Nothing compares to the bursting-with-flavor taste of a homegrown tomato. Fresh tomatoes you grow from the garden are undeniably more delicious. And tomatoes are so easy to grow that it’s time to take the intimidation out of growing your own vine-ripened tomatoes. Here are a few tips for growing your own bumper crop for a summer of fresh eating.
1. Start with a seedling, not a seed.
Hedge your bets by planting tomato seedlings. You’ll have fruit-bearing plants faster, in time for a summer of mouth-watering meals. It’s best to select seedlings from a reputable grower, rather than a “garden variety” big box store. Our tomatoes here at Blossom Town are carefully grown from seed in a sun-filled greenhouse, all ready for you to transplant and bloom into full-of-flavor wonders right at home.
2. Choose your plant’s new digs.
Tomatoes are equally happy in a garden or grown in a container, so you can grow beautiful tomato plants whether you live in the country, in town or event a lofty apartment balcony. All they really want is good soil, lots of sunlight and thoughtful watering, with space to grow and to allow water to drain off. Some gardeners like to use stakes or tomato cages to encourage growth (and easy picking).
3. Tomatoes take their sweet time – plant early!
Most tomato varieties have a long growing season, so if you want to enjoy the fruits of your labor for the better part of summer, now’s the time to get started. Because we start our tomato seedlings for you, they’re ready to relocate to your backyard or balcony now.
4. Variety is the spice of life.
From heirloom to new hybrids, tomatoes come in a staggering number of varieties. There are no wrong options except being limited, so choose a few for a well-rounded menu of tastes! Blossom Town cultivates these best-selling tomato varieties for you to grow at home:
- Balls Beefsteak
- Better Boy
- Early Girl
- Celebrity
- Rutgers Select
- Husky Red
- San Marzano
- Cupid
- Lemon Boy
- Sweet 100
- and Yellow Pear tomatoes.
Looking for Heirloom Tomatoes? We have a great variety to choose from as well:
- Mortage Lifter
- Black Krim
- Pineapple
- Chocolate Cherry
- Bradley
Hurry in to get your pick at our supply! Know which kind you love? Take your pick – just $2.65 per seedling or $2.65 for a 4-pack of ready-to-plant perfection!
5. Treat your vines to a little love.
Tomatoes can be sensitive, particularly when they’re first planted, to dramatic swings in temperature and moisture. Be sure to provide cover or bring your young plants indoors if there’s a chance of frost, and water often. If you’re growing organically, help them out by pouring soapy water (or an insect-killing soap, available from your grower) over the leaves to deter unwelcome garden pests. And feed them occasionally with used coffee grounds sprinkled around the soil at the outer edge of each plant’s “umbrella” or leaf spread.
Follow these 5 tips and you’ll take tomato seedlings from transplant to tabletop in no time. Be sure to consult with your Blossom Town grower for the best tomato planting and growing advice so you can grow a summer’s worth of mouthwatering tomatoes!
What’s your favorite variety of garden tomatoes? Tell us in the comments below!