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HOME GROWN TOMATOES

More Americans grow tomatoes than any other vegetable. No wonder -- there’s no resemblance between the tasteless pink slices served in restaurants and the real deal -- fresh from the vine and bursting with flavor. Tomatoes crave heat, but they’ll grow anywhere in USDA zone 3 and warmer.

• Choose a site that gets full sun and has soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Tomatoes need plenty of warmth to taste their best, so provide shelter from chilly breezes, whether with a windbreak of trees, a garden wall, or a vine-covered trellis.

• Amend the soil with plenty of compost. Tomatoes need soil rich in organic matter.

• Dig a hole the size of a basketball for each plant. Add a shovelful of compost and a handful of crushed eggshells ( for needed calcium) to each hole.

• Set the plants 12 to 18 inches apart depending on variety (see the seed packet or plant label). Plant them deeply - up to the fourth branch from the top - to encourage new root development.

• Place a paper collar around each plant to deter cutworms, and cover the plants with floating row covers to protect them from insects and cool temperatures.

• Remove the covers when the weather has warmed, mulch the soil and install any supports the plants will need as they grow.

• Make sure plants get between one and two inches of water every week, and to ensure a bumper crop, spray them with compost tea or seaweed extract four times: two weeks after transplanting, after the first flowers appear, when the fruits reach the size of golf balls, and when you spot the first ripe tomato.

All tomatoes will grow well in containers, and there are many miniature varieties including ‘Tumbler’ - a sweet red cherry tomato bred specifically for pots and hanging baskets. For larger varieties, use at least a 10-gallon container (a half whiskey barrel is ideal) with good drainage, and fill it with a mixture of potting soil and compost. Provide plenty of moisture and feed every three weeks with a low-nitrogen organic liquid fertilizer.

Compost Tea
Fill a metal bucket one-third full with finished compost. Add water to the top of the bucket. Let the mixture steep for three to four days. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth or other porous fabric into another container. Add any remaining solids to the garden or return them to the compost bin. Dilute the remaining liquid with water so it’s the color of weak tea.