Tomatoes are not hard to grow, even in difficult soil you will get something, but the richer the soil, the more plentiful the harvest. We have a relatively short growing season here, and I like quick results, so for the past few years have been growing grape or cherry tomatoes. I only plant 3-4 plants a year which provides my husband and I with more than enough tomatoes. They seem to do fine in their tomato cages at about a foot apart from one another.
The roots of the plant tend to stay close to the surface of the soil, and though the plants tolerate dry soil to a degree, when there are tomatoes growing on the plants, it is best to keep the soil somewhat moist between rains. I water every couple of days, and in very hot dry weather, daily. I have only once started plants from seeds, it’s not hard to do if you have a sunny place to keep them, or have grow lights. I like to give my local garden shop some business by purchasing young tomato plants.
What kinds of tomatoes do you grow successfully in your area of the Country? We are at about 900 feet in Northern NJ and planting season lasts from mid-may to mid-September, or a little later if we have a mild fall. I harvest all of the remaining tomatoes at the end of the season, even if green, and put the green ones in a brown paper bag to ripen, which they do fairly quickly if they are mature enough.
