Tomatoes

Garden Fundamentals

One Simple Step to a More Successful Tomato Season

Tomatoes require a good balance of sun and water to grow, but many gardeners forget calcium-rich soil is also important. Read on to learn more.

Garden Fundamentals

What Color Says About Tomato Flavor

Take some of the guesswork out of choosing tomato varieties by learning a few basics about how tomato color relates to tomato flavor. This simple guide will help you fine-tune your choices and find just the right tomatoes to please your palate.

Garden Fundamentals

How to Prune Tomatoes for a Big Harvest

Pruning tomato plants is an optional technique that some gardeners use to keep plants tidy, manipulate fruit size, and even speed ripening. There is one big catch: You should only prune indeterminate varieties, which produce new leaves and flowers continuously through the growing season. Here are some reasons to prune.

Garden Fundamentals

A Good-Tasting, Basic Tomato: The Story Behind the Bonnie Original

What’s so special about our Bonnie Original tomato? One of our customers said it best: “I love Bonnie Original because it’s just a good-tasting, basic tomato. One is just right for a tomato sandwich and we don’t have any left over."

Garden Fundamentals

Tips for Growing Heirloom Tomatoes (from Market Farmers!)

Market farmers grow heirloom tomatoes by the bushel, selling their harvests at farm stands and markets, and through CSAs. In other words, they’re heirloom tomato growing experts. Garden writer Julie Martens Forney had a chance to interview several seasoned market farmers and talk to them about their tried-and-true methods for growing heirloom tomatoes.

Garden Fundamentals

How to Grow Tomatoes in Pots

Growing tomatoes in pots levels the home garden playing field, bringing a crop of homegrown ‘maters within reach for almost anyone, regardless of real estate.

Garden Fundamentals

Growing Tomatoes: 9 Ways to Grow Tomatoes in Your Garden

Tasty and terrific, tomatoes offer garden magic at its best, transforming yellow blossoms into juicy fruits. But perhaps the most amazing thing about tomatoes is their adaptability. These yummy gems grow and thrive in a host of ways, from classic in-ground beds to quirky upside-down planters. Let us help you discover which of these ways to grow tomatoes is best for you.

Garden Fundamentals

How to Grow Tomatoes in Hot Weather

Sizzling summer temperatures can bring your previously productive tomato plants to a screeching halt. When days hit 85°F to 90°F and nights hover above 75°F, tomato flowers often fail to pollinate, then drop -- which in turn puts new fruit production on hold.

Garden Fundamentals

5 Variations on a String Trellis for Tomatoes

A string trellis is a simple, effective way to support a growing tomato plant. Here are 5 options to consider including in your garden.

Garden Fundamentals

Hybrid vs. Heirloom

There is a lot of confusion out there regarding the difference among heirloom, hybrid, and GMO plants, especially when it comes to tomatoes. This simple guide sorts it out for you.

Garden Fundamentals

A Cold Weather Use for Tomato Cages

I began gardening around six years ago, and at first I attempted to use store-bought tomato cages. I tried several types, ranging from cheap to expensive, but my Bonnie tomatoes always outgrew them.

Garden Fundamentals

How to Save Tomatoes from Frost

When temperatures drop, you may be at risk for losing the tomatoes left in the garden, even if you cover the plants. Here's how to save tomatoes from frost.

Garden Fundamentals

How to Can Your Harvest

Canning preserves summer’s garden-fresh flavors well beyond the harvest season. The result not only tastes great, but can also trim your grocery bill, especially when you grow the food yourself.

Garden Fundamentals

Vacation Survival Guide for Your Garden

Do not worry about your garden while on vacation anymore! Just follow these simple suggestions to keep your plants going strong while you are away.

Garden Fundamentals

The Root of the Problem

Blogger Renee Adam learns an easy remedy for rootbound tomato plants and vegetable plants that sat too long in their pots. Rootbound plants should be gently loosened before planting.

Garden Fundamentals

The Basics of Tomato Flavor

Tomato flavor won’t be the same with every type of tomato. Learn the basic components of tomato flavors and how these affect what you taste.

Garden Fundamentals

What Size Pot?

Not sure what size pot you need for your vegetable or herb? Don't guess when it comes to this. Use our handy guide to make the right choice for your plant.

Garden Fundamentals

What Can I Grow in a Pot?

Almost any vegetable or herb will grow in a pot, but it helps to put the right variety of vegetables in the right size pot. Learn how with Bonnie Plants.

Garden Fundamentals

Rotating Vegetable Crops for Garden Success

Home vegetable gardens will benefit as much from rotating vegetable crops as big farms do. Learn what crop rotation means and how to make it work in your garden.

Garden Fundamentals

Tomatoes That'll Cover Your Bread Slice

Find out which tomato varieties produce fruit large enough that a single slice of tomato will cover an entire slice of bread for sandwiches and hamburgers.

Garden Fundamentals

Tomato Quirks

Sometimes a tomato doesn’t turn out looking like you’d expect. Here are some tomato quirks you might see that are caused by neither insects nor diseases — and what (if anything) to do about them.

Garden Fundamentals

Planting Tomatoes Step-by-Step

Perhaps more than any other vegetable, tomatoes depend on proper planting so they can provide you with loads of fruit throughout the summer. Before you plan, check out our step-by-step instructions ...