Growing Tomatoes

Tomatoes have been one of my favorite fruits/vegetables since I was a child. Their sweet taste with a soft yet crunchy texture is incredible. They are extremely versatile and can be added to anything. We use them quite often in my family’s home so growing tomatoes was one of the first crops we grew.

Tomatoes are an incredibly easy vegetable to grow for beginners. They prefer warm weather so the best season to grow is late spring and early summer. I live in zone 6 however it is best to look up which zone you live in to adjust accordingly.

Choose the brightest and sunniest spot in your garden because these plants love sun. They grow super tall so be sure that they are somewhere they aren’t blocking their fellow crops.

Tomatoes like soil with good drainage with slightly acidic pH levels. They love compost and if you make your own that would be even better.

Tomatoes aren’t hard to grow. With water and minimum care, you will get a lovely harvest.

I personally don’t remember having pest issues with tomatoes however the common pests for tomatoes are tomato hornworms. They munch on the leaves causing them to turn yellow. Marigolds are a great companion plant for this because they can repel these greedy bugs.

You can either plant them by seed or transfer them from indoors to the outdoors. If you are going to buy pre-sprouted plants then I don’t recommend buying them from hardware stores because they do not last long. Instead, buy them from a greenhouse or use seeds and start your own. That way you can judge if they are healthy enough for a cheaper price.

They green very fast so be sure to be consistent in searching for ripe fruit because if you don’t harvest it it will be a feast for the bugs or possible animals walking through.

Although I have not tried it myself, you can propagate plants similarly to houseplants. Cut it at the node a plant it in dirt and it should grow.

Over the years me and my family have grown several different varieties. Amongst them were the cherry tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, and Bull Tomatoes.

Bull’s Heart Tomatoes

These tomatoes are one of the larger varieties of tomatoes. They can grow to be heavier than 2 pounds. They are ready to harvest in 80-90 days.

Cherry Tomatoes

These sweet yet tart grape-size tomatoes might be the easiest tomato plant to grow. I have literally abandoned them and they still grew fruits. Even during mid-fall, they were growing. They produce about 100+ tomatoes a plant and are ready to harvest in 50-65 days.

Roma Tomatoes

Roma tomatoes are the regular tomatoes we use in our household. They are as sweet as most tomatoes with the shape of an egg. They are typically medium in their size. They’ll be ready for harvest in about 80 days

I’m excited about this new gardening season! Let’s see what it will bring us! Thank you for reading