There are primarily two different types of tomato plants: Determinate and Indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes grow to a certain height, typically no more than 4 feet, and tend to bush out. Indeterminate tomatoes grow more in a vining nature and can get as tall as 10 feet. Many people pinch off the suckers in order to train an indeterminate tomato, although this is not necessary. So next time you buy your tomato plants look to see if you're buying Determinate or Indeterminate plants.

Tomatoes need good soil drainage. Be especially careful if you're planting your tomatoes in pots. Make sure the pot has plenty of drain holes in the bottom and will not retain water for too long. If you water your tomato and come back in a couple of hours and still see water in the pot, you do not have good drainage. If you're planting your tomatoes in the ground, be sure to plant them in an area that does not remain wet long after a rain. But of course, if you have a Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter, you don't have to worry about the drainage. Get your Topsy Turvy here:

Don't have a lot of space to plant? That's probably the case if you're considering the topsy turvy tomato planter. The square foot gardening technique may be a great solution for you if you have limited space. I've had much success with my tomatoes in a 4x4 square foot garden block. The tomato plants seem to love Mel's soil mix. The funny thing about his soil mix is that it doesn't contain soil! I recommend buying his book and experimenting with his techniques:

I'm a little shocked and amazed at one of my cherry tomato plants. It has survived 2 freezes (one of which was around 26 F) and golf ball size hail. I obviously covered the little tomato plant on those cold nights, but it wasn't looking so good for a few days after. The hail stripped some of the branches off the poor guy, but he didn't get too many direct hits luckily. Earlier this week, I've noticed a lot of new growth and some flowers starting! I'm amazed!

What is the perfect time to pick a tomato? This depends on your likes. If you're going to fry some green tomatoes, then pick them while they're still green. If you'll be using the tomato in a few days, you can pick it while it's green or yellow and let it ripen in the house. Or you can pick it after it has ripened on the vine. Experiment and see what works out best for you. Just don't put your tomatoes in the refrigerator as they'll lose all their taste.