8 Tips for Growing Tomatoes

After your last frost in spring and at least 60 days before your first frost in fall.

Tomatoes like moist, well-drained soil that contains lots of organic matter, such as composted cow manure, chopped leaves, kitchen compost, and peat moss. The soil should be slightly acidic (pH 6.5). If pH is lower than this, add lime to raise it.

I like any tomato that will make my wife happy. She loves the taste of 'Cherokee Purple,' an heirloom type, so that's one I plant.

All-America Winners tend to be easy for most people, because they're bred to grow well all over the country. If I had to recommend just one for beginners, it would be 'Celebrity.' If you like cherry tomatoes, plant 'Sweet Million.' It's well-named.

I always start with transplants for two reasons — I get a head start on the harvest and I'm lazier than my cat.

There are two main classes of tomatoes — determinate, which are bushy, and indeterminate, which are vining. Vining tomatoes need a support, like a big, strong tomato cage, to grow on. Keep ripening tomatoes off of the ground. Mulch under the plants and don't wet the foliage when you water. Pick off any yellowing or spotted leaves and throw them in the trash.

They should be fully colored and very slightly soft. But the real test is when you grab the tomato and give it a little twist. If it comes off easily, it's ripe.

Prepare the soil before planting; choose varieties that do well in your area (heat-tolerant ones for places with long, hot summers; early-bearing ones for places with short summers); plant in full sun; and give the plants plenty of water during hot, dry spells.