Does anything taste better than plucking a big juicy tomato from the garden and eating it with your evening meal? Or maybe you are so eager that you wash it and sample it still standing in the middle of your garden!

Although tomatoes are actually fruits, most of us think of them as vegetables. They somehow go better in salads than they do mixed into a fruit cocktail! There are literally hundreds of different varieties of tomatoes. Not all of them are red or even round. Tomatoes belong to the same family as peppers, potatoes and eggplant and often can fall victim to the same pests and diseases. For this reason, crop rotation is strongly recommended.

Here we provide some tips to consider when growing tomatoes.

• If you choose to start your tomatoes from seed, then make sure you plant them far enough apart that each one has some room to grow.
• If you must plant them relatively close together, then once they begin to sprout leaves, transplant them. Once they get even larger, move them into bigger pots if it is necessary.
• Tomato seedlings need plenty of sunlight to grow and thrive. Place them where they will receive as much sunlight as possible. Unlike you, tomato seedlings will not be harmed by the sun’s burning rays!
• If you are planning to grow your tomatoes inside a greenhouse in your backyard, then grow them under strong fluorescent grow lights for a period of 14 to 18 hours per day.
• If you live in an area with plenty of wind in the warmer months, then don’t worry. This is actually good for the plants, as it provides mobility and helps to make the stems as strong and durable as possible.
• If you are growing the tomato plants in a greenhouse, then place a fan nearby and let it provide a breeze for anywhere from five to 10 minutes, not once but twice a day.
• Let us back track a bit. Before you even plant your tomatoes in your vegetable garden heat up the soil for optimum results, much in the same way you would preheat an oven to cook a turkey! Warmth can encourage the growth of your tomatoes big time! A few weeks before you are ready to plant, cover the soil with red or black plastic and leave it be. Just wait and see how well your tomatoes will respond!

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