There is no feeling in the gardening world quite like the weight of a perfectly ripe, sun-warmed tomato in your hand. You have raised it from a small seed or a hopeful seedling; the promise of that first juicy, sweet, and tangy bite is the culmination of months of care. It tastes exactly what summer itself offers. Then there is …
Imagine enjoying a cup of coffee as you stroll through your garden on a gorgeous summer morning, taking in your flourishing tomato plants. Then you see it: those dreaded patches of dark water that are spreading like wildfire across the leaves. Knowing exactly what you’re looking at makes your heart sink. When a late blight attack strikes! We must act …
Few pleasures in the garden could match the taste of a really fresh, sun-ripened tomato still warm from the vine. Its taste is a world apart from the hard, flavorless ones found in the supermarket—a wonderful, complex balance of brilliant sweetness and sour acidity that tastes precisely like a perfect summer afternoon. Many of us first start gardening in order …
Growing tomatoes depends on timing; I discovered this the hard way in my second year of gardening. Imagine early April, the sun shining, and me practically bouncing with delight to get my priceless tomato seedlings into the ground. Though my neighbor gently advised about “waiting just a bit longer,” I planted those lovely small plants with great hope and energy. …
Every gardener holds dear this vision, right? Walking out to your garden, the late summer light warms your face; the air smells clearly, earthy-sweet from tomato vines. You see counters bursting with a jewel-toned harvest—plump, juicy heirlooms, sweet, pop-in-your-mouth cherry tomatoes, all destined for fresh salads, rich sauces, and sharing with pleased friends and neighbors. Everybody has that dream. We …
To be very honest, cultivating your own tomatoes has a certain enchantment. This is a venerable American summertime custom. You tend a small seedling for weeks, watching it reach the sun, until one day you are rewarded with those first glossy, sun-ripened fruits. Nothing from the grocery store can ever match the taste of a tomato you have personally grown …
Do you have dreams of that ideal summer? Walking out into your own backyard, the sun warm on your skin, and selecting a heavy, sun-ripened tomato straight from the vine—you know the one. The scent is really amazing; the sun still warms things. You bring it inside, cut it perhaps with some salt, and it tastes like pure sunshine. Each …
Still warm from the sun, a homegrown tomato’s taste is really nothing like anything else that suggests “summer.” You know the one I’m referring to—that absolutely flawed, intensely red orb you have waited for all season. The scent of the vine on your fingertips, the way it slices open to expose a juicy, vivid inside, and that first taste that …
Well, hi, fellow gardener. If you have spent any time at all browsing social media feeds or gardening websites, you almost likely came across this very popular “hack”: using coffee grounds for tomatoes. Presented as the ultimate secret weapon, a free and basic kitchen scrap that claims to boost your yield, prevent pests, and produce the juicest, most flavorful tomatoes …
This one inquiry comes across in my email more often than any other as summer gets ready. Full with optimism and dreams of that first bite of a really homegrown tomato, a gardener seeks the secret. One important question still remains: where should the tomato plant really live? They have chosen the ideal kind, tenderly worked the ground, and are …
Any gardener who has ever fallen in love with cultivating their own tomatoes will recognize this scene. Tiny, hopeful seedlings that you carefully tend to mark the beginning of the season. Then, almost overnight, you are in charge of a vast, tumultuous jungle. Your tomato plants have grown into magnificent, wild giants, entangled with vines, leaves, and the promise of …
Your once-vibrant tomato jungle, which has been the cause of so much summer delight, is beginning to look a little worn as the air gets crisper and the days seem to be substantially shorter. This is the mixed ending of a great season. But now what? You wonder as you gaze at those spreading vines loaded with a mix of …
A tomato plant loaded in bright yellow blossoms is among the few things in a home garden that really seem hopeful. From a seedling, you have gently staked it and watched proudly as it developed into a rich, vivid plant. For the luscious, sun-ripened tomatoes to come, each of those flowers is a tiny lighthouse of hope for summer salads …
Understanding the Distress Signals of Your Tomato Haven’t you? Those tomato plants have been nurtured by you with all your heart and soul. Images of a summer overflowing with ripe, red fruit twirl in your mind. Then you see it: those formerly rich, vibrant green leaves are beginning to fade to a concerning yellow. But the interesting thing is the …
Isn’t it just so exciting to plan your summer food garden? Sketching out where everything will go, dreaming of those sun-ripened, juicy tomatoes and wonderfully crisp, tasty cucumbers always excites me. But then, while you’re planning your layout, that major question usually arises, particularly if space is limited: can you plant tomatoes and cucumbers together? Many gardeners, believe me, battle …