All choosing-tomatoes articles

garden plans

Heirloom Tomato 4 x 4-foot Garden

Grow an heirloom tomato garden even in a small space. This plan for an heirloom tomato garden allows you to choose your favorite heirloom tomatoes to include.

garden plans

Easy and Tasty 4 x 4-foot Kids' Garden

This kids' vegetable garden plan from Bonnie Plants features a variety of kid-sized vegetables and herbs that are flavorful and attract butterflies.

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

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.

recipes

It's Fried Green Tomatoes Time!

garden plans

Parsley & Tomato Container Garden

This Parsley & Tomato Container Garden gives you the fresh produce you need for salads, sauces, and more. The design uses space well, requiring one pot.

garden fundamentals

Choose the Right Container for Your Plants

Container gardening is easy and rewarding if you have the right containers. When choosing pots, you need to consider size, style, material, and weight, as well as what will be planted in them.

how to grow

Growing Tomatoes

Learn how to grow tomatoes. Get tips about growing tomatoes in the ground, raised beds, or containers. Care for tomato plants from planting to harvesting.

garden fundamentals

What Are the Different Types of Tomatoes?

TomAYto, tomAHto…just as there are different pronunciations, there is also a wide variety of tomato types, with a range of colors, sizes, flavors, uses—the list goes on. So how do you know which variety will be best for your garden and your plate? Here are some things to consider.

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 plans

4 x 4-foot Tabbouleh Garden

Plant this garden in spring after your last frost date, and choose tomato and cucumber varieties that grow best in your area.

garden plans

Fresh Tomato and Pesto 4 x 4-foot Garden

A tomato and pesto garden gives you ingredients for fresh pesto and pesto's perfect companion—tomatoes! Grow this tomato and pesto garden for summer.

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

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

Learn Tomato Growing Terms

There are a lot of tomato growing terms, from determinate and indeterminate to hybrid and heirloom. What do they all mean? Learn here.

garden fundamentals

For Early Tomatoes, Try This

Several gardening strategies will help you achieve early tomatoes. Planting early-maturing varieties is one way, but try these tricks for early tomatoes, too.

garden plans

Mediterranean 4 x 4-foot Garden

Grow a Mediterranean vegetable garden using this plan for a 4 x 4 bed. The plan includes Mediterranean ingredients such as eggplant, basil, and tomatoes.

garden fundamentals

How to Support Tomatoes

Whether you use tomato cages, stakes, trellises, or something else to support tomato plants, you keep the plants healthier and ensure easier harvesting.

garden plans

Salsa Garden in Containers

It doesn't take much room to grow your own fresh ingredients for homemade salsa. Just follow this easy salsa garden container planting plan.

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

Conquer Blossom End Rot

If you see a black, sunken spot on the end of your tomatoes, you've got blossom end rot. Learn what causes blossom end rot and ways to prevent it.

garden ideas inspiration

Strawberries Introduce Kids to Natural Sweets from the Garden

Get kids to love healthy, natural sweets such as strawberries and cherry tomatoes by introducing them to garden-fresh produce, which is the sweetest kind.

garden plans

4 x 4-foot Chiles Rellenos Garden

Give your next batch of chiles rellenos a super-fresh flavor boost with ingredients picked from your very own garden.