leaves and burry 2-3 inches of the stem leaving some leafy green above ground. The tomato plant vine will now send out more roots giving it extra nutrients and ability to take in more water from the soil. Cover it will soil and pat lightly. You should now water the plant.
Sometimes you'll go out the next day to look at your garden and the plant will have been chewed off at the soil level and left for dead. This means you had a cutworm disaster and the plant will now die. To avoid this you can slit a plastic cup down the side and cut the bottom off. Place it around the plant and push an inch down into the soil. This will prevent those cutworms from finding your tender tomato vines. Once the plant is established this is less likely to occur and you can remove the cup. You should now have your tomato plant in the ground and ready to grow.
If you want to plant multiple plants you should space them out at least 12-24 inches or more. They get very large and crowded, so keep that in mind when planting. Check out these videos on planting your tomatoes that I made.
Tips on Planting Tomatoes
Planting Tomatoes With Caleah
It is always interesting to look back in history and see the manuscripts of time. For example here is one regarding planting tomatoes and feeling great!
"I arose at half past four a.m. At five I was at work spading up ground and preparing to set out my flowers. I worked one hour alone, then Edith Ward and Ella May White united with me, and we planted our flowers. Then we set out twenty-eight tomato plants, when the bell rang for morning prayers and breakfast. I think I have received no harm from my vigorous exercise, but feel better for the work done."—Manuscript 62, 1896, 1, 2. (Diary, February 10, 1896.)
John 15:1-11 Now I know this is talking about grape vines, but tomatoes are also a vine and need a lot of close attention and pruning. Next blog entry will be about how to get the most out of those tomato plants you've put in the ground. Until then ponder this text from John.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
