Tomato Plants: Are You Craving That Juicy Homegrown Flavor?

We recently added to our patio area. We enjoy the new space but there is one area that seems to be desolate. It’s not large enough for a chair so I thought I would look at outdoor plants that could fill the space. I had other outdoor plants in the yard, but I didn’t want a short blooming plant in this area because you would not be able to see it due to the railing. So, off I went to the local nursery to see what I could find.

The nursery was filled with outdoor plants of all kinds. I had been here several times to purchase my bedding plants as well as vegetable plants. The owner of the nursery asked if she could help me. I told her that I needed a plant to put in a corner of the deck. She showed me beautiful hibiscus trees. These plants are specially bred to be outdoor plants, but they can be brought indoors for the winter months. I loved the plants, but they needed partial shade and the area of the deck I needed them for was in full sun light. We looked at several other outdoor plants that can withstand the hot sun, but none of them were tall enough for the space that I wanted to fill.

I was getting ready to leave when I spotted a large patio tomato plant that had a sturdy stake in the middle. The plant and stake was about 5 feel tall. The nursery owner said that she would sell it to me, but she was concerned that some of the tomatoes would come off during transport. I had brought our pick up truck to the nursery because I knew I wanted a tall plant. We taped a cardboard shield around the plant to protect it for the three miles to our home.

I was able to get the plant home and on the deck with only losing two small tomatoes. This is the biggest tomato plant that I have ever seen. It is thriving in the sunny spot on the deck. The tomatoes have been ripening so that we can go and pick one for dinner each evening. It is not the kind of outdoor plants that I was thinking of for the space but it is working out fine. It not only fills the space but it is providing us with fresh tomatoes.

Next year I will look for outdoor plants for this space earlier in the season. There are a number of hooks that you can purchase for deck rails that might help fill the empty spot.

Anyway, here’s what we learned about growing tomatoes, just in case you’re craving that juicy, homegrown taste:

• Tomato plants can grow almost anywhere.
• Tomatoes are easy to grow, even in containers
• There’s nothing like biting into a fresh homegrown tomato
• Soils with vitamin additives, like Miracle-Gro, are the best for growing tomatoes
• If your family loves to eat tomatos, its good to have two plants for each member
• Tomatoes can grow very well organically, provided the soil is well enriched with organic matter
• Ripe tomatoes can be protected from predators by carefully placing a clear plastic bag or “Ziploc” type bag over the fruit from the bottom to the stem
• Tomatoes taste sweeter when ripened on the vine, so you need to balance risk of threats (birds,bugs, etc.) versus taste
• Tomatoes need about one inch of water per week at a minimum.
• Lastly, always remember that your goal in growing tomatoes is the fruit, not the leaves

Best of luck with your plants!

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