Tomatoes are fun and easy to grow
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Diane Lynch
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If you’ve never grown tomatoes, you’re in for a special treat. Not only are they easy to grow, even from seed, but they will taste better than any store-bought variety just because you’ve grown them yourself.
Tomatoes plants purchased from the Master Gardeners and grown by Bill Wong. Photo: Diane LynchTomatoes are divided into hybrid and heirloom varieties. Hybrids generally produce more fruit and are bred to be resistant to nasty diseases like verticillium and fusarium wilts. Heirlooms are open-pollinated, which means you can save seeds from them to grow the same tomato next year, which doesn’t work with hybrids. Determinate tomatoes grow to a predetermined height and produce their entire crop within a few weeks, making them good for canning or freezing. Indeterminate tomatoes will keep growing, producing fruit until the plant freezes or dies at the end of the season.
You’ve bought your little plants, so now what? Put them someplace sunny and warm, either inside or out, and keep them damp. Having them outside where they’ll get some wind will make the stems sturdier. You may need to bring them in at night initially, and you should wait until the end of April (or past your last frost date) to plant them outside, so the soil has warmed up. If you put them in too early, they’ll just sit and sulk, or worse yet, possibly rot in too damp soil.
Tomato plants on their way to the Master Gardener sale. Photo: Diane LynchWhere to plant your tomatoes? In the sunniest part of the garden where they’ll get 6-8 hours of sunshine daily. How to plant them? Cut the leaves off the stem all the way to the top 2 or 3 sets of leaves. You’ll bury the stem all the way up to those leaves because tomato plants will grow roots along that stem, which gives them the very best start. Don’t do this with other plants. You can dig a little trench for the stem if you don’t want to dig a deep hole, but deep roots are best for capturing soil moisture.
Planting time is the best time to rig a support system, so you don’t disturb the roots later. If you opt for a cage from the garden center, get the sturdiest one and stake it in place. Or build your own system using material from a lumber yard. A simple wire fence down the middle of the row can be used to trellis tomatoes, saving space by keeping them in a thin, elegant line, making the fruit easily accessible.
Susan Lukens grows amazing tomatoes in Old Tiburon, despite fog and cooler temperatures. Photo: I'Lee HookerWatering is essential for optimal growth, but the less you use, the more flavorful your tomatoes will be. Some commercial growers will gradually ween the plants off water and dry farm them for extra flavor. If you let them dry out and then soak them too much, you risk blossom end rot, which is easy to recognize. Aim for consistent soil moisture, not too dry, not too wet, tapering off the water as fruits start appearing.
Don’t forget to store your tomatoes on the kitchen counter, never in the refrigerator, which will ruin their flavor and texture. Enjoy the best eating of the year from your own garden!
The Master Gardeners have been working since the early part of the year, selecting and growing tomatoes that will do best in our microclimates. The 16 varieties are a mix of hybrids and heirlooms, and some are marked for good performance in the cooler coastal climates of Marin.
There are truly yummy varieties for sale: sungold is a little orange hybrid that tastes like a burst of sunshine; green giant is an heirloom with outstanding flavor; early girl is a time-tested hybrid with good flavor and production; jaune flamme is a French heirloom that’s disease resistant and very tasty.
Sungold tomatoes just starting to ripen. Photo: Diane LynchYou can get yours at Bon Air Shopping Center in Greenbrae or Pini Hardware in Novato on April 15 at 9 AM. Onsite advisors can help you select the best ones for your location. They usually sell out, so get there early!
