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Three Tips for Successfully Growing Tomatoes from an Old Hand
Maximize your harvest and minimize your missteps with these time-tested methods
“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” — Lewis Grizzard
I’ve been growing tomatoes off and on for over 50 years. My grandfather grew them to sell at the farmer’s market, while my Dad grew them to help feed our large family. I grow them because I love the darn things and because, well, how can I not? I have the room and the gear, and I live in a climate where they thrive.
If you live in a warm climate, you may already have tomatoes in the ground. Lucky you! As for the rest of us, we must wait until the last frost date for our growing zone is past. This changes from year to year, so be sure to check out the current information from reliable sources like The Old Farmers Almanac Frost Dates Calculator.
Remember, tomatoes don’t like to be chilly. Until the soil and weather warms up, they’ll just sit there, and you’ll wonder if they’re messing with you. I once planted out on May 1st in New Jersey, and it was weeks before there was noticeable growth.
Google “growing tomatoes,” and you’ll get over 110 million results (seriously). You can’t go through all of them, so…
