Growing Great Tomatoes

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 planted too close, walnut trees, and other nightshades like potatoes. Read time: 12 min | Applies to: Containers and garden beds Jump to: What is […]

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. Variety selection matters enormously, but so does how you grow them. This guide covers the factors you can control to maximize flavor: watering strategy, fertilizing,

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 life due to thin skins, not the actual growing process. If you select the right variety for your climate and don’t have disease pressure in

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 temperatures. Other cues: plant corn when oak leaves are squirrel-ear sized, potatoes when dandelions bloom, peas at apple blossom time, squash and beans when lilacs