Tomatomania

Tomatomania Mission Hills Nursery

Every year at Mission Hills Nursery is Tomatomania featuring everything from beautiful containers, the best quality organic soils, tomato and vegetable food, and all the planting accessories for success in your home garden. Enthusiastic experts will advice, this event is a one-stop shop for growing fantastic-tasting tomatoes in your own garden. It’s the greatest celebration of America’s favorite garden vegetable.

Tomatomania Tips

From Scott

For growing tomatoes along the coast

1. Read labels carefully.
Choose varieties that are right for you. Cherries? Beefsteaks? Choose early, midseason and late tomatoes. Let the “Days to maturity” on the label be your guide. Tomatoes are very tough but select seedlings with sturdy stems and bright green leaves.

2. Find the sun.
Tomatoes want sun and heat. 6 hours of full sun is the minimum for success, 8 hours is optimal. In super hot areas however, it may even be necessary to shade the plants during the hottest part of the day for best results. As you decide where to plant remember that it’s a good idea to rotate planting areas each season if you can.

3. Add organic material!
Incorporate liberal amounts of a quality soil amendment and/or compost all through your chosen garden spot. The better the soil, the better the tomatoes. In a new garden area till lightly. After that, layering the nutrients across the top of the soil is advised, as frequent aggressive tilling can disturb soil systems. Use a premium potting soil as a base in your container plantings, then add organics. Check out our container planting guide here for more details.

4. Dig deep and plant deep.
When you set out your seedlings snip off the lowest leaves and bury part of the stem in a deep and well amended hole, leaving only the top 3-4 inches of the plant above the surface. The buried stem will grow roots!

5. Water correctly.
This means soak the rootball, every 3 or 4 days for the first few weeks. Once the plant is set and starts growing, water deeply and infrequently all through the season. As tomatoes grow, the plant will inevitably yellow in places. More water won’t fix that and too much water can dilute taste!

At Botanical Interests the goal is to inspire and educate the gardener in you so that you can create beautiful and prolific gardens. Not only is the seed inside the packets the highest quality available, the packets are designed to give you the information you need to be a more successful gardener!

• Over 500 high-quality varieties

• Many heirloom seed varieties

• A large selection of USDA Certified Organic seed varieties