Tuh-MAY-Toh, Tuh-MAH-Toh

Real Estate Tips
June 22, 2017

Picture this scenario: You’ve spent the good part of two weeks in your new home and finally have the interior exactly the way you want it. The bathrooms are trendy and smell like roses, the garage is in order and no boxes are in sight, and your bedroom is the coziest it’s been since…well, your last home. Walking to your kitchen one morning, you make brew a cup of Joe. As you take a sip, you look out of your kitchen window and spit out the coffee. Your eyes widen.

“I forgot the backyard.”

It is a much overlooked area when getting adjusted in a new home, but our garden is a safe-haven for many of us when we want to be outside but not leave the confines of our domain. Birdfeeders, mowing the lawn, and adding patio furniture are just a few of the quick ways to make this area your own, but since we’re in it for the long haul, a small garden can create a Zen-like experience to christen the new home with fresh and (literal) home-grown produce. Of the fruits and veggies that are can be grown by amateurs, Tomatoes tend to have the most use that can be squeezed out of them.

Here are a few steps to get your new home’s garden with tomatoes this summer:

Buy seeds instead of juvenile plants
Insert soil into a small plastic container (try a solo cup) and then insert your seeds.
Since you’re a little behind (you did forget about your backyard), grow your seeds into saplings inside the house with the use of an inexpensive grow-light, being sure to water 1-2 times a day
After about a month and your little seeds have begun to grow, having two or three sets of leaves, move them outside to an area where they will have about 5-7 hours of sunshine a day.
Clear the area of your yard that will become your garden. Complete it with fresh soil and a solid vine wall or tomato cage, so those puppies can grow.
As their stalks grow, prune (trim) your stalks if they’re over 18” tall, never under as it will stunt their growth. Be careful not to immediately water pruned stalks, as well.
If you notice de-colored splotches on your tomato stalks, this could be a sign of blight or pests. A spray bottle with a bit of milk could delay these significantly. Crumble eggshells in the soil as well.
You’ll notice clusters of buds/flowers within about 4-6 weeks of maturity. After this a green tomato will begin to form. Wait a few more weeks until its color brightens.
Depending on the seed you purchased, you should have a full grown tomato harvest within a few months! Pick and decide how to consume!

For more information on how to grow these delicious fruits, check Laurie March’s article on diynetwork.com here:

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/gardening/how-to-grow-a-tomato-garden-pictures