by Sharon Meyer

Created on: January 13, 2009   Last Updated: January 26, 2009

Are you tired of those really bland tasting tomatoes that you buy from your local grocery store ? Why bother buying tasteless tomatoes when you can grow your own from seed. It's easy, start up costs are minimum and the end result will be very rewarding to your palate.

The first thing you need to know is to choose your seed wisely. Most backyard tomato growers only grow Heirloom Tomatoes. Heirloom Tomatoes are those tomato seeds who have been grown and passed down from generation to generation. They are not patented or genetically modified seed. These seed produce plants of various sizes and tomatoes of all colors in the rainbow. Imagine going out to your garden and picking your own fresh tomato whose color is black, white, purple, green, red, striped or yellow and whose size can vary from tiny little cherry tomatoes to goliath plate sized tomatoes. The down side to heirloom varieties is that unlike hybrids they are not resistant to the plant disease of verticillium wilt or fusarium blight or nematodes which can wipe your tomato crop out.

Your first step will be finding your seed. Heirloom tomato seed is not the type of seed you will find at your local plant nursery. You will need to use the internet to search for vendors of heirloom tomatoes. There are many proud providers of heirloom seeds found on line. Hybrids that are VFN resistant are easy to find in catalogs or your local gardening center.

After you order your seed and are waiting for them to arrive , head to your local garden supply store and get yourself some Miracle Gro potting soil and your choice of containers to start your seed in. Now is a good time to decide whether you want to grow your plants in a garden bed or if you have very little space you'd like to try your hand at container gardening. If you want to try your hand at container gardening , tomatoes grow very nicely in five gallon buckets which you can get very cheap at gardening centers or your local donut shop for FREE. Just remember to drill four holes through the bottom for good drainage and add a layer of stone first both to help with drainage and to prevent your soil from washing out.

When your seeds arrive you are all ready to start planting. Remember , you don't want to plant your seed too deep. Just under the soil line is perfect. Keep your soil moist but not too wet. You don't want your seedlings to rot. A great way to water your newly sown seed without drenching them is to use a spray bottle with a mist setting. Slowly mist the first

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