I almost lost my entire tomato bed last July. Not to disease, not to pests. Just heat. The plants looked fine from the back door. It wasn’t until I walked up and looked closely that I noticed the damage had already been happening for days. By then, two of my best-producing plants had dropped almost … Read more
“In the garden, what looks like a disaster is often just nature showing off its survival skills.” You’re doing your daily garden inspection, admiring your tomato plants, when you suddenly freeze. Near the bottom of the main stem, you spot them: dozens of tiny, white, pimple-like bumps covering the stalk. To a beginner gardener, this … Read more
You want homegrown tomatoes – but if you plant too early, a late frost wipes them out. Too late, and the fruit won’t ripen before fall. The solution is a reliable tomato planting calendar by zone that tells you exactly when your window opens. This guide breaks it down state by state, using USDA Hardiness … Read more
You put months of effort into your tomato plants — watering, pruning, staking — and then autumn arrives. The big question hits: do tomato plants grow back? The short answer is no, not on their own in most climates. But the full picture is more interesting than that, and knowing it could save you time, … Read more
You watered faithfully all week – then one good rain, and half your tomatoes split open. The rain didn’t do it. Your watering schedule did. Tomato cracking is one of the most frustrating problems in the garden. You do everything right, and then one summer storm undoes it. But here’s what most guides don’t tell … Read more
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
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