Do you like tomatoes? If yes, then grow them for yourself. The best tasting tomato ever, is one that is fresh picked!You can plant in a container on your patio or make a small garden in your back yard.
You can get advice about growing tomatoes from a friend or search on the internet. It is not that hard; but get started. One can plant from seed or purchase plants from a greenhouse or nursery.
If planting from seed, sew the seed about a ¼ inch in the soil. (If starting seed inside first, plant about 6-8 weeks before the “end of frost” or before you want to re-plant outside. If starting seed inside first, keep temperature about 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit, place in a sunny window and when plant is about 6 inches high, it can be transplanted outside)
Whether planting a seed, replanting the seed you started or planting a plant that you purchased. Plant in well-drained, fertile soil, with a pH around 7-8, in full sunlight, spacing plants about 2-3 feet apart. (Some people wrap a strip of newspaper or aluminum foil around the root – about 2 inches below and above the soil, to protect from cutworms.)
Some people just let the plant grow and it will spread over the ground and others will stake each plant or put a wire cage around each plant so the plant grows upward and is easier to pick the fruit.
Water plants “deep” (well watered) and infrequent. Plants can “dry-out” between waterings. Then watch your plants grow. I don’t fuss a lot with tomato plants – they grow -on-their-own. But don’t hesitate – Get Started!
The first year or two, the plants and the harvest may not be perfect – You learn by doing. But the taste of a fresh picked tomato IS THE BEST EVER!
