Tomato Ideas, Tips & Guides

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How to Identify and Prevent Sunscald on Tomatoes

Homegrown tomatoes taste heavenly when they are sweet with a hint of tart, acidic flavor. If you want to grow the same, there is a science behind it. And what is it, find out below!

What is going on with this Roma tomato?

Grant Webster

Tomato plants are heat-loving plants that need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day but don't like scorching heat any more than the rest of us. When daytime temperatures soar into the 90s and hover in the 70s or warmer at night, tomato plants may keep blooming, but the flowers will fail to pollinate and then fall off. During extended periods of extreme heat, tomato plants can suffer severe stress and go into survival mode, putting all their energy into surviving rather than producing fruit. Even heat-tolerant varieties will slow down production in extreme heat.

At first glance, the offerings from the Washington, DC-based soup company Soupergirl seem pretty straightforward. The company specializes in vegan and kosher soup and gazpacho, as well as soup toppers that customers can mix and match. There’s the classic tomato soup, a beet gazpacho available in a portable container and even vegan “cheesy” croutons. 

We can expect a dip in hummus supplies thanks to a forthcoming chickpea shortage.

Damp paper towels are sometimes the only help you need to coax stubborn seeds into sprouting. If you think it’s a myth, check out this list of seeds that germinate best, yes, the best in paper towels, and try it out yourself!

Companion planting is the centuries-old practice of pairing plants in the garden that benefit one another. Our gardens function as interconnected communities, with different plants providing unique services. Some plants attract beneficial insects, others ward off pests, while some enhance soil health. Anyone who’s grown tomatoes knows they are heavy feeders, and often plagued by foliar diseases and a diversity of insect pests. They certainly stand to benefit from tomato companion plants that promote healthier plants and increased yields.

We really love the creative cheese recipes taking the world by storm. But many of these viral videos lean on the sweet side (for instance, air-fried Oreos, peanut butter cups, and crème brûlée), so having a savory option like the beloved whipped feta is a nice break. When we made and tested the recipe, it just took one bite, and we were hooked.

Are your tomato vines covered in plump green fruits that refuse to turn red? While tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, they can be finicky at times. Several factors can slow or stop fruit from ripening, causing tomatoes to linger in the green stage. Extreme temperatures are the most common culprit, but soil nutrition and plant care can also play a role. If your tomatoes are not turning red, don’t fret. Discover the reasons behind this common challenge and easy ways to promote tomatoes to ripen in the garden and kitchen.

Creative gardeners are always looking for ways to boost production. One topic that gets a lot of buzz in garden forums is using coffee grounds to fertilize plants. Coffee grounds can provide benefits to many plants, including tomatoes, but the impacts vary depending on how they are used. Learn how to effectively incorporate coffee grounds into your gardening routine to supplement tomatoes and other garden plants.

You walk through the produce section of your supermarket and everything looks so familiar. But the fruits and vegetables you see bear no resemblance to their ancestors from thousands of years ago. Most of them don't taste the same either.

Peter Piper may have picked a peck of “perfect” peppers, but for the rest of us, a good harvest of this popular veggie can be more elusive. Peppers, like their tomato cousins, can be a disease-prone, temperature-sensitive, weak-rooted crop. Success, however, can be easy to achieve if you pick the right variety. Like tomatoes, peppers come in a wide range of colors, textures, and sizes. They also can be spicy or sweet in flavor. But aside from appearance and flavor, varieties also vary in their proclivity to resist disease and drought. All of these factors will help determine which type you choose to buy.

More hot, dry weather is in store for this week. Disease and insect pressure continue to increase as watermelon, small fruit, tomato, and peach harvest continues. See details below.

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Tomatoes are a favorite crop for many home gardeners, and even beginner gardeners can have success when growing their very first tomato plant. But if you really want to improve your tomato-growing skills and see bigger and better yields than ever before, I’m going to let you in on a few “trade secrets”. As a former organic market farmer, I’ve had lots of experience growing thousands of tomato plants over the years. As a result, I’ve put together a list of 12 tomato growing secrets to use in your home garden for healthier plants, bigger yields, and less work. 12 Tomato Growing Secrets While some of these tomato growing secrets involve tomato planting tips and soil health, others are foc

Mealybugs can affect all types of crops, ornamentals, and houseplants, including succulents and cacti. Outdoors, mealybugs have natural predators to keep their numbers in check. But indoors in your nice, cozy house, their numbers can increase quickly.

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Finally, a little rain fell around the state, though things remain fairly dry overall. Disease and insect pests are becoming more common as tomatoes, cucurbits, and sweet corn come to harvest. See details below.

My early sweet peas, grown in the greenhouse, are now flowering prolifically and I have to work hard at picking them regularly – but will have to work even harder soon as there are now buds on my outdoor varieties. The indoor ones have been bred specially to flower at lower light levels and in the UK have to be grown in a greenhouse. For some reason the lavender blooms are more dominant this year, although I sowed the same number of seeds of each colourway.

Harvesting a crop of ripe, juicy tomatoes is one of the highlights of the gardening year. To get the most from your plants, it pays to know which type you are growing and their particular requirements. Get to know some common varieties with our recommendations for 20 of the best tomatoes to grow. One thing that can spoil your tomato crops is tomato blight, a fungal disease that thrives in warm, humid conditions. Consider growing blight-resistant tomato varieties to help avoid it. Watch Alan Titchmarsh’s video guide to caring for cordon tomatoes and discover eight more tips for boosting your tomato harvests, below.

As the weather continues to warm up, strawberry harvest wraps up, tomatoes and peppers are coming on strong, and cucurbit harvest is beginning. Read more details below.

With these two unconventional, homemade items you can gently coax your tomato seedlings to sprout well and become productive plants.

Some wild things are happening in the realm of home gardens this year. Breakthrough breeding via genetic engineering is bringing two first-of-their-kind plants into the hands of average folks. A new purple tomato and a bioluminescent petunia could be coming to a yard near you!

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This kitchen staple turns out to be a surprising friend to your veggie patch. From keeping those pesky fungal diseases away to saying “see ya later” to unwanted critters, baking soda has some hidden talents when it comes to growing healthy, happy vegetables.

Calcium is important for the growth of plants, especially veggies, and using it can save them from potential threats, too. If you want the best quality harvest and thriving plants, a spray of it, once a month, is all you need!

If you feel like an expert in growing tomatoes, we have curated some fantastic tips that will take your harvesting game to the next level!

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Whether you're planting blooms for bouquets or fresh fruits and vegetables to enjoy this summer, one thing is certain: you won't be the only one interested in what's growing. Garden pests will like the look of your new plants just as much as you do.

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It's that time of year when we're summer dreaming, especially about our summer gardens. Choosing which starters and seeds to invest in can be a bit overwhelming, no matter how seasoned you are at it.

Up until this year, my backyard was all about function. But as summer approaches and our garden comes to life, the need to decorate outdoors and make our patio a more welcoming place to spend every sunny day has begun to blossom.

Making a Trellis for Potted Plants isn’t exactly rocket science but you do need to create a structure that can take the weight of the plant without breaking.