Varieties

• A Big Beef tomato, ready to eatBeef tomato image by Pefkos from Fotolia.com
  
  When planning your tomato garden, choosing a successful variety is essential. Widely used varieties include Better Boy, known for its high yield and large fruit, and Big Beef, known for its consistency and resistance to disease. Most tomatoes take around 70 to 75 days from planting to harvest. The Early Girl variety, however, matures in just over 50 days. Such early varieties are ideal for cold climates with limited growing seasons.
  
  

Planting

• Plant tomatoes after the last danger of frost has passed. If tomato vines are exposed to freezing temperatures, cover them with black plastic. Plant tomatoes 1.5 to 2 feet apart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart. In heavy clay or sandy soils, use peat moss, compost or other organic matter to enrich the soil.
  
  

Care

• A tomato vine supported by a cagetomato plant image by Tracy Horning from Fotolia.com
  
  Once you've planted your tomato seedlings, water them thoroughly and regularly throughout the growing season. Keep their plot free of weeds, which can leech nutrients from the soil. Tomato vines may also benefit from stakes, trellises or cages. When the first fruit appears, feed each plant 2 to 3 tbsp. of complete fertilizer every four to six weeks, taking care not to burn the leaves or stems.