Ahh, tomatoes! Every gardener loves growing them, but they sure can break your heart. But...such heartbreak is no longer inevitable with Ripe Tomato Revolution.
Whether your favorite is a juicy beefsteak, a flavorful heirloom, or a sweet cherry, knowing how to grow tomatoes to near-perfection will save your gardening reputation and your sanity. Former organic tomato farmer and avid tomato home grower Frank Hyman has spent 40 years perfecting the art of 'mater cultivation and now he's ready to spill the proverbial beans with insight on everything from how to build the "World's Best Tomato Cage" to preventing common tomato buzz-killers, like late blight, hornworms, and blossom-end rot. In his classic folksy tone, Frank puts the fun back into tomato growing with advice overflowing with wit and wisdom.
Grow your BEST tomatoes ever by learning how to:
- Create the perfect tomato-growing soil and site
- Construct the best caging and trellising options, including the Cat's Cradle
- Select and use the best mulches for tomatoes
- Water tomatoes properly for healthier plants
- Overcome challenges such as pests, weeds, and diseases
- Choose the best tomato varieties
- Start seeds at home for the best results
- Maximize your yields and really "bring home the bacon" for that BLT! (All gardeners know who the real star of a great BLT is...)
Detailed illustrations throughout provide additional instruction on everything from constructing a tomato-protection shelter and capturing rainwater for tomato irrigation to making a critter-proof composting system to help feed your plants.
Use the detailed growing advice in RipeTomato Revolution and fall in love with growing tomatoes all over again.
"If you have a question about growing tomatoes, I can pretty much guarantee that Frank answers it in this book. And in addition to all the how-to information (which is comprehensive and accurate) you'll learn how to mimic the tomato's native habitat (so it feels at home!), why it IS safe to use pressure treated lumber in a raised bed (who knew?), and what the difference is between an unripe tomato and a green-ripe tomato just perfect for frying. Frank is not only an accomplished grower, but also a horticultural myth-buster who combines humor with science, which makes for excellent reading. This is by far the best tomato-growing book I have ever read."-- Ellen Zachos, author of How to Forage for Wild Foods Without Dying and Mythic Plants
"Whether you say to-may-to or to-mah-to, Frank Hyman's in-depth guide to growing tomatoes is absolutely indispensable and utterly captivating."-- Nevin Martell, author of How to Eat Foraged Food without Dying and The Founding Farmers Cookbook
"That is the best book on tomatoes for me...I have been gardening for 58 years and was really impressed with the book."-- Joan Airey, Agripost
Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1 Join the Revolution
CHAPTER 2 Beds for Tomatoes: Raised and Otherwise
CHAPTER 3 Organic Ingredients: Fertility, Water, Oxygen, and Sunshine
CHAPTER 4 Tomato Transplants or Seeds--You Decide
CHAPTER 5 Tomato Structures: DIY Tomato Towers, Cat's Cradles, and Tomato Houses
CHAPTER 6 Tomato Pests, Diseases, and Challenges: What They Are and How to Beat Them
CHAPTER 7 More Than One Way to Water
CHAPTER 8 Don't Let the Weather Give Your Tomatoes the Cold Shoulder
CHAPTER 9 Mulches: Birth Control for Weeds
CHAPTER 10 Best-in-the-Nation Compost Station
CHAPTER 11 Growing Tomatoes for Chefs
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Index
Frank Hyman studied horticulture at NCSU under one of the great horticulturists of all time, Dr. JC Raulston. He managed an organic tomato farm in North Carolina, selling tomatoes to chefs and small groceries. He has over 40 years of experience growing tomatoes at home and sells the "World's Best Tomato Tower" to local gardeners, farmers, and homesteaders near his home in Durham, North Carolina. He has written hundreds of articles and essays for publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Organic Gardening, Urban Farm, Hobby Farms, Mother Earth News, Horticulture, Fine Gardening, and more. He is the owner of Cottage Garden Landscaping, a design/build/plant business, and is an award-winning garden designer.