How to Grow Tomatoes

Researchers at the University of Florida say they have discovered exactly why the tomatoes we grow in our veggie gardens at home taste so much better than those sold in shops and supermarkets. Their findings published in the online version of Current Biology (24 May 2012) titled The Chemical Interactions Underlying Tomato Flavor Preferences, state […]

One of the best things about tomatoes is that you can grow them just about anywhere, even on a small patio or tiny balcony. While some people maintain that growing tomatoes in containers is more time consuming than growing them in a veggie garden, this is not true. Provided you have a spot where they […]

Tomatoes are an incredibly versatile food ingredient that can be eaten raw, cooked or made into soups and sauces. They can be stuffed with meat, rice or breadcrumbs, and used as the main ingredient in tarts. Combined with onions and a few spices, they also make a refreshing sambal for curries and other Eastern dishes.  […]

While a growing number of people are realising the benefits of companion planting, there is still a certain mystique about why some specific vegetables thrive with others. Similarly, those not in the know find it puzzling that it can be disastrous to combine plantings of certain other vegetable types together. For example, carrots love tomatoes; […]

The idea of “dry farming” tomatoes is fascinating for anyone who is passionate about sustainable living and eco-friendly farming practises. But it is not something that anybody can do. For dry farming to be successful, you will need to live in a climate that is able to support the growth of your plants naturally. What […]

If you’re looking for an exciting, tasting hybrid tomato plant to grow in your garden, now is the time to try out grape tomatoes. Originally developed during the 1990s, these dinky tomatoes have become hugely popular small-sized tomatoes. They have a slightly thicker skin than cherry tomatoes – more like the skin of yummy beefsteak-type […]

People often get a kick out of growing the biggest vegetables possible. In fact there are competitions that farmers enter to show off their giant vegetables. And the biggest of the big sometimes even get into the Guinness Book of Records. Record-sized Tomatoes Certainly the world’s biggest tomato has made it into the Guinness Book […]

Tomatoes are amongst the most rewarding veggies to grow in your own home garden – although strictly speaking they are a true berry, and therefore a fruit. This is probably why so many different tomatoes have generically fruity names: for instance plum tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and of course, much-loved cherry tomatoes. About Cherry Tomatoes Native […]

Greenhouses and less sophisticated tunnels provide excellent growing conditions for tomatoes, even when temperatures are not closely controlled. They provide protection from wind, rain, hail and of course from the sun and from excessively cold conditions. When tomatoes are protected from the elements, they can withstand lower temperatures than they normally would when grown out […]

There are various ways to control the many bugs and pests that infest and eat tomatoes and tomato plants. Methods range from what may best be described as “good housekeeping”, where your soil and the garden environment are kept clean and well-weeded, to applying insecticides that have been evolved to control specific bugs. While the […]