Gardening: A tomato lover's 7 tips for growing them big

Tomatoes are not only my favorite backyard crop -- they’re also the most popular among American home gardeners. And it’s no wonder: Have you ever compared a supermarket tomato to a backyard one? The homegrown scent alone will transport you straight to summer.

Another benefit of growing your own tomatoes is variety. Seeds for yellow, black, pear-shaped and even giant tomatoes -- which you won’t typically find in the produce aisle -- are readily available in catalogs and many garden centers. And since my tomatoes-of-choice are large and lumpy, that’s typically how I roll.

I’m so enamored with them that while writing a garden column for Newsday in New York, I created and for 13 years hosted The Great Long Island Tomato Challenge, a gathering of fellow tomatophiles in search of the biggest fruit of the season (yes, tomatoes are technically fruits).

Over the years, I came face-to-face with many beautiful, sweetly scented, giant tomatoes, including a 5 lb., 4 oz., beauty that was the largest ever entered into the competition — not to mention heavier than some newborn humans.

I also got to meet and speak with the competitive tomato growers who raised those champions, and it didn’t take long to notice some commonalities in practice among them.

But first things first: Although tomato plants can be a little fussy, they aren’t difficult to grow. Give them consistent watering (deep and infrequent trumps a daily sprinkle), well-draining soil (incorporate generous helpings of compost into beds or containers at planting time), plenty of heat and light (direct, unobstructed sunshine for a minimum of 6 hours daily is best) and a slow-release, balanced fertilizer formulated for tomatoes.

Keeping beds well-weeded will remove breeding grounds for pests and diseases while eliminating...