By Vanessa Richins

There are quite a few interesting members of the Solanaceae, or Nightshade Family.

Of course, tomato is the most important, but here are some of the others.

Potatoes: We are all familiar with the potato. You should be careful planting potatoes and tomatoes near each other, because they can get some of the same diseases.

You could also save room in your garden and graft a tomato plant to the top of a potato plant. The yield for both will be less than if you Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

Maybe because I live less than two hours from Washington, D.C., or maybe because I have two young, curious children, or maybe because I am just that kind of geek, I love the Smithsonian.

An entire empire devoted to creative ways to save things and educate people – what’s not to love?

Oh, and did I mention it’s all free?

So I was particularly thrilled this month when Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

Remember the Salmonella Scare from this past summer?

The one in which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers about certain tomatoes, blaming our beloved ‘maters for over 1,000 illnesses and 200 hospitalizations around the country, but then backtracked and said that, on second thought, it looks like it was really jalapeño peppers that were the cause?

Well, a report from the University of Georgia estimates that the salmonella scare of this past summer cost Georgia’s economy approximately $25.7 million—and that is just one state.

To no one’s surprise, this past summer, eight Florida lawmakers introduced a bill asking for $100 million for tomato growers and others affected by what many claim was the FDA’s mishandling of the salmonella scare, and now, in a separate request, Georgia Representative Sanford Bishop (D) is asking the House of Representatives to consider giving $100 million to make up for such losses.

“We cannot have another summer like the past one,” Bishop said. “As long as this country produces a domestic supply of food and fiber, we will have incidences of contamination every now Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

The United Press International recently ran a story about a couple in Southern California who are very avid tomato growers.

They reported that Bill Anderson and his wife, Christine Griego had grown over 11,000 pounds of tomatoes in the past year, and was aiming to grow 15,000 pounds this year.

They were able to do all of this on a plot of land that is smaller than a quarter acre. The yard is almost exclusively tomato plants, with a few rose bushes and some trees thrown in.

Bill keeps very exacting Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

As reported by Jennifer Amato in the North-South Brunswick Sentinel, one corner of New Jersey is being attacked by 4-pound heirloom tomatoes.

OK, maybe they are more like welcome guests in Jim and Lynn Nicoletti’s backyard, which holds three 8-foot tomato plants.

Two of the largest tomatoes have weighed 4 pounds and three and a half pounds.

Jim Nicoletti has a few secrets for growing such large heirlooms. One is about watering: “I realized if I stopped watering the plants and started watering the roots, they grow better.”

Another thing that helps his tomatoes is Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

Check out this picture my brother sent me of a tomato he grew in his garden in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Wow, right?

How do you grow whopping tomatoes like this?

To be honest, I don’t usually even try, because I don’t have the patience. I’d rather eat a delicious normal-sized tomato, or ten, than wait for a whopper that I can brag to my friends about. Still, there’s something compelling about tomatoes the size of small dogs. They’re so county fair, so… summer.

If you want to try it, the first thing is to Read the rest of this entry »