Tips For Growing Good Tomatoes

Growing up, I always saw my mom and grandparents growing large tomatoes that were plump and juicy. Having tasty, garden fresh tomatoes to eat at the end of each summer and early fall was a real treat for us. My mother would often can these, even though I didn't particularly care for them that way. I really love to eat good tomatoes, but when they're stewed, I'll just pass on them. Whether you like them fresh, stewed or both, growing tomatoes is so easy almost anyone can do it.

When starting your tomato plants, you can either choose to use the starter plants most people enjoy, or you could begin growing good tomatoes early inside your home. Starter plants are available from any local garden center, and are a lot easier to deal with than starting them inside from seeds. Take care to allow the tomatoes to reach the right size before planting outdoors for the best results. Transplanting these plants is easy, just make sure that they have enough space for themselves wherever you put them. For each plant, you'll need to allow extra space for growth room and optimal sun exposure.

People often like growing good tomatoes in a big garden, but they also thrive in small spaces like window boxes if you don't have a yard. This might mean only planting one or two plants, but they can still produce a good number of tomatoes for personal use. No matter where you plant them, growing good tomatoes requires your tender loving care. Large tomato plants must be staked up to prevent the tomatoes from rotting on the ground. If you want to buy a round wire frame from a garden store you can, but it works just as well to put a stake or fence next to the plant. This lifts the tomatoes off the ground.

If you want to be growing large tomatoes, try spreading a quality fertilizer to protect the health of your plants and maximize the growth of your fruits. Just like most other plants, you need to keep their area weeded and watered. Though some gardeners like to let their tomatoes ripen on the vine, you can pick yours before they are a juicy red color. Tomatoes can be picked before they turn red and then ripened on the counter. Tomatoes taste best when stored in a dry, cool place but not the refrigerator. You can draw out your fresh tomato season by harvesting some tomatoes that are still green and keeping them in paper bags in your basement or cellar. You will discover that they keep for two or three month this way, and you can remove them and place them on the windowsill to ripen as late as October or November.