Growing Tomatoes

Growing tomato plants in the Summer is a tradition across America. We love them. They are relatively easy to care for, taste great, and delight children of all ages as the get taller and taller.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are a great asset to our health and wellness.

Putting tomatoes out to early can result in frost damage. You may wish to begin your growing with seeds from packets a month or two before the weather is predicted to get nice. You can start them in little seed trays, or in larger ones.

During midday when the weather is nice, you can bring the trays outside. In this way your plants we become used to outdoor weather and winds.

As the weather improves, the babies can be planted outdoors. Be careful not to place the young ones too close together. Remember how large your plants were last year? Give them plenty of room to grow and expand.

Our outdoor living experience is enhanced by being able to watch our crop mature. What type of plants are you considering this year? The tomato has many variations. What you plant depends on both aesthetics of how it looks, and also on the flavor result you are seeking in your end product.

Here are some varieties you might wish to consider:

- Red Pearl

- Tigerella

- Yellow Currant

- Black Plum

- Brandywine

Heirloom tomatoes are a great choice for the home gardener. If you like great flavor, and do not mind quirky shapes or colors, the heirlooms may be for you.

Monitor your growing plants for diseases, particularly on the leaf. Large tomato worms may want to share the crop with you, so keep an eye out for them too.

Watering is one of those things that can be overdone. When you do hydrate your plants, make sure the water goes deep so that the roots get the liquid.

When the time comes to harvest, try to wait until the crop is really ripe. Pick some ripe tomatoes, wash them, and slice to your taste. They make for a great sandwich with mayo. Add bacon and some lettuce if you insist, and you've made yourself a delicious BLT sandwich.

When the end of the season comes, compost what you can, and prepare the soil for next year, and another great season of tomatoes!

For more tips, advice and general articles check out http://www.OrganicJonny.com! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Rote

Growing Tomatoes Indoors - 4 Fundamental Guidelines to Guarantee Indoor Plant Success

During the warmer summer months it's really easy to grow beautifully tasty tomatoes to eat whenever you want. But once summer is over (and all too quick it seems), its back to your old ways and tasteless grocery store tomatoes. You've been spoilt and wish the time would pass quickly so you can get back to growing again. But wait, who says you have to grow them outside? Growing tomatoes indoors is just as easy as long as you follow a few simple rules.

The benefits of growing your tomatoes indoors include being less open to pests and diseases. But one of the major benefits is that you can enjoy having tomatoes all year round! You need to first decide where you are going to grow the plants. Ideally it should be situated somewhere where there is a certain amount of natural sunlight and fairly constant temperature.

4 Basic Rules To Indoor Tomato Growing Success

1 - Sufficient Light

As with the outdoor variety of your plants, the indoor variety will need around 12 hours of sunlight each day. If this is not possible (for instance during the colder, darker winter months) you can trick your plant by using artificial light. I like to try and simulate the natural outdoor conditions as much as I can, so I would typically go for 12 hours light and then 12 hours of darkness. You should perhaps test to see what works best for you, but this is the way I rotate the light and it gives me constantly good results.

2 - Ideal Temperature

As with the light, we are trying to simulate the natural outdoors conditions. Think about how warm it was during the summer months that created an ideal growing environment for your tomatoes. This is what you need to reproduce inside. So you should strive to maintain a constant temperature of about 70 degrees to give your plants the best chance of strong healthy growth.

3 - Proper Nutrients

Indoor tomato plants don't really require any special care because they are not so vulnerable to pest problems, so some gardeners suggest that normal potting soil will suffice. But I feel that in order to help promote sturdy plants that will produce an abundant crop of succulent fruit, the nutrients within your soil are still a very important part of the indoor growing process. A good mixture of growth promoting "soil ingredients" that I find ideal are equal amounts of sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. Remember once your plant begins to fruit it will need extra nutrients.

4 - Regular Watering

Tomatoes need regular watering but be careful not to over water! Make sure that the container you are using has a hole in the bottom to provide adequate drainage. If water is allowed to gather in the bottom it can lead to root rot. You should look at watering your plants about twice per week and should aim for the soil to be moist but also slightly on the dry side. I would say on average, you should look at no more than approximately 1 inch per week of water in total.

If you don't have the luxury of growing your tomatoes in a garden, if for instance you live in an apartment or a flat or a townhouse then growing tomatoes indoors will enable you to do this. The pleasure you will get from the incredible taste of your own organically grown fruits compared to anything you've ever had from a supermarket is something to be desired. This article is just a starting point. If you stick to these 4 fundamental rules of tomato gardening, you should be heading in the right direction to growing your own superb indoor tomatoes.

Stephen Martinson has been growing tomatoes for over 10 years. His aim is to show everyone how grow their own beautiful succulent great tasting tomatoes the easy way. For more great tips on growing tomatoes indoors, visit http://www.easytomatogrowingtips.com.

How to Grow Tomatoes - Creating the Perfect Tomato Garden

If you love biting into a juicy, ripe tomato then you need to learn how to grow tomatoes. Nothing beats being able to pick a tomato right from your garden. Follow these simple tips and you will be on your way to creating the perfect tomato garden.

Select the perfect spot to plant your tomatoes. This can be the difference between success and failure. You want to choose a location that gets between six and eight hours of sunlight each day. Prepare the soil for max success. If the soil is not rich and fertile then add a layer of compost. Keep nitrogen levels minimal so as not to cause too fast of a growing. Believe it or not, making your plant grow too fast will produce fewer tomatoes.

Prep your seedlings by exposing them to the growing environment prior to planting them. You will do this gradually, a few hours at a time until they are ready to plant. This will ensure that you have a hardy plant ready to take on the outdoors. This often results in a more productive tomato plant.

For successful planting you will want to do so at a time when the soil temperature is at least 50 degrees consistently. This means that the last frost has passed. It is often recommended to plant later in the day or when it is cloudy to reduce the stress that excessive sunlight can cause on a seedling. You will want to plant them in holes deeper than their containers. Also make sure to leave enough space between each plant.

Proper maintenance requires mulching, fertilizing, and watering. As a rule, provide your plants with an inch of water per week. Monitor the soil to ensure it does not dry out, especially when the hot summer months have arrived. Add mulch to help retain moisture. And fertilize every two weeks in the beginning and then once a month after the plant has blossomed.

To get your plant to be super productive, then remove the first blossoms. This actually creates more tomato production and larger fruit. Removing the first blossoms will force the plant into greater production.

Harvest your tomatoes at just the right time. Once they have shown any sign of red you will want to harvest them. It is OK to leave them on til they are ripe, but you are going to compete against bugs and squirrels.

Remember to be patient and don't quit if your first attempt is not as successful as you hoped. As with anything there is a bit of learning involved and as time goes on you will create your own strategy that works best for you!

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Best Growing Tomatoes - 6 Tips For Avoiding Sunscald

Gardening can be a very relaxing hobby, and becomes even more satisfying when you are able to eat the fruits of your labor. In the process of learning how to produce the best growing tomatoes possible, you may have wondered what is sunscald and are there any ways to avoid it.

Sunscald is prevalent worldwide. It occurs when the tomatoes are exposed to direct sunlight in dry, unusually hot weather. This condition generally manifests itself on green and ripening tomatoes.

Signs and Progression of Sunscald

• white or yellow hard, light patches appear on the sides of the tomato that face the sun
• the patches form blisters and become indented
• the blisters become grayish white and paper thin
• black mold may grow in the papery patches and cause the tomato to rot and become inedible

To enjoy the best growing tomatoes you possibly can, it is important to know not only what sunscald is, but, to learn how it can be avoided.

Six Tips for Avoiding Sunscald

1) prune your tomato plants sparingly so the remaining leaves can still offer shade for the tomatoes

2) use straw, a lightweight screen, or a shade cloth to build a tent over the tomato plants

3) try to control any leaf diseases with fungicide spray

4) use a wire cage for the tomato plants, as it provides good leaf protection

5) pick the tomatoes while still green and let them finish ripening indoors with indirect sunlight

6) try growing tomato plants upside down - the plant leaves and the container the plant is in will shade the tomatoes quite well

Tomatoes that have been affected by sunscald are still edible and the taste should not be affected - simply remove the areas that have patches. If the sunscald has progressed to the point that you notice black mold or rot, it is better not to eat it. In spite of the loss of a few tomatoes due to sunscald, with good care, most tomato plants will provide you with an abundant harvest.

Deb R. is an avid gardener with a special interest in growing tomato plants. Are you trying to grow the best juicy and tasty tomato possible, and avoid disease, pests, and soil problems? Best Growing Tomatoes. Check out this fantastic guide on how to grow fabulous tomatoes right now!

http://www.bestgrowingtomatoes.info

Tomato - Very Useful For Skin Care

It is an important vegetable which has many health benefits due to the presence of anti-oxidants. These anti-oxidants give tomato the radiant red color. The calorie content in tomato is very less making it a favorite among many people. It also contains fiber, vitamin C, E, K, B1, B6, B3, B2, iron, manganese, potassium as well as carotenes and many more to help you in every manner.
Tomato Skin Care Recipes
Tomatoes are of great help for your skin. If you happen to go in the sun and in that span of time you get tanned, there is an easy solution. Prepare cucumber and tomato juice mixture to be applied on the affected areas of your skin. Keep it for 10 minutes; later wash it off with clean water. You will notice the difference.Anyone can have skin rashes and the main reason for these rashes is silicon deficiency. This problem is overcome by having good amounts of sprouts, tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits.Make a mixture of honey and tomato juice to be applied on your face and neck. Wash it off after 15 minutes and within minutes you would see a glowing face in front of the mirror.Another recipe for glowing skin is the mixture of 2 tsp tomato juice and 4 tsp curd. Apply it well on your skin and wash it in 15 minutes to see the difference.
This recipe is for all those people who have oily skins, open pores and blackheads. Tomato has a acidic trait which also contains potassium and vitamin C which helps in cleansing the face. Rub a sliced piece of tomato on your skin and leave it for fifteen minutes. This would help the pores. Later wash it off with water.For a good complexion spread the pulp of tomato on your face daily. Keep it for 1 hour and then wash it off with warm water. If done regularly the results will be seen.The tomato lotion helps in shrinking the enlarged pores and this can be made by using tomato juice mixed with 2 or 3 drops of lime juice. Apply this solution on your face and then wash it off for 15 minutes.A great recipe to remove sunburn can be made by adding 2 tsp tomato juice in 4 tbsp of buttermilk. Apply it all over your skin. Wash it off after keeping it for 1/2 hour.You can easily make a homemade cleanser by using tomato and milk. Use tomato juice by straining the pulp and mix it with equal parts of milk. Store this in a bottle which can be refrigerated to be used everyday. Apply this on your face and neck by using your fingertips. Keep it for 10 minutes and later wash it with cold water.Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions while following instructions on the recipes from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Why Do You Need To Eat Tomatoes?

Do you eat tomatoes? Of course you have known that tomatoes are now eaten easily around the world. You can find tomatoes everywhere as part of fruits and vegetables.
Some experts said that tomato is known as a source of power of nutrition, as it contains a large number of vitamins and minerals that can support our body’s health.
Tomatoes have been first cultivated in Peru, and then brought to Mexico. Now, tomatoes are sold everywhere. In American grocery stores, tomatoes are often picked unripe, and ripened in storage with ethylene.
Which one is better, unripe or ripe?
Tomatoes that are ripened in storage with ethylene, plant hormone produced by many fruits and acts as the cue to begin the ripening process, tend to stay longer, but have poorer flavor than tomatoes ripened on the plant. They may be recognized by their color, which is more pink or orange than the ripe tomato's deep red.Based on the nutrition content, red tomatoes have more vitamin A than green tomatoes. But in this case, green tomatoes have more protein.If you eat tomatoes everyday, it is beneficial in preventing cancer to 50%. Tomatoes will fight different kinds of cancer and protect your heart from heart attack.
Why tomatoes are beneficial for health?
Tomatoes contain various kinds of ingredients. Here are some of them:
*Lycopene, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants. It is beneficial to fight different kind of diseases, most of all to fight cancer.
*Fiber in tomatoes prevents diabetes, asthma, colon cancer, and lowers the amount of cholesterol from the body.
*Vitamin C and A, antioxidants which fight free radical. They fight against aging, soothe skin and hair.
*Potassium, vitamin B6, folate, and niacin have proven effect in lowering cholesterol level, lowering blood pressure and works against heart disease.
*Vitamin K in tomatoes helps to build bone.
*Chromium and biotin make the body's ability to process sugar and fat, which may improve fighting diabetes and help nerve function.
*Riboflavin helps with energy metabolism and fights against migraine headaches.
So, if you consume ripe, unripe or tomato-based food products (tomato sauce, tomato pasta etc.) all deliver many nutrients with multiple mechanisms of action to prevent you from different kinds of diseases.

Grow Tomatoes

Tending a garden is a favorite hobby for many people, not only for the relaxation, but for the tasty harvest in due season. Tomatoes are a versatile plant with many varieties to sample and are one of the easiest garden treats to grow. Whether you opt for starting your plants from scratch with the seedlings or buying your plants in a semi mature stage, tomato gardens don't ask for much: just a little sunlight, water and TLC. And to help you get started and give your plants a boost, try these 10 easy tips to help your garden thrive.

1. To increase your garden results, choose locally approved varieties of tomatoes that contain VFN on the package. This variety helps to protect your vines from major plant diseases and nematodes.

2. Plant your tomatoes in the sunlight and avoid fully or partially shaded areas. Outdoor lighting is the best, however, indoor plants do well will special horticultural lighting systems installed over head, directly striking the plants.

3. Use stakes or caging to keep your tomatoes off the ground. In addition, tomatoes planted in windy climates may need to have a windbreak shield to guard them from high speed gusts. If you are using a cage, attach the windbreak to keep the container in an upright position.

4. Keep your tomato plants well hydrated, especially in hot water. Every tomato could use a good soaking on a regular basis. Home kits for drip irrigation are easy to install or choose a soaker hose for a deep hydration of the soil. And if you choose not to invest in automation, the good old garden hose will do.

5. Add fertilizer or compost to keep your soil moist for maximum water intake to the plant. However, if you have just transplanted your tomatoes, give them two weeks to settle in before adding a mulch.

6. Estimate your garden space and choose between the determinate and indeterminate tomato vines. The former grows to a fixed length and works well with smaller spaces, and the latter will continue to spread beyond the boundaries you have set for your garden.

7. When planting seedlings, be sure to leave ample room for the tomatoes to grow. Cramped quarters will cause some of the vines to choke and block the mandatory sunlight for others to thrive.

8. Prune the under lying leaves away, especially the discolored ones that are showing signs of disease. Infections will spread quickly and can destroy the bulk of your harvest. In addition, to protect the healthy vine, its best to use clippers rather than plucking the dead leaves.

9. When transplanting a tomato, be sure to submerge the plant three quarters into the ground. The depth will allow the plant to adapt quickly to its new environment and sprout its new roots.

10. Plant your tomatoes after the last cold snap of the year. Frost can do great damage to any young plant, and the tomatoes are highly susceptible. If your tomatoes were planted in the spring, you should be able to harvest from the same vines for the entire season.

Joe Cline writes articles for Austin Texas real estate. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate and Round Rock real estate can be found on the net.

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