Enjoy Fresh Tomatoes All Year

By Barbara Pleasant
Published on February 1, 2007
1 / 11

Burpee’s storage tomato variety ‘Red October’ has great flavor and is disease-resistant.
Burpee’s storage tomato variety ‘Red October’ has great flavor and is disease-resistant.
2 / 11

You can eat tomatoes all year by using these strategies.
You can eat tomatoes all year by using these strategies.
3 / 11

The ‘Early Girl’ variety will get your season off to a great start.
The ‘Early Girl’ variety will get your season off to a great start.
4 / 11

Cherry tomatoes can be grown indoors during the winter in a sunny, south window.
Cherry tomatoes can be grown indoors during the winter in a sunny, south window.
5 / 11

‘Ida Gold’ tomatoes are flavorful and cold-tolerant.
‘Ida Gold’ tomatoes are flavorful and cold-tolerant.
6 / 11

Indeterminate tomatoes get support from stakes.
Indeterminate tomatoes get support from stakes.
7 / 11

Wall O’ Water cloches provide protection for young tomatoes in early spring.
Wall O’ Water cloches provide protection for young tomatoes in early spring.
8 / 11

‘Stupice’ tomatoes are flavorful and cold-tolerant.
‘Stupice’ tomatoes are flavorful and cold-tolerant.
9 / 11

Your increased tomato harvest will no doubt have you searching for new recipes to try.
Your increased tomato harvest will no doubt have you searching for new recipes to try.
10 / 11

Bruschetta with Tomatoes and Basil.
Bruschetta with Tomatoes and Basil.
11 / 11

Whether you want vigorous young plants for a fall or winter crop, or decide to multiply a tomato you particularly like, learning to grow rooted cuttings is a valuable skill.
Whether you want vigorous young plants for a fall or winter crop, or decide to multiply a tomato you particularly like, learning to grow rooted cuttings is a valuable skill.

Every day is a good day to eat homegrown tomatoes, so why not do all you can to make the dream of year-round fresh tomatoes come true? It’s easy to get a head start in spring if you use the right varieties and a few tricks. Then once the summer planting peaks, you can switch your attention to growing a fall crop that will finish ripening indoors after the first freeze. Plenty of light can keep a container-grown cherry tomato producing indoors through winter, which brings you back to spring.

Ready to get started? We’ll walk through the five basic steps with help from folks who share your passion for homegrown tomatoes.

1. Open the Season Early

At their five-acre organic farm in Davisburg, Mich., Diane and John Franklin have spent years in their quest to break and then hold the state record for the earliest ripe tomato. “We really push the envelope,” Diane says. With the help of a high tunnel (also known as a hoop house), their efforts pay off with ripe tomatoes in May, or in June using Wall O’ Water cloches in an open garden.

Though their last frost usually comes during the second half of May, the Franklins have found they can set out tomato seedlings in April if they use Wall O’ Waters and cold tolerant varieties. “We have ripe tomatoes when other people are just planting theirs, and a really good harvest starting in June rather than August,” Diane says. She suggests ‘Glacier,’‘Ida Gold’ and ‘Stupice’ for their cold tolerance, earliness and good flavor.

If you don’t like the idea of setting out seedlings in freezing weather, one alternative is to grow a few early plants indoors near a south-facing window, with supplemental light from fluorescents. Be sure to shift plants to larger containers as soon as roots begin to tickle their way through the pots’ drainage holes. Many gardeners adopt ‘Early Girl’ or ‘Sun Gold’ tomatoes as store-bought seedlings, grow them indoors until the first fruits dangle from the vine, and then set them out inside tomato cages wrapped with clear plastic during spring’s first warm spell.

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368