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All About Tomatoes

comments (12) May 19th, 2010

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Ruth Ruth Dobsevage, Web producer
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Tomatoes are the favorite food crop of America's home gardeners. If you need information on selecting tomato varieties or on growing, pruning, and trellising your plants, and protecting them from pests, you've come to the right place. We've got tomato recipes, on this site, too, and many more to offer on our sister site, FineCooking.com.

Homegrown/Homemade Video Series: Tomatoes
I like my greens and beans, but tomatoes are at the top of my gardening food pyramid. And I'm not alone. In a 2009 survey, 89% of the home gardeners surveyed in a 2009 National Gardening Association research study said they grow tomatoes, almost double the number growing cukes, the runner-up. So it's not surprising that tomatoes are popular on VegetableGardener.com, where you'll find a wealth of information on the topic. You'll find a sampling below. The most viewed of these to date are marked with a tomato icon.

For an entertaining video overview of planting, pruning, staking, preserving, and cooking with tomatoes, watch Homegrown/Homemade: Tomatoes.

How to select, plant, and prune tomatoes
How to Grow Beefsteak Tomatoes    Growing Trouble-Free Cherry Tomatoes   Selecting and Growing Great Paste Tomatoes   Tomato Plants - Determinate, Indeterminate and VFFNTA
Top ten How to Grow Beefsteak Tomatoes    Growing Trouble-Free Cherry Tomatoes   Selecting and Growing Great Paste Tomatoes   Top ten Determinate, Indeterminate, and VFFNTA Tomatoes
             
Tomatoes for Stuffing   Beyond Beefsteak Tomatoes: In Search of the Unusual   Tomato Trivia, Your Health, And George Clooney   Heirloom Tomato History
Tomatoes for Stuffing   Beyond Beefsteaks   Tomato Trivia, Your Health, and George Clooney   Heirloom Tomato History
             
 The Tomato Dilemma: What kinds should I plant?    Video: How to Plant Tomatoes    Video: Early Pruning of Tomato Plants    Video: How to Prune Tomatoes
The Tomato Dilemma: What Kinds Should I Plant?   Top ten Video: How to Plant Tomatoes   Top ten Video: Early Pruning of Tomato Plants   Video: How to Prune Tomatoes
             
 How to Start Tomato Plants from Cuttings    Perfect Tomatoes Come from Unhurried Biochemistry    A Few Good Bugs to Fight Tomato Pests    The Road to Healthy, Productive Tomatoes
Top ten How to Start Tomato Plants from Cuttings   Perfect Tomatoes Come from Unhurried Biochemistry   A Few Good Bugs to Fight Tomato Pests   Top ten The Road to Healthy, Productive Tomatoes
             
Help Pollinate Your Tomato Plants    How Do You Choose Which Tomato Varieties to Grow?    Sweet Treats Lives Up to Its Name    'Tomaccio' Tomatoes Are All Dried Up
Help Pollinate Your Tomato Plants   How Do You Choose Which Varieties to Grow?   Sweet Treats Lives Up to Its Name    'Tomaccio' Tomatoes are All Dried Up
             
Tis' the Season...for Tomatoes that is...   Canning Tomatoes, Step by Step   2010 Tomato Roundup   2010 Tomato Roundup Winner and Results
'Tis the Season for Tomatoes   Canning Tomatoes, Step by Step   2010 Tomato Roundup   2010 Tomato Roundup Winner and Results
             
It's Delicious Being Green   Green Tomatoes   Winter Tomatoes?    Should you grow determinate or indeterminate tomatoes
It's Delicious Being Green   Green Tomatoes   Winter Tomatoes?   Should You Grow Determinate or Indeterminate Tomato Plants?
             
Tomato trellises, stakes, and other supports
A Freestanding Tomato Trellis Improves Yields and Keeps the Garden Neat    Placing some of the screws off-center lessens the liklihood that the top cross bar might split.   How to Support Tomatoes   DIY A-Frame Veggie Trellis
Top ten A Freestanding Tomato Trellis   Top ten Build an A-Frame Tomato Trellis (plan)   Top ten How to Support Tomatoes   Top ten DIY A-Frame Veggie Trellis
             
Three Garden Structures You Can Build    These tomato stakes were cut from an overgrown hedge.    Tomato vines cant climb by themselves. They benefit from support, and a short length ripped from an old sheet makes a perfect tie.    Four little plants, all in a row. I had to reduce the size of the trellis to fit the long boards of lumber in my car so instead of five plants, I only put in four.
Three Garden Structures You Can Build   The (Tomato) Stakes Are High   Old Bedsheets Make Great Tomato Ties   The Ultimate Tomato Trellis
             
Tomato q&a
QUESTION: Tomatoes   QUESTION: Help! Nematodes Are Killing My Beloved Tomatoes   QUESTION: Is it too late to prune tomatoes   QUESTION: Tomatoes not producing
Tomatoes not thriving   Nematode woes   When to prune?   Tomatoes not producing
             
QUESTION: Are assassin bugs friend or foe to tomato plants?   QUESTION: Tomato Problem....        
Assassin bugs: tomato friend or foe?   Curling leaves on tomato plants   Ask a tomato question...    
             
Tomato recipes
Oven-Roasted Whole Tomatoes    Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad    Herbed Goat Cheese Tartlets with Currant Tomatoes   Carrot Tomato Smoothie
Oven Roasted Whole Tomatoes   Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad   Herbed Goat Cheese Tartlets with Currant Tomatoes   Carrot Tomato Smoothie
             
Tipsy Tomatoes Create Tasty Drinks   Fried Green Tomatoes   Quick and Easy Homemade Salsa    
Tomato Vodka   Fried Green Tomatoes   Quick and Easy Homemade Salsa   Post your tomato recipe...
             

     • See more tomato recipes from VegetableGardener.com...

     • Browse tomato recipes from FineCooking.com...

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Comments (12)

MikeTheGardener writes: My garden would be incomplete without growing at least 5 varieties of tomatoes .. of course I always plant way more then I will ever need, but that's ok ... the neighbors love it :)
Posted: 8:41 am on March 20th
shirleycox writes: I tried growing tomatoes in my garden, it was growing well until its blooming periods. All the buds turned into brown before they bloom. I don't know what went wrong with my tomato plant. Before I could do anything my plant almost died. Since then I dint tried to grow tomatoes, but have grown a lot of bell peppers.

http://www.hydroponicsequipment.co/2012/09/24/how-to-grow-bell-peppers-hydroponically/

This is how i grown successful bell peppers in my garden.


Posted: 5:27 am on September 25th
Chicago_Gardner writes: this summer was my first time growing tomatoes. I bought a San Marsano plant at a farmers' market. the plant grew about 6 feet tall--but the first dozen started to rot on the bottom. I panicked and added blood meal to the soil. Then the following week, I bought a spray (calcium) made specifically for tomatoe rot.
Well, I later found out that I had attributed to the problem--I applied too much nitrogen via the blood meal. So, out of possibly 30 eatable tomatoes, we enjoyed maybe a dozen.

the plant has a lot of flowers still--i hid it indoors this weekend because there was a frost scare. I'll take it out this week and hope for the best.

I'm more educated now and will continue to check your site for advice on next year's crop.
Posted: 12:57 pm on October 4th
mrgardenboy writes: Michaelhiser,
I myself am having the same proplem I planterd my beefsteak tomatoes at the end of april.Sometimes it depends on the plant you buy your tomato plan(s) may be done producing there fruit this Also here is a tip When your flowers on your tomato plants star to turn light brown or drying up that means there is a tomato coming from it.I have a big garden Try using the Topsy Turvy Tomato planter the upside down tomato works well and great
to grow tomatoes there 9.99 or at walgreens they are 6.99

hope this helps you let me know if this helps!


Posted: 3:01 pm on July 23rd
michaelhiser writes: I live in Austin Texas,and I have six huge and beautifull tomatoe plants with hundreds of blossoms on them but they are not producing any tomatoes at all.There all falling off.Now I did plant them late in June could that possibly be the problem or is it something else. Is there anybody out there with any possible suggestions?
Posted: 11:54 am on July 16th
mrgardenboy writes: watering your plants once a week is too little water if you watered it once a week it propally would kill your tomato plant every 3 days would work depends on your region you live in.
Posted: 1:49 pm on July 7th
jsnook writes: Unless it's really dry, once established I water my tomato plants once or twice a week. I make sure they receive at least one inch of water per week but water less frequenly and more deeply. This allows the roots to develop a bigger root system and the plant will grow much bigger. If you water too much you will grow a shallow root system and ultimately, have a much weaker tomato plant.
Posted: 5:05 pm on June 14th
mrgardenboy writes: Greennacresmama,

Watering your tomato plants in the morning and in the evining is too much water for your tomato plants.You Should Water them Just in the morning because in the evening wasps are attracted to the mud and you will have wasps in your garden also you should water your tomato plants every 3 days if your plants seem to get dry (depends what state you live in)If you have dry climates water it every 2 days.
Hope this tip Works for you...


Posted: 7:13 am on June 4th
mrgardenboy writes: Hello

I live in Southern Michigan and I planted my tomato plants at the beggining of May.I Checked on my beefsteak tomatos and my better boy tomato's and they look brown and yellow on the ends what does this mean?Yesterday they looked fine we have had some bad rain earlyier in the day but i dont think that would effect it any tips???
But my Topsy Turvy Plants are doing better than the ones in the ground


Posted: 7:37 pm on June 2nd
Ruth writes: The soil and growing conditions in my Connecticut garden are completely different from yours, greenacresmama. I water new transplants about once a day until they stabilize and start to grow (maybe 10 days). After that I check them daily but water only when they really need it. But we have frequent rain, and my garden soil retains moisture down where the roots are. I hope another Florida gardener will offer an opinion.
Posted: 1:17 pm on June 1st
greenacresmama writes: I have used this site ONLY for my tomatos,that I successfully have grown from seeds because of the wonderful advice given here. Growing Beefsteaks seem to "relish" the sand(which is their foundation here in Florida)..Only one question remains-can you overwater ypur plants? I have been watering every morning and evening,is that too much? Thanks for creating this site-I will keep on reading!
Posted: 10:44 am on May 29th
ChrisMcLaughlin writes: Oh Ruth, this is an awesome library!
Posted: 3:50 pm on May 19th
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