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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In the Garden: The best-tasting tomatoes are grown at home

A sun-ripened tomato encapsulates all that is good about summer. This is Chef’s Choice Orange, Susan Mulvihill’s favorite slicing tomato. (Susan Mulvihill/For The Spokesman-Review)

I think it’s safe to say the tomato is everyone’s favorite veggie to grow. Try as they might, grocery stores just can’t offer us fully ripened, flavorful tomatoes. As a result, we gardeners crave them through the fall and winter months and put them at the top of our planting list.

Wait until at least May 15 to plant your tomato seedlings outdoors. They absolutely cannot withstand a frost, so keep an eye on the forecasts and be prepared to cover them at a moment’s notice.

This year, I’m growing four kinds of tomatoes: Sungold cherry, Chef’s Choice Orange slicing and Gilbertie and Federle paste tomatoes for making sauce and salsa. Just thinking about them is making my mouth water.

Whether you started your own tomatoes from seed or will purchase seedlings from a local garden center, it is very important to harden them off before transplanting them outdoors. This process acclimates them to the intensity of the sunlight and fluctuating temperatures. If you skip this step, the leaves will become sunburned and turn white. This can either set back the plant’s growth severely or kill it.

Start by moving the seedlings outdoors into an area with filtered sunlight for one hour the first day, then move them back inside. The next day, make it two hours and bring them back in. Each day over the course of a week, add an hour to the routine while transitioning them into more intense sunlight.

Since tomato plants love warm soil, I always place a layer of red plastic sheet mulch on the surface of their beds about a week before planting them. This increases the soil temperature and reflects more light up into the plants, which increases their productivity. We have a drip irrigation system that is already on the bed before the sheet mulch goes on.

Tomatoes need quite a bit of room to grow. I recommend spacing them at least 2 to 3 feet apart. On transplanting day, I’ll cut an “x” into the plastic for each plant. Next, I’ll remove the lowest pair or two of leaves so I can plant the seedlings more deeply than they were growing in their pots. This encourages additional root growth along the stem, creating a stronger, healthier and more productive plant. Once all of the plants are in the ground, I’ll water them in well and apply an organic fish fertilizer.

Be sure to provide them with a sturdy support such as a heavy-duty metal stake or large tomato cage. While the plants can be allowed to sprawl on the ground, the fruits will ripen better when grown vertically since they will get more sunlight and good air circulation. The fruit won’t rot on the ground, and it keeps pathogens in the soil from spreading to the leaves.

The plants should not require pruning early in the growing season. There is no need to remove suckers, which are those smaller branches that emerge from the point where a branch meets the main stem. If you snip them off, it greatly reduces your plant’s production potential. If you love fresh tomatoes as much as I do, you’ll want as large a harvest as possible.

Water your tomatoes regularly and, before you know it, you’ll be treated to delicious, sun-ripened fruits.

Contact Susan Mulvihill at susan@susansinthegarden.com. Watch this week’s “Everyone Can Grow a Garden” video at youtube.com/c/susansinthegarden.