Tomatoes are a great addition to any garden, big or small. They not only offer a vibrant pop of red, they provide important vitamins, like vitamin C and lycopene, which boost your immunity and help prevent cardiovascular disease.
For those who might not be familiar with planting and harvesting tomatoes, here are five helpful tips for growing tomatoes:
- Find the variety that will work best for you and how you’d like to use it.
- Plant seedlings by burying several inches of the stem to promote better root growth.
- Water regularly, tapering the amount as the fruit ripens to increase sugar levels.
- Prune tomatoes so there is one primary stem this sends more energy into fruit production.
- Stake-up tomatoes for added support and maximum air circulation to avoid certain soilborne diseases.
With more than 6,000 tomato varieties available to plant in your garden, selecting the right tomato can be a little overwhelming. To get you started, the folks at Burpee Home Gardens have put together a foolproof tomato selector chart.