In the Garden with my Favorite Vegetable err Fruit

Tomatoes

Today I”ll be sharing with you how I grow Tomatoes, Peppers, Broccoli & Cabbage in my gardens that I’ve been doing for many years and absolutely love. Let’s dig in and grow together! If your interested in learning all things gardening including Seed Starting- Growing- Harvesting – Seed Saving then check out my Ultimate Gardening Bundle!

Tomatoes may be my favorite to plant. I have a love-hate relationship with them. They are finicky and things can go wrong. But they taste so good and versatile. I use different variations of the tomato in many of my recipes and don’t think I could live without them. Ok, that’s a bit dramatic but they sure play a big part in our food.

I use them in BLT’s with my homemade Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Create my pizza sauce with canned the sauce
Delicious spaghetti sauce
15 minute tomato soup
Crockpot creamy tomato soup
Grandma Redd’s Baked Spaghetti

Start with an Heirloom Variety – my favorite’s are Tappy’s, Bonny’s Best & Amish Paste. Check out how to pick the best seeds.

How to Plant- Dig a hole 8 inches deep; mix in 1 tablespoon Epsom salt and 1 tablespoon crushed egg shells. Lay the plant somewhat on it’s side so there is more stalk to grow roots and help the plant become stronger and absorb more nutrients. Cover up and water.

Fertilize – after one month with either fish fertilizer or garden tone.

Staking – Most tomato plants will require some sort of staking. You may choose not to and that is ok, they will still grow, it will increase your risk for blight and other soil diseases that get splashed up onto the plant.

You can use hog panels for them to grow up on, this option uses less twine or garden tape when helping them stay off the ground.

If you use tomato cages you will need to get very strong and sturdy one’s to be able hold the weight of the tomatoes. If you choose this option, right after planting place the tomato cage for them to grow into. I’ve used stakes and string which work ok as well.

The idea is to keep leaves off the ground and away from any splashing to minimize soil diseases getting onto the plant.

My favorite is the hog panels

Tomatoes and tomato products are rich sources of folate, vitamin C, and potassium.

Pruning –

You’ll need to prune these plants in order to get the energy/nutrients into the tomato/fruit itself and not just all the green foliage. You’ll find the suckers growing in the “V” spot. They typically just pop off, once they get bigger you’ll need to use pruners in order to minimize damage to the plant.

Watering –

Make sure not to over water tomatoes during the last stage of growth. (When they are turning red) This will cause them to split at the top. Which is fine to eat, they just do not look as pretty. This is caused by absorbing to much water to quickly and the delicate ripening stage.

Harvest–

You can harvest these green, or when they are fully red. If you have plan on canning the tomatoes and you do not have enough turning at the same time you can harvest and place on your counter for a few days. If they are mostly red they will turn fairly quickly, but if slightly green you’ll be safe for a few days.