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| Photo Credit: ©2004 Buglady Consulting |
| This is a collection of different heirloom tomatoes I grew in my Pennsylvania garden. I’ve found heirloom tomatoes very easy to grow with a superior taste. |
One of the most popular plants in the garden is the tomato. And if you like to grow them from seed, the best time to start thinking about your summer tomatoes is in winter. The reason to think about it when there may be snow on the ground is that you need to get your seeds ordered on time. Starting time for tomato seeds, depending on where you are located (which growing zone) is typically sometime between March and April. But, if you are too late to order seeds or prefer to work with starter plants, then springtime is a great time to get growing on your tomatoes, too.
Finding the tomatoes that suit your needs – and tastes – is one of the most important things to start with. If you want the widest selection possible, seeds are the only way to go. An astounding array of tomato seeds can be ordered over the Internet, through catalogs or purchased at garden centers. If it’s too late for that, another option is to buy tomato starts. These small plants can usually be purchased in the springtime from your local garden center, and also over the Internet. Using tomato starts allows you to skip the seed-starting stage, but it’ll limit you on specific varieties. Tomatoes are usually broken into several categories, based mostly on shape and size: small, medium and large. The cherry tomatoes are small; moving on to a little bigger, you get the plums; and then you get into the slicers. Some of the slicers can weigh 2 pounds! Tomatoes also come in many colors, including red, pink, yellow, green and even purple – and each has its own special taste. There are a few key terms to know that are used to describe tomatoes. Knowing them will help you pick the tomato varieties right for you.
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