How to Grow Great Tomatoes

Gardeners are passionate about growing fresh tomatoes. Personally, I'm not extremely fond of tomatoes, but they are better home-grown than store bought. I had a wonderful tapa once that was made with a tomato sorbet topped with an anchovie on a thin cracker. I'll never forget the experience. Delicious. There are several rules for growing great tomatoes, some are obvious.

• Tomatoes like cool nights. If you live in Houston, transplants should already be in the ground (two weeks after the last average freeze - in Houston the last average freeze is February 15). In Zone 8B where I garden, I am planting transplants today - the last average freeze is March 1). Tomatoes will continue to produce flowers in the heat of the summer, but they will not set fruit. To find out your average last freeze date either google it or call your County Extension Office.


• Plant tomatoes deep. It would be certain death if most plants were planted with part of the stem buried, but tomatoes will develop a much more extensive root system if they are planted with the first or even the second set of leaves (pinched off) buried under the soil. They will form roots at these leaf joints.


• Throughout the growing season, pinch off all shoots that begin to grow in the leaf crotches (where the main stem and each branch meet). All that greenery takes energy away from fruit development. This is very important.


• Fertilize with fish emulsion. There is absolutely no getting around it. Vegetables must be fertilized every two weeks. Fish emulsion is organic with high nitrogen content. It's a good fertilizer for vegetables and flowers.


• Plant Marigolds with your tomatoes. They deter nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic worms that get into the roots of tomatoes and stunt their growth. They are bad and, unfortunately, not uncommon.


• To keep the birds away from your tomatoes place a birdbath nearby. Birds eat tomatoes for the water content. You can avoid at least some of the bird damage if you provide them with an alternative water source.


• Tomatoes need to be grown in at least 6 hours of full sun and they need regular water. Uneven watering will cause problems.