Growing Homegrown Tomatoes You can be Proud Of

by Carla
(Cincinnati, Ohio, USA)

I love growing fresh, hearty tomatoes, especially now that they are so expensive and never have the fresh garden taste you get from growing your own. I also like knowing my tomatoes are grown organicly with no pesticides.

I first begin by selecting good plants from a reputable nursery/garden store. I like picking the best plants and choosing the types I like.

My favorite tomatoes are beefeater and roma.

I begin by preparing the soil, adding compost starting in the fall and continuing into spring. In the spring, I till the soil and add 10-10-10 fertilizer, mixing it into the soil well. When the soil is ready and there is no more danger of frost, I plant the tomato plants very deep in the soil which allows the roots to take hold and makes the plant sturdy. To further stabilize the plants, I surround each plant with a wire cage. During the growing season, I continue to adjust the cages and plants to prevent the plants from falling over.

During the summer, I put banana peels aound each plant to provide extra nutrients. This really seems to help them thrive.

Thorough watering is essential to growing large, tasty tomatoes. I never let the soil dry out and sometimes that means watering every day. When the tomatoes are ripe, I pick them right away. I never let them them stay on the vine to rot, which draws insects.

Growing great tasting tomatoes has not only saved me money, I have even made money by selling them. I have also given my prize tomatoes to friends, family, and neighbors, which makes me very proud.