Tomato strategies for 2014

By Chris Winslow.

I like to think of it as my favorite time of year, my ‘Rite of Spring,’ when I go outside to plant America’s favorite backyard vegetable, the tomato. 

The experts at Texas A&M place mid-March as the start of tomato planting season, which coincides with the last average frost date. Planting them early is always a risk but rewards are plentiful if you can protect them from late season freezes and frosts. This means more fruit set before the arrival of warm weather, which takes such a toll on large fruit production.