Spoil yourself with luscious, home-grown tomatoes

Nicole Avedon | By Nicole Avedon | Staten Island Advance
on August 20, 2008 at 6:21 PM, updated August 20, 2008 at 6:31 PM
Tomato cages are a good investment because they support the plant's structure, keeping the growing plant safe.

Planting your own vegetable garden can provide a great feeling of accomplishment, especially during this time of high prices, diminished quantity and quality in the supermarket.

Tomatoes are a perennial favorite when it comes to reaping rewards from the garden. They fall into different categories: Indeterminate, determinate, dwarf and dwarf-indeterminate.

Indeterminate refers to plants that only stop growing if interrupted by frost, insects, disease or human destruction. After the flower has been pollinated and the fruit begins to grow, their side branches and shoots still continue to grow. They are usually shorter plant types and mature later in the season.

Determinate types, on the other hand, mature earlier, but usually produce less fruit and just stop growing after the fruit appears.

Dwarf tomatoes usually grow only a few feet tall. They produce their fruit all at the same time and then stop producing. They are great for people like me, who are limited to planting on a patio using container grown plants. Gardeners can achieve the best of both worlds with dwarf indeterminate tomatoes that grow all season long and grow no larger than 4 feet.


Some vegetables need support to prevent them from sprawling along the ground. The type of support system you use will depend on the variety of tomato you are growing. I have found that smaller varieties do well in cylinders or cages, where larger varieties need more support and more anchorage. This can be achieved by tying them to stakes, growing them in cages, or constructing string or wire trellises. Tomato cages are a good choice because they support the plant's structure.

You can plant underground crops of potatoes and onions near the base of tomato plants, because they take up little space and let you make the most use of your planting area.

Jump-start the planting season by starting seedlings indoors. In addition to tomatoes, you can start brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, onions, parsley and peppers. With seeds started indoors, you can control the temperature, moisture and feeding of your plants.


Some people watch their horoscope or the ocean's tides when sowing seeds or plants. Ancient astronomers and gardeners believed one should pay attention to the moon's phases when planting. Certain quarters or phases are for specific planting. For instance, it is believed that vegetables in which the seeds are eaten -- i.e., beans, tomatoes, peppers and squash -- are good to start the second quartrer, when the moon goes from half to full.

Uniform watering is critical from the flowering stage through harvesting of tomatoes. Plants like tomatoes are successful when "side dressed" with a light amount of nitrogen every two to three weeks after transplanting, and then again before and after the first picking.


Tomato hornworms are avid eaters and can cause substantial damage to tomatoes. Flea beetles which are only one-tenth of an inch long, not only feed on the tomato leaves, riddling them with small "shot" holes, but can spread disease. Half-inch-long Japanese beetles feed on the tomatoes' foliage, and nematodes, microscopic, wormlike pests, infect the soil in warm climates and tend to feed on the roots of plants.


Companion plants can provide benefits to other nearby growing plants. For instance, garlic is a good companion plant for those prone to attack by soil insects, while marigolds and rye grass are a good control for nematodes.

Tomatoes should be harvested when they are uniformly colored. Accessories you'll need for harvesting are a good, sharp knife, paper bag, bucket or basket. I prefer a wire basket so I can easily wash my vegetables after collection.

Tomatoes are classified by color, size, shape or use. Everyone likes to grow classic, bright red, round, meaty tomatoes. Some of my favorites include "Delicious" an intermediate tomato that usually weighs more than two pounds; "Heatwave II," a determinate hybrid with seven-ounce fruits that can survive hot, humid days and "Siberia," which can successfully exist in temperatures as low as 38 degrees and weigh about two to three ounces each.

The flavor of red tomatoes varies. "Big Rainbow," a two-pound indeterminate tomato has yellow shoulders and an orange center. It adds color to salads or casseroles.

If gardeners could choose only one vegetable to grow, no doubt it would be the tomato. Once you become accustomed to the delectable flavor of home-ripened, backyard tomatoes, supermarket tomatoes seem like pale imitations.


A new plant-strengthening product for growing healthier roses is on the market. "Jaz Rose Spray" is a foliar spray that improves roses' natural resistance to environmental stresses such as drought, salt stress and disease. Spraying rose leaves with Jaz Rose Spray enhances the production of natural defenses in roses. It is not classified as a pesticide, nor is it simply a fertilizer. Roses treated with this spray have improved leaf and bloom quality, where natural leaf yellowing is lessened and longer lasting blooms are produced.

This product is available online at as a concentrate or ready-to-use spray.

Eileen Torricelli is a member of Annadale Garden Club and First District Federated Garden Clubs of New York State.
