SOIL: Well-drained soil that is high in organic matter is best. If your soil tends to be heavy or sandy, dig in Sloat Loam Builder or Sloat Forest Mulch Plus, which contains 15% chicken manure. Incorporate Agricultural Lime to insure a good supply of calcium, which prevents blossom end rot and helps build strong cell walls. SUN: Tomatoes require full sun. This is considered no less than 6 hours of direct sun per day. Plants will be weak and unhealthy with anything less. In cool areas, planting tomatoes against a sunny wall or fence will help in production and ripening of fruit. 

PLANTING: Make the planting hole extra deep. Plant the young tomatoes deep in the hole so that the first set of leaves is just above the soil level. Roots will form on the buried stem, creating a larger and stronger root system. If you use tomato cages, be sure to put them in place before the plants get too large.  Note: grafted tomato varieties should not be planted as deeply as regular tomatoes.  

Don't skimp on the size of the cage, because tomatoes WILL outgrow smaller cages and eventually fall over. A 1" x 1" stake that is 6 feet tall, driven firmly into the ground, will also provide adequate support. Place it one foot from the base of the plant. Tie the plant onto the stake as it grows. Use ties that will not cut or chafe the stem of the plant. Water young plants deeply and frequently, tapering off as fruit develops. Never water tomatoes from above because too much water on the leaves can cause disease problems, scalding and fruit crack. 

FERTILIZER: An all purpose fertilizer or vegetable food should be applied every two weeks, beginning when blossoms first appear. Maxsea All Purpose or E.B. Stone Organic Tomato & Vegetable Food are good choices.  

Mighty 'Mato grafted tomatoes are stronger and faster growing than regular tomato plants, and their harvests are much, much bigger. Mighty 'Mato has been bred to be resistant to pests, diseases, temperature extremes and poor soils, while producing long, abundant harvests of tasty fruit. 

Grafted tomatoes were first developed to allow gardeners in areas with cooler, short season climates (ie: Seattle, Portland and San Francisco) to grow and successfully harvest larger heirloom and heat loving tomatoes. As a result, increased yield and vigor has created demand for these tomatoes everywhere. 

Grafting is a process that joins the top part of one plant (the scion) to the root system of a separate plant (the rootstock). As their tissues heal, they fuse into one super plant that combines the rootstock's vigor and disease resistance with the scion's exceptional fruit quality and flavor, though this does not mean they are genetically modified. When planting, the graft must stay above soil level. Prune lateral suckers for best fruiting. Please note: Our grafted tomato quantities are limited. Shop early for the best selection!

 (from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook: Simple Suppers, 2005)

What a versatile dish this is!  You can use almost any kind of cheese and add leftover vegetables for the filing.  Also, you can stuff the tomatoes one day and bake them the next -- they're just as tasty!

6 medium homegrown tomatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)

Salt and pepper

2 1/2 cups grated cheese: cheddar, dilled havarti or fontina

1/2 cup finely chopped scallions

1 tsp. dried oregano, dill or thyme -- or 1 tb. chopped fresh

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Oil a baking dish that's large enough to hold the tomato halves side by side.  Place the tomato halves cut side up into the dish.  Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. 

In a bowl, combine the cheese, scallions and herbs.  Spoon the filing into the tomato halves. Cover the baking pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes longer. 

Enter your best strawberry recipe in our Spring Recipe Contest! If chosen your recipe will appear in our May Kitchen Gardener (about strawberries), and we'll send you a $25 Sloat Garden Center gift card. 

Send your entry, along with a picture of the finished dish, to: recipes@sloatgardens.com by May 1st, 2013. We will contact the contest winners soon thereafter.