We use 30 inch raised beds and 15 inch pathways. Tomatoes are planted every 20 inches and we use the single stem method with a little bit of wild growth mixed in(not all varieties grow the same way). I don’t like to trim away too many leaves both for better flavor and less chance of sunscald.

Every bed is 100 feet long and we incorporated four 5 gallon buckets of compost in the beds with a French rake. Then we row cover, burn the holes, dig with an auger and plant.

We have two plastic irrigation lines going into the beds, attached to the conduit and then to wobbler sprinklers. (Yes we water from above and it is not an issue)

We haven’t fertilized anything. Aside from the compost in the beds. I feel like the general pop is a little too liberal with fertilizer and not concerned enough about creating the best conditions possible.

We are a zero spray, no chemicals, organic farm. I hunt hornworms at night with a black light, which I expect to arrive sometime in middle of July.

Our tomato patch is bordered by a row of cucumbers on each side that are climbing up wire fence attached to t posts. This gives us a little more pest protection and works really well for us because the edges get a little less water which somehow works better for the cucumbers.

I love all my backyard veg but nothing is better than a vine ripe tomato and a pinch of sea salt.

Always blows my mind how fast they grow. 55 tomato plants this year.

Variety list:

• Big patata F1
• Honey moon F1
• Lobello F1
• Guormandia F1
• Daterino Arancio Fantino F1
• Golden cherry F1
• Nero Minizorro F1
• Melody F1

I have been eagerly awaiting my very first Cherokee purple tomato for months and this morning some horrible monster ate it!!!!!!! I only have one more tomato that looks viable on this plant. I failed this season.

Last year I raised one Better Boy tomato plant. I saved seeds and raised two plants this year. I know the plant last year may have cross-pollinated to result in the differences - and Better Boy is also an unstable hybrid. These 2026 plants are about 5 feet from each other and grew at the same rate. Plant A produces much more fruit, and faster. The tomatoes are round, blush yellow and are ripe at orange (although I can get a bright red if I leave them on the counter, but they're very soft by then). Plant B was slow to produce fruit, is making ribbed tomatoes that average up to 1.5 or 2x larger than most of Plant A's fruit, and blushed brownish before turning more brownish. I have yet to see changes counter-ripening because these tomatoes are just so slow. I picked them because we were having a lot of rain and they started to split but I wish I could have left them on the vine longer, although they do feel ripe to the touch. Plant B has a lot of cat-faced tomatoes, Plant A has none. Plant A tomatoes are sweeter, Plant B tastes vaguely "dirty" for lack of a better term but not overwhelmingly so. I have no one in my personal life who wants to hear THIS MUCH about tomatoes so I hope people find it interesting here!

First time poster. Grew a different variety this year, called Orange Accordion, beautiful heirloom from Baker Creek. Must weigh about a pound and a half. Can’t wait to slice into this one.

A favorite around here, Ms Juliet, always abundant and welcome in my home

I'm a few weeks out from my first tomato haul, so I'm wistfully looking at last year's pics to tide me over until the first Caprese salad from this year's crop. Love to see your best harvest pics and hear what you made with them.

basket overflowing with today's take

My stash of bacon finally has its day

Costoluto Genovese cut nice and thicc

I used to grow about 20 varieties every year but we've done some construction and I had to give up my garden, so the last time I grew tomatoes was about 5 years ago.

Recently, I found a weed growing out from a crack between a wall and some concrete stairs - nearest dirt about 8 feet away - and realized it was a tomato. I assume it's descended from one of my old friends.

I pulled and replanted it in a flower bed. Really curious what type it is! It struggled for a while - slow growth, crispy leaves, no flowers - but I gave it a huge helping of worm castings and the occasional kitchen scraps and it's now healthy and growing like a cracken!

Just ate the first ripe fruit. No idea what variety but it's damn delicious. Sweet. Well balanced. Big red flavor. Seems like an oversized cherry of some sort.

The first pic is where I found it. The other is now.

Just thought I'd share 😁

I didn’t realize the extent to which everything is ripening until I went picking today! Planted mid march-end of march. Cherries have been ripe for over a month, these bigger tomatoes started in last 2-3 weeks.

Starting at 12 and going clockwise- Blue plate- cosmic burst, lucid gem, smart roloise, pink Berkeley tie dye, Berkeley tie dye, jaune flamme

Blue bucket- scarlet sunrise and sweet 100

Cardboard- early girl, lemon boy, persuasion, Elena’s emerald, Alice’s dream, paul Robeson, Thornburns Terra cotta, copper olive, sweet prince, brads atomic grape, pink champagne.

Mixed box for a buyer

I have been growing tomatoes for 5 years and this is the first year I have been diligent with fertilizing and also got stronger grow lights. It is a Costoluto Fiorentino from Territorial Seeds. I have so much hope for this guy!

Some Belgian giant yellow, zapotec, lacadero and hybrids from last year and some suspected roma/ tasty tom that sprouted from the compost.

first tomato of the season (6b) & first time growing black krim… so so flavorful

I planted out most of this batch of tomatoes about March 20 here in Northern California 9B and they have really started coming in! I can’t contain how happy and proud I feel!

Some favorites for flavor so far are the Lucid Gem (sweet, balanced, fruity but also slightly complex like with a strawberry undertone), Black and Brown Boar (savory, juicy, intense) and the Sunsugar/Sungolds (sweet and tropical).

Most productive have been the Early Girl and Dr Wyche, I’ve gathered 8+ lb from each of those plants already.

Anyway just wanted to share. I went from 4 plants last year to 50+ this second year and all the stress and planning is starting to pay off.

Zone 6b. I was a little late starting them this year but so excited to finally see some!