My brother brought back some plants that the garden center gave him for free since it was end of season and they were very weak and almost dying.
My dad's not a huge gardener at all but he watched some videos and set up a little station in the yard to plant them and water them. They're looking amazing so far and other than the plant the rabbits decided to dig up and steal (roots and all) they're all much healthier! He says he's gotten about three tomatoes so far and he loves it.
Just posting to share and maybe get some tips on how to grow them easily (since he's busy) and when to know when they're ripe. There are a few different varieties but we're not sure which ones are which and how to tell when they're good to eat! When to fertilize, how to protect when weather gets cold, when to do so, etc.
Get some Tomato Tone fertilizer (organic, easy to use) and feed the plants every few weeks as directed. Weed those beds and put down mulch of some kind like straw or seedless hay. It’ll help prevent weeds from regrowing and retain moisture in the heat.
Keep them watered consistently; tomatoes will get stretch marks or other deformations if not watered on a schedule of some sort. I’ll water every other day as needed if it hasn’t rained.
Tomatoes are ready to harvest when they blush, or show signs of pink/re on the bottom. You can then bring them inside to fully ripen on the counter. This serves two purposes: it prevents bugs or critters from eating your hard earned work before it fully ripens and prompts the plant to produce more flowers, thus more fruit.
If I don’t pull my tomatoes when they blush, the bugs destroy them very quickly. Most tomatoes are ready to eat when deep red, unless you’re growing a yellow variety or want to eat fried green tomatoes and pull them early.
One last tip: cut any “suckers” that grow between branches. A quick YouTube search should demonstrate. Cutting suckers focuses growth into the fruits instead of more plant.