Organic Tomato Gardening with a Difference
Tomatoes are arguably the most popular edibles grown in the home garden. All vegetables taste much better and are more nourishing when fresh picked from the garden. But the flavor and texture of home-grown tomatoes offer some of the most noticeable differences from store-purchased fruit. And organic tomatoes are expensive to buy – if you can find them. Growing your own organic tomatoes is easy since you can avoid pesticides and feed with only natural organic plant foods, so growing organic tomatoes is no more difficult than using chemicals – and it's likely cheaper.
There are also so many different varieties of tomato that you can grow all sizes, shapes and colors of these plants. Tomato plants have different habits of growth from ramblers, tall growers, medium bushes and even cascading varieties that are conveniently suited to hanging baskets. But with all the choices in tomatoes and tomato plants there are some tomatoes with even more of a difference.
One new introduction in the world of tomatoes are the 'Tomaccio' tomatoes. If you like the unique flavor of sun-dried tomatoes, this plant allows you to grow dried tomatoes right on the vine. Although the fruits are perfectly tasty when ripe and eaten like any other fresh tomato, if you leave them on the plant after they turn red, they will dry perfectly and you can pick your own vine-ripened sun-dried tomatoes.
Another way to grow organic tomatoes with a difference is to grow them topsy-turvy. Upside down tomatoes are becoming the fashion statement in growing vegetables and fruits. These pre-potted plants can be hung from any area that gets full sun and most will fruit quite well without taking up much space. Whether you will grow your tomatoes any better this way is debatable, but the advantage is that they are cared for conveniently and that they take up so little space you can even grow organic tomatoes without needing a vegetable garden.
Sometimes the old becomes the new. Heirloom tomatoes are becoming more popular every year. Many people will swear that this is not only a way to grow tomatoes with a difference, but the only way to grow good, organic tomatoes. Heirloom vegetables are varieties that have been carefully, but naturally pollinated to grow true to form. They have been proven over time and most have excellent flavors and growing traits – the reason they've been grown over and over again, over time. There are many choices in heirloom tomatoes and there’s bound to be at least one that's perfect for your taste.
Look for your favorite tomato in giant size, tiny grape size or something in between. Grow your own tomatoes in purple, red, orange, yellow, green striped, spotted, or a combination of colors and blends. And keep an eye open for tomatoes with a difference that will be perfect for you to grow.
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Thank you for a very interesting article. I'll have to pass on the info to my senior mom who loves gardening. She'll be especially interested in those sun dried tomatoes. Fascinating. :)
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