Last month, I stood in my garden at 4:00 PM and felt a pit in my stomach. My heirloom tomatoes—varieties I had meticulously started from seed back in February—looked like they were losing a battle with a blowdryer. The thermometer on my patio read 103°F (39°C), and the leaves on my prize Oxhearts were curled … Read more
If you are tired of growing standard, golf-ball-sized tomatoes and want to step into the heavyweight division, the Belgium tomato plant (commonly known as the Giant Belgium) is your golden ticket. Originating in Ohio during the 1930s, this heirloom variety is famous for producing dark pink, meaty beefsteak tomatoes that routinely weigh between 2 to … Read more
The Oxheart tomato is a legendary heirloom variety dating back to the 1920s. Appropriately named for its unique shape, this plant produces massive, pinkish-red, heart-shaped tomatoes that can easily weigh between 2.5 and 3 pounds each. Because they are dense, meaty, and nearly seedless, they are considered one of the ultimate slicing and sauce-making tomatoes … Read more
Growing Manitoba tomato plants sounds like a gamble — and plenty of gardeners have lost that bet. The Prairies hand you a frost in late May, another in early September, and a whole lot of heat in between. That doesn’t leave much runway for a plant that loves a long, lazy summer. But here’s the … Read more
Most of the country is watching their gardens go dormant right now — but in South Florida, winter is your season. While frost blankets backyard gardens up north, you have a narrow but golden window to grow the best cherry tomatoes of your life. The catch? Not every variety can handle our sandy soils, subtropical … Read more
The Great Gardening Debate: Baking Soda and Tomatoes If you spend enough time in online gardening groups or speaking with veteran farmers, you will eventually hear a peculiar piece of advice: “Sprinkle a little baking soda around the base of your tomato plants.” But why sprinkle baking soda around tomato plants? Does it actually work, or is it … Read more
About Rapunzel Red Cherry Tomato Rapunzel Red Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) is an exceptional heirloom cascading variety known for its vibrant red fruits, extraordinary vine length, and waterfall-like growth pattern. This remarkable variety produces long, trailing vines that can reach up to 6-8 feet, creating stunning vertical displays laden with clusters of sweet, … Read more
Imagine biting into a tomato that explodes with a savory, sweet intensity unlike anything you have ever tasted from a grocery store. Dry farming concentrates sugars and acids to create a flavor profile so robust it feels like an entirely different fruit. What Are Dry Farm Tomatoes Exactly? This technique involves restricting irrigation after the … Read more
Let’s be brutally honest: you are probably killing your tomato plants with kindness. You get home from work, you see your tomatoes looking a little thirsty, and you grab the hose. You think you’re helping. But in reality, you are creating the perfect breeding ground for the one thing every tomato grower fears: Early Blight. … Read more
Growing your own tomatoes can be as simple as planting a slice of the tomato you just bought at the store! By carefully handling the seeds or even burying a ripe tomato slice in soil, you can sprout new plants. As an avid gardener, I’ve turned kitchen scraps into flourishing tomato plants. This guide will … Read more