Scott Meyer - Stuff Every Gardener Should Know

The most popular garden crop is, has been, and probably always will be tomatoes. When you pick them fresh, they taste like summermuch better than the bland fruit found in grocery stores. Tomatoes are easy to grow, even in pots if space is limited. Heres how to raise the finest crop youve ever had.

Know the top varieties. The tastiest tomatoes are the big beefsteak types that take all summer to ripen. The classic hybrids Burpees Big Boy and Parks Whopper perform well in all kinds of conditions. Heirlooms, especially Brandywine and Cherokee Purple, win a lot of taste tests, but keep in mind that these typically bear fewer fruits than the hybrids. If you love to make sauce or salsa, San Marzano and Amish Paste are meaty and flavorful. Sun Gold cherry tomatoes start bearing just weeks after planting, and the super-sweet little yellow-orange fruit keeps coming well into fall. The vines of Tumbling Tom fit nicely in a hanging basket and spill over the sides.

Plant more than one variety. Cold snaps, dry spells, hailstorms, pests, diseases, and other vagaries of the growing season affect each plant differently. Choose a few varieties to protect yourself from the horror of a tomato-less summer.

Buy smart. Start with medium-size seedlings (rather than full-grown flowering plants) and look for plants with the sturdiest stems; theyre likely to have vigorous roots. Pinch off any flowers before transplanting into the garden so the plant directs its energy into growing roots rather than forming fruit.

Choose the ideal location. Plant tomatoes where theyll get 10 hours or more of direct sunlight every day during the height of the growing season. Drainage and air circulation are the best way to protect against fungal diseases, so be sure to space plants as directed in the growing instructions.

Prepare the soil. Tomatoes need soil thats rich in organic matter. If your soil is dense clay, dig in compost to loosen it and allow roots to spread. If your soil is light and sandy, scratch in compost to help it hold moisture and nutrients for roots to feed on.

Plant deep. When you bury the stems of tomato plants, they grow roots. The more stem you plant, the bigger the root system, the larger the plant, and the more tomatoes youll harvest. Pull the sprouts and leaves off the stem up to the lowest full branch and bury the plant up to that branch. If you cant dig a hole deep enough, bend the stem to fit the hole. As the root system grows, it will balance the plant.

Train the vines. Left untamed, tomato vines sprawl in all directions and expose your harvest to pests and diseases living in the soil. Metal cages hold them upright and are easy to arrange. Buy or make heavy-duty cagesideally from rebarif youre raising beefsteaks so that the weight of the plant doesnt topple the cage in a storm. If you prefer more order, try bamboo stakes. Training tomato vines on stakes is most effective if you prune the plant so it has only one main stem, rather than several.

Feed the plants. Tomato plants, especially young ones, benefit from a boost of nutrients such as those in liquid organic fertilizer made with fish waste and seaweed. It has a balance of nutrients, including calcium, a critical mineral for tomatoes. (Calcium deficiency leads to a common problem known as blossom end rot.) Water your tomato plants once a week with the fertilizer mixed in. Be sure to follow the packages dilution instructionstoo much fertilizer can lead to big, leafy plants with little or no fruit.

Harvest at the right time. You can tell when tomatoes begin to ripen: the deep green skin lightens just a bit. The hard part is waiting until they reach their peak. Even after turning fully red, orange, yellow, or purple, they may still be converting starches into sugars. Pick tomatoes that are firm but give slightly when pressed (the skin dents a bit from the pressure). If heavy rain is forecast, pick as many ripe fruits as possible before the moisture causes them to crack. At the end of the season, wrap green tomatoes in newspaper and store them in a cool, dry place. Check periodically; most will gradually ripen.

Growing herbs is a simple, satisfying way to add homegrown flavor to your homemade meals. Here are the most popular ones for use in the kitchen.

The fragrant leaves on these 2-foot-tall plants have a lightly spicy flavor thats the foundation of pesto. A cold-sensitive annual, basil thrives in summer just about anywhere.

Best varieties: Youll find sweet Thai, Cuban, and lemon- or cinnamon-scented basils, as well as the more familiar Italian varieties such as Profuma di Genova.

Tip: Start trimming off (and eating) the top leaves while basil is small to encourage branching, which will produce a bushier, more productive plant.

These clumps of thin stalks come up every year, giving you green, oniony-flavored leaves all season long and pretty purple flowers. You can dig up a clump or chunk in fall, plant it in a small pot, and keep it in a sunny window to harvest as you need.

Best varieties: The most common variety of chives (A. schoenoprasum) has an onion-like taste, while Chinese or garlic chives (A. tuberosum) taste more like (no surprise!) garlic.

Tip: Chives are easy to dig up and divide every few years, so you can spread the plants throughout your borders or share them with friends.