A guide to popular home garden
vegetableTomatoes: Some like it Hot: Some tomato varieties can ride the heat-wave with you, setting fruit
even as the temperature rises. Below are some basic terms, tips, types and a list of heat-set tomato
varieties that like it "hot."Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in home gardens across
America; most gardeners agree nothing tastes better than a home-grown tomato.It’s important to understand
common tomato terms, often seen on tomato plant tags and the basics of growing tomatoes…. the more you know
the better you’ll grow. Now through mid-July, you can plant extra tomatoes for later harvests in fall, often
right up to frost dates if you protect them overnight or harvest them green and ripen them indoors.Tomatoes
need the right combination of good soil, water and heat. Use transplants, like Bonnie Plants, they’re faster
than starting from seed and easier to grow. Transplants offered in biodegradable pots are planted directly
in-ground, preventing transplant shock and saving millions of pounds of plastic from landfills. Find a sunny
location (at least 6 hours of sun) with good drainage, and if you plant tomatoes each season, it’s a good
idea to rotate the spot in the garden where you plant them.TermsTomato plants are classified as either
indeterminate or determinate. Indeterminate plants grow all season, continuing to bloom and produce fruit as
long as weather conditions are favorable.Determinate plants are the compact bush type, like Better Bush,
they grow to a certain size, set fruit, and stop growing, bearing fruit all at once. This type of tomato is
popular with gardeners who like to can and make sauce.Tomatoes are often designated by the terms early,
middle and late, which refer to when the fruit will be ready to harvest. Early season tomatoes are the first
to ripen, late season are the last to ripen and middle season types fall somewhere in between. Planting some
of each type is a good strategy for enjoying ripe tomatoes throughout the summer.TypesHeirloom tomato – Any
tomato that is at least 50 years old and is not a hybrid, like "Mortgage Lifter", this heirloom
tomato got its name because a mechanic in West Virginia who developed the variety made so much money selling
the seeds he paid off his mortgage.Hybrid tomato – A tomato bred by crossing varieties. Hybrids offer better
disease resistance, higher yield, and other improved traits.TipsNow it’s time to pick plants: While tomato
lovers have a seemingly endless list of varieties to plant in their gardens, tomatoes fall into three basic
categories: small salad (cherry) tomatoes, slicing tomatoes and thick-walled tomatoes ideal for making
sauces. It can be confusing to pick the perfect tomato best suited for your needs.All the area greenhouses
and garden centers carry a huge selection of tomatoes and can advise newer gardeners on what might work best
for their soil and conditions.Also, you might want to check out your favorite garden website for additional
tips. One example would be the "Tomato Chooser" on Bonnie Plants website
(http://bonnieplants.com/tomatoes/choose-your-tomato/).If you’re temperatures are rising, and most are,
choose a heat-set tomato variety that’s able to set fruit in high temperatures compared to many other
varieties. You might try Arkansas Traveler, Florida 91, Husky Red Cherry, or Super Sweet 100. For these and
other heat set variety descriptions see
http://bonnieplants.com/products/vegetables/tomato-varieties/heat-tolerant, or your favorite garden center
or website.Planting Guide Step-by-Step1. Prepare your plot: Loosen the ground to create a welcoming bed for
roots to grow. You can add 3 or 4 inches of compost or other organic matter, especially in clay or sandy
soils. Then dig a hole that is as deep as the plant is tall because you are going to bury two-thirds of the
plant.2. Slip plant from pot if in plastic: Gently remove the plant by slipping the plastic container from
the root-ball. Don’t tug on the plant stem; this can sever it from the roots. If the roots are growing out
of holes in the bottom of the pot, tear or cut them away and squeeze and twist the pot as necessary to work
it from the roots. If your plant is in a biodegradable pot, just tear off the bottom of the pot to make sure
that roots are in instant contact with the soil.3. Bury two-thirds of the plant: Set the plant in the hole
deeply enough so that two-thirds of it is buried. Roots will sprout all along the buried stem to make a
stronger plant. You can pinch off the lower leaves if you prefer, but it is not necessary.4. Don’t forget to
fertilize: Mix fertilizer into the soil that you will put back into the hole.It is best to fertilize
according to recommendations from a soil test, but if you don’t have that, use a timed-release fertilizer,
which doesn’t leach…or use an organic fertilizer at the rate recommended on the label.It is important to
select a fertilizer which is ideal for your garden.Area greenhouses and garden centers offer a variety of
vegetable and plant food including many natural fertilizers.Your tomato plant is almost ready to grow. When
you’re done, two-thirds of the entire plant will be buried; only the top of the tomato plant remains above
ground.5. Water well: Water thoroughly at soil line. This is very important to help settle the soil and
start the plant.6. Maintain your mulch: Mulch with pine needles, straw, or compost to help keep moisture in
the soil and prevent weeds. Mulch should be two to three inches deep for effective weed control.Plant
tomatoes that work for you, they’re fun to grow and the taste of a home-grown tomato is definitely more
delicious than any store bought tomato. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.(Editor’s note: This story courtesy
of Green Earth Media Group.)