The tomato is one of the most popular garden vegetables! If you're looking forward to growing your own tomatoes for the first time this summer, keep these tips in mind:
Plant tomato transplants deeper than they were growing in the tray; the deeper, the better.
Pick a location that does not hold water and receives as much direct sunlight as possible.

In the final article for home tomato gardening, we will discuss fertilization, common challenges and harvest. The 2019 tomato season was my favorite because my daughter discovered the joy of planting, patiently growing, harvesting and consuming my favorite vegetable. The joy on her face when she picked and ate her first tomato filled my heart. I hope you will find the same satisfaction as the 2020 growing season approaches.
Nutrient management and fertilization

In the third part of our tomato series, we discussed garden layout and water. In this edition, we will talk about plant support and pruning. This is an area where we can make it easier to manage our gardens and harvest the fruits of our labor. Also, depending on the type of tomato plant, pruning can yield larger fruit when the plant can devote as much energy as possible into fruit production.

In the second part of our tomato series, we discussed fertilization and weed control. In this edition, we will talk about two important parts of growing tomatoes, planning the garden layout and the thing we seem to either have too little or much of, water. Water is a critical resource in everything we do as humans. Sufficient water is the key to success in our gardens. I’d also like to share a photo from my 2019 tomato season, my daughter helping me with planting our garden (Photo 1). I must insist that eating the garden dirt would be an unpleasant experience, but she disagreed.

In the first part of our tomato series, we discussed selecting the right variety of tomato for your garden and preferences. In this edition, we will talk about fertilization and one of the two biggest problems with growing tomatoes, weeds. Of course, being an Extension Agent, I must always recommend a soil test before planting your garden.

Written by: Natalie Bumgarner and Anthony Carver, University of Tennessee Extension Agents
Submitted by: Shannon DeWitt, UT Extension Union County Agent
As the most popular crop grown by home gardeners in Union County, tomatoes are certainly king of the garden. This is definitely because of the number of participating gardeners, but it is also due to gardeners’ passion about their home-grown tomatoes.