Growing Tomatoes: Common Problems and How to Handle Them Growing your own food can be fun, educational, and very rewarding. Tomato plants seem to be among the most popular to grow in that regard. Unfortunately, tomato plants can develop a myriad of different diseases and problems, although I find that despite a few issues now and again I am usually able to harvest loads of deliciousness! Even though a lot of things can go wrong in a home garden, there is also a lot you can do, and naturally so, to prevent or handle diseases, bugs, and disorders. In this post I will focus on a few common conditions on tomato plants that I have personally experienced, and what I have found to be helpful in that regard. I will not go into every disease and pest problem that can occur as I am a hobby gardener only, so I will leave it up to the experts to help you with the rest.   Tomato Hornworms  These beautiful (or creepy!) worms are a very common pest in the United States. They can do significant damage if you do nothing to prevent them or get rid of them as they find their way to your plants. If left alone to feast, they will consume the majority of plants and tomatoes, growing several inches long. That’s what happened to my plants years ago as I didn’t even know they existed! There […] Read more »

Growing Tomatoes; Transplanting Outdoors & General Care After seeding inside, then transplanting tiny seedlings to larger pots to grow and develop, the time will eventually come when the plants will need to move outside. In this post, based on my personal experience (I am a hobby gardener and not a professional), I will show you how to get your tomato plants ready for the outdoors and how to further care for them. In my previous post, Growing Tomatoes Part 1: Seeding & Transplanting Seedlings, I went through the process of seeding and caring for tomato sprouts. Growing Tomatoes Part 3: Common Problems & Solutions is also worth reading to keep you a step ahead, preventing disease. Once tomato sprouts have reached a certain size, such as in the picture below, they will take off and grow very quickly; several inches a week is not uncommon. Tomato plants crave direct sun and warmth all day long and they will also absorb a lot of water. I often water twice a day at this stage, with holes on the bottom of the cups to allow drainage.  May 1: May 6: If you have extra plants on hand to share with friends and family, this is a good time to pass them along. Preparing for Transplanting Outdoors: Weathering Once the weather has warmed up sufficiently and the danger of night frost has just about passed, it is time to “weather” your plants in […] Read more »

    Growing Tomato Plants from Seed Growing plants from seed can be a very rewarding and fun experience when you start with just a few, basic know-how’s. I have seeded everything from broccoli, peppers, and watermelon, to beans and much more. And, of course, lots of tomatoes! In this post I will use pictures to show you what to do to plant tomato seeds, how to care for the tiny seedlings, and also how to transplant them when the time is right. The first time I seeded anything at all, more than a decade ago, was a complete flop. Since then, I have learned just how easy it can be and have grown to really love seeding my own plants. My absolute biggest mistake in the very beginning was to put the newly seeded trays away from where I could see them, in order to also keep them away from my cute little toddlers. The problem was that since I didn’t see them, I forgot about them (the trays, not my toddlers! Ha!) and didn’t water the seedlings often enough. When I did water, I didn’t realize just how fragile these tiny plants were, and knocked them over while watering from a watering can that was far too forceful for them. The poor little plants didn’t stand a chance and quickly gave up. And so did I. I did not believe I had it in me to grow anything […] Read more »