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What is a perfect tomato? Here too opinions vary but most gardeners do conclude that it should be solid, red, and weight between 12-14 ozs. It is not cracked and it has no blemishes. Hybrids seem to produce
best in this category and are more disease-resistant.
The soil tomato plants are placed in should be well aerated, clumpy and loose. The health of your tomato plant is very dependent on root health and growth. The harder it is for
roots to push through
more difficult your plant will find it togrow. They need water, and more water. Use peat moss, compost or manure as
main food for your plants.
What about insects? An occasional spraying with a mild soap solution takes care of a lot of these unwanted guests. Check your plants and catch any infestation early and if you deal with it immediately, you will have very healthy plants.
When you water your tomato plants, aim
flow at
ground, not
plant. The best time to water is in
early morning, especially if
day’s temperatures will be on
high side.
Enjoy growing tomatoes, experiment with varieties, but most importantly, enjoy
taste of just-off-the-vine flavor. Summertime and tomatoes were a match made in heaven - ENJOY! ©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 June 1

Arleen Kaptur has written numerous articles, cookbooks, and the novel: SEARCHING FOR AUSTIN JAMES Websites: http://www.arleenssite.com http://www.Arleens-RusticLiving.com http://www.webspawner.com/users/rusticliving/ http://topica.com/lists/simpleliving