Quick Summary: Tomatoes benefit from companion plants that deter pests, attract beneficial insects, and don’t compete aggressively for nutrients. Excellent choices include basil, marigolds, carrots, and lettuce. Avoid fennel, brassicas […]
Companion Planting with Tomatoes: What Works and What Not to Plant Read Post »
A collection of heirloom tomato recipes from 20+ years of growing at HeathGlen Organic Farm. Fresh, cooked, preserved and cocktail recipes with tips for cooking with different tomato varieties.
Heirloom Tomato Recipes: Fresh, Cooked and Preserved Read Post »
Quick Summary: The short answer is that “low acid tomatoes” as marketed by seed companies are largely a myth. All tomatoes fall within a narrow pH range (4.1 to 4.7),
Low Acid Tomatoes? What the Research Actually Says Read Post »
Quick Summary: The best-tasting tomatoes come from healthy plants grown in good sun, watered generously while developing and then tapered off as fruit ripens, and harvested at the breaker stage.
Growing Tomatoes for Best Flavor: A Comprehensive Guide Read Post »
Quick Summary: Heirloom tomatoes aren’t necessarily harder to grow than hybrids, but they have characteristics that make them different to manage. The main challenges are disease susceptibility and shorter shelf
Are Heirloom Tomatoes Hard to Grow? Heirloom Varieties vs Hybrid Tomatoes Read Post »
A guide to 14 Italian heirloom tomato varieties for home gardeners: paste tomatoes for sauce, slicers for salads, and specialty varieties for drying. Includes growing tips, container options, and seed sources.
Best Italian Tomato Varieties to Grow and Cook With (14 Picks) Read Post »
Quick Summary: Container vegetable gardening requires good drainage, appropriately sized pots, sterile potting soil, consistent watering, and regular fertilizing. Determinate tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and salad greens are excellent choices for
Growing Vegetables in Containers: 6 Keys to Success Read Post »
Quick Summary: An Italian kitchen garden needs tomatoes (paste, slicer, and cherry types), squash, beans, chicory, peppers, eggplant, kale, broccoli, onions, lettuce, and herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley. Grow
Italian Vegetables: What to Grow for Italian Cooking (Including Italian Herbs) Read Post »
Quick Summary: Grow tomatoes in hanging baskets using small, determinate varieties like Tumbler, Tumbling Tom, or Tiny Tim. Use a sturdy basket at least 12 inches wide and deep with
Hanging Tomato Plants for Baskets and Balconies: Best Varieties and Growing Tips Read Post »
Quick Summary: Root bound tomatoes have roots circling into a dense mat from being in a too-small container too long. Signs include roots spilling from drainage holes, stunted growth, and
Tomato Plants that are Root Bound: How to Fix Them Read Post »
Quick Summary: Grow bags are reusable for multiple seasons if cleaned and stored properly. After harvest, remove soil, scrub the bag, soak in warm soapy water, rinse, and dry completely
Reuse Grow Bags for Tomatoes: Cleaning, Storage, and Soil Tips Read Post »
Quick Summary: Grow bags offer excellent drainage and air pruning for tomato roots. Use 7-10 gallon bags for determinate varieties, 15-20 gallons for indeterminate. The porous fabric dries out faster
Tomatoes in Grow Bags: Sizes, Setup, and Growing Tips Read Post »
Signs of Nutritional Deficiencies in Heirloom Tomato Seedlings and solutions to help prevent a range of tomato diseases
Quick Summary: Leggy tomato seedlings are caused by insufficient light, excessive heat, overcrowding, or starting seeds too early. Fix them by moving grow lights closer, reducing temperature after germination, thinning
Leggy Tomato Seedlings? Causes and Fixes Read Post »
Quick Summary: Phenology uses nature’s signals (blooming plants, migrating birds, emerging insects) to determine optimal planting times. For tomatoes in Zone 4-5, wait until Memorial Day regardless of warm spring
Here’s how to get every last tomato from your plants. Quick Summary: Tomatoes cannot tolerate frost. Extend the season by covering plants when nighttime temps drop below 60°F, removing flowers
How to Protect Tomatoes from Frost Damage and Extend Your Harvest Read Post »
Quick Summary: A salsa container garden needs two 24-inch planters: one with a staked tomato, garlic, onions, and cilantro; one with a pepper plant and more onions and cilantro. Choose
How to Grow a Salsa Garden and Make Salsa Roja Read Post »
These are the top 5 seed catalogs for heirloom tomatoes based on selections for flavor, growth habits and cost
Best Seed Catalogs for Heirloom Tomatoes Read Post »
Quick Summary: Quick Summary: A French tian is ratatouille’s elegant cousin: thinly sliced eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes arranged vertically in a robust tomato-pepper sauce. This dish showcases late
Tian vs Ratatouille: Two Similar Low Carb Summer Vegetable Recipes Read Post »
Quick Summary: LED shop lights cost more upfront but last longer and produce faster seedling growth than fluorescents. For starting tomatoes and peppers indoors, 5000-lumen daylight LEDs positioned about 4
Best Grow Lights for Starting Seeds Indoors: LED vs Fluorescent Read Post »
Quick Summary: Match tomato varieties to their best use. Slicers (Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Carmello) for sandwiches and fresh eating. Paste types (Opalka, San Marzano, Amish Paste) for sauces. Colorful varieties
Best Tomato Varieties for Eating in Sauces, Salads Sandwiches, or Snacking Read Post »
A guide to 40+ heirloom tomato varieties organized by color and flavor, with tasting notes from 20+ years of growing trials at HeathGlen Farm. Covers pink, black, red, striped, orange, and green varieties.
Best Heirloom Tomato Varieties: Flavor Profiles from Mild to Bold Read Post »
Tips for potting up tomato seedlings to ensure healthy and robust tomatoes and peppers throughout the growing season
When to Transplant Tomato Seedlings: Size and Tips for Potting Up Young Tomatoes Read Post »
Growing tomatoes in pots can be tricky. Here are some tips to help make your container gardening of tomatoes more successful
Tomato Plants in Pots: Varieties, Pot Sizes, and Growing Tips Read Post »
Detailed tips on how to achieve successful tomato & pepper seed germination, especially with heirloom tomatoes
Tomato Seed Germination Guide: Water, Temperature and Daylight Needs Read Post »
Quick Summary: Tomato color correlates with flavor. Orange varieties are sweet and fruity. Yellow tomatoes range from mild to tangy. Black/purple tomatoes have rich, smoky, complex flavors. Pink tomatoes offer
Heirloom Tomato Flavor and Taste Related to Variety and Color Read Post »
Quick Summary: Comparing four tomato support methods; cages, staking, sprawling, and fencing. After 23 years of trials, I recommend sturdy hog wire fencing for the best combination of yield, easy
Tomato Plant Support Systems: Cages vs Stakes vs Fencing” Read Post »
Quick Summary: Smaller tomatoes (cherries, plums) ripen first. Among larger varieties, black tomatoes like Paul Robeson and Carbon are earliest. Bloody Butcher is consistently my earliest red. Soil temperature above
Early Tomato Varieties and Growing Tips on How to Get the Earliest Tomatoes Read Post »
Tips on preventing cracking or splitting of heirloom tomato skins – why they crack, how to avoid it & best varietites to choose.
How to Prevent Cracking Problems when Growing Tomatoes: Radial or Concentric Read Post »
How to grow Heirloom Tomatoes Upside Down in the Topsy Turvy Planters for growing edibles in city gardens
Topsy Turvy Planter: Growing Tomatoes Upside Down Read Post »
