Tomatoes are one of the most popular crops people like to grow in their gardens!  Eat them fresh in a salad, or make delicious pasta sauce! There are a ton of things you can do with these tasty veggie-like fruits!  Read on for some terrific tips on growing your juiciest most delicious tomatoes!

1. If you plan to start your tomato plants by seed, start growing them indoors, 6 weeks before the last frost of your region. Keep the soil warm and have them near a sunny window. If there is no spot with sufficient sunlight, put your seedlings under artificial light. Keep them watered properly.  When they are about 8 inches tall, and the last frost is past, they are ready to be transferred to the ground. (Alternatively, you can wait until after the last frost date, and go to your local nursery and buy some young tomato plants to plant directly in the ground.)

2. Make sure your tomatoes will get plenty of direct sunlight in the garden. Till the soil. Put down some compost or manure.

3. If you are planting in the same garden from last year, be sure to rotate your crops to prevent disease.

4.Transfer your plants to the ground.  Bury your plants rather deep (about 60% in the ground), it is ok if the bottom leaves are covered.  Plant 1 foot apart from each other. This allows room for growing, weeding and harvesting.  

5. Place stakes or tomato cages in the ground at the same time you plant your plants.  Stakes and cages help the tomatoes grow upright and keep the bottom leaves off of the soil, which helps to prevent soil-borne diseases.

6. Water generously right after planting. Thereafter, water 2-3 times per week, unless your region is having a particularly hot and dry spell. Water directly into the soil instead of watering from overhead. Tomato plants can catch diseases from bacteria landing on wet leaves.

7. It is a good idea to plant some parsley around your tomato plants to keep away white flies.  Marigolds help keep away rabbits who may mistake your tomatoes for their dinner.

8. A week after planting, lay mulch to help keep away weeds, soil-borne illnesses, and pests.  

9. Prune bottom most leaves often. Prune off suckers so that your plants have more energy to spend on producing fruit.

10. When they are full size and fully colored, they are ready to be harvested!  (Alternatively, you can harvest when they are just changing color and let them finish ripening on a sunny window sill.) 

Enjoy your tomato harvest!