Tom-May-Toh or Tom-Mah-Toh

Either way you say it they are delicious.

Did you know tomatoes are the most commonly planted garden crop and today approximately 1.4 million metric tons of tomatoes are produced and sold in the United States. Anyone can grow tomatoes. They can be grown in a large garden, a smaller raised bed, a back porch pot or even a hanging basket on an apartment balcony. You can start with seedlings or from seed. There are hundreds of different varieties to choose from. A beefsteak tomato is great for slicing and putting on a burger, the Roma is tangy and great for sauces and I am growing my favorite the cherry tomato in a small garden in my suburban backyard where I have planted some that I started from seed. There is nothing like the sweetness of popping a fresh from the vine tomato in your mouth.

We have all gone to the produce department in our local grocery store and headed for the biggest reddest tomatoes we see only to get home and cut into them and find them meaty and tasteless. There is a reason for that. For decades tomatoes have been crossbred to make them larger and prettier as well as to increase shelf life and make them disease intolerant all at the price of taste. Also if you are buying a tomato in January in New York it was probably shipped in from Mexico which means it was picked green to allow for the time it takes to travel so far and still be ripe when it reaches the store. Time on the vine affects the sweetness of the fruit, we all know tomatoes are actually a fruit. So when planting your garden consider if you want to use hybrid seeds or heirloom seeds. Heirlooms are seeds that are at least 50 years old and are open pollinated meaning they have not been altered. Seeds from an heirloom plant can be used to grow plants again next season. Seeds from a hybrid plant will not necessarily grow the same plant next season.

To get the tastiest tomatoes this summer grow your own. They are pretty easy to grow and we all have the space. Do a little research on your areas growing season, find a sunny spot, choose your favorite variety, find a container and get your hands in the soil. With a little love and time you will be harvesting your own fresh tasty tomatoes. You may even get inspired and make your own spaghetti sauce, basil and garlic make great companion plants.

yummy!