Genetics plays a major part in a tomato’s overall characteristics, but the fruit’s ultimate taste and performance depends on providing the right growing conditions. Tomatoes grow best in a slightly acidic, humus-rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8. Choose your sunniest spot for growing tomatoes as most varieties do best with at least six hours daily of direct summer sun. Anything less and the flavor will not fully develop.

Good soil is important, so have your soil tested before planting so you can adjust the pH level and supplement any important nutrients that are lacking. Before planting, I usually mix in a shovelful of rich compost or aged manure per plant. Decomposed organic matter such as this improves the structure of the soil and gives roots easy access to water, air, and nutrients. It also promotes populations of beneficial microorganisms that help fight disease and convert nutrients into a plant-friendly form.

You can sow seeds directly in the ground in warmer regions. In colder regions, start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before your last frost date. Harden off your seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions for five to seven days before transplanting them into the garden.

When growing your own transplants from seed, you’ll produce a sturdier stock by gently brushing your hands across the tops of seedlings for a minute or two each day. The breeze from an electric fan can also produce the same effect. When you’re ready to put transplants in the ground, remove the lower leaves and plant the bulk of the stem in the soil. New roots will form along the buried section, encouraging a healthier and faster-growing plant.

Growing For Flavor

If you want lots of flavor, make sure your plant has lots of foliage. Since leaves manufacture the sugars that feed the fruit, a plant with a high foliage-to-fruit ratio will always have better flavor—making a good case for not pinching suckers!

Phosphorus, potassium, and calcium are essential for growing healthy plants and tasty fruit. Tomatoes also thrive on flavor-enhancing trace minerals. Granite and rock dust are excellent sources. So are seaweed or kelp-based products. I like to apply a complete organic fertilizer at planting time and again when the fruits are setting.

After planting, apply a layer of mulch to conserve water and help cut down on time spent weeding; that way, tomatoes don’t have to share soil nutrients with weeds. Moisture levels beneath the mulch are more even, which helps to prevent fruit cracking and blossom end rot, an unsightly decay of the fruit’s blossom end. Other contributing culprits of this disease include excess nitrogen or insufficient calcium.

Water deeply and consistently. Too much water dilutes the taste; too little inhibits flavor production as fruits are developing. However, cut down on watering once fruits reach full size and begin to color. Slightly stressing the plant as fruits near harvest helps to intensify the flavor. And be sure to get the fruit off the ground, either by staking, trellising, or caging your plants. The added light and air circulation results in earlier and richer tasting fruit.

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