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Growing Tomatoes

If you only grow one thing this year, make it tomatoes. Nothing from a grocery store comes close to one picked warm off the vine.

Planting

Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before last frost. When you transplant, bury the stem deep — up to two-thirds of the plant, right up to the top leaves. Tomatoes grow roots all along a buried stem, and that extra root mass makes for a much sturdier plant. Always stake or cage at planting time, not later.

Watering & feeding

Deep, consistent watering matters more than frequency — irregular watering is the #1 cause of blossom end rot and cracked fruit. Water at the base, not the leaves, to keep foliage disease down. Feed every 2–3 weeks once fruit sets, and pinch off suckers on indeterminate varieties to keep the plant manageable.

Harvest

Pick when fully colored but still slightly firm — they’ll finish ripening off the vine just fine if you need to beat a storm or a hungry raccoon. In our heat, tomatoes often stop setting fruit above 90°F, so expect a strong early-summer flush and another in early fall.

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