Planting Tomatoes: Tips Before You Begin

By Steve Lucas

Planting Tomatoes (Tips Before You Begin) is the perfect companion book for when you decide to embark on your own question of cultivating your very own tomatoes. Using a variety of tips and FAQs, this book will allow you to overcome the first hurdles that are stopping you from planting your tomato gardening, and put you on the road to your very fir

• Language: English
• Publisher: Life Changer Press
• Release date: Jan 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781630228569

Steve Lucas

Steve Lucas believes that an ounce of planning is better than a pound of regrets. Rather than impulse buying the tomato plants he happened to see when he was in a store for something else, his gardening efforts were more productive after he did a little research. He shares what he learned for the benefit of anyone else who wants to enjoy the "fruit" of their garden.

Book preview

GROWING TOMATOES

If you are one of the many people who prefer not to use supermarket tomatoes, you are not alone.  Chefs around the world agree that they would rather use canned tomatoes than supermarket tomatoes, citing as their reason that commercial growers are more interested in appearance than flavor.  If you don't have access to a farmer's market, or you find market prices to be higher than you care to pay, growing your own tomatoes is definitely a viable option.

With the recognized health benefits of the high levels of lycopene contained within the tomato, and the versatility of one of the most popular fruits eaten in today’s society, learning about the methods of growing tomatoes, which tomatoes are best suited for the individual grower, and how to have the best results in growing tomatoes is worth learning about. 

You must consider how many tomatoes you want to yield, how long you want to yield fruit, and what your intended uses when growing tomatoes.  With over 7500 varieties, you are sure to find several that will meet your needs.  One factor that affects these considerations is determinate or indeterminate growth characteristic.  In a determinate characteristic, there is a short harvest period; in an indeterminate characteristic, the harvest lasts throughout the growth season. 

Early or late setting is another factor that affects your decision: when the plants begin to produce fruit.  Some of the early setting varieties produce less flavor, while some of the late setting varieties produce less fruit.

Some other factors are shape, size, and color.  Will you use your tomatoes for sandwich toppings, making sauces, canning, salads, juice, a specialty recipe?  

Finally, resistance to disease and virus, as well as pests, and whether or not you want to use pesticides and other chemicals to keep your plants healthy is a factor worthy of