5 Reasons I Love Growing Tomatoes (And Why Beginners Should Start Here)

Hey frenns! Let’s talk about one of my absolute favorite fruits to grow: tomatoes. Yep, tomatoes are technically a fruit—and they’re one of the most beginner-friendly crops around. In my book Harvesting Joy, I talk about the distinction between fruits and vegetables. 

In my book, I also share about how to grow tomatoes, but now I’m sharing why I love tomatoes and why they are so beginner friendly. 

Tomatoes are low-maintenance.

In gardening there are certain veggie babies that you will come to love and grow more than others. The ones I tend to love are those that are low maintenance. And tomatoes- no matter what variety are generally low maintenance. Tomatoes do not need much more than good sunlight, well drained soil and fertilizer to grow. They also grow easily in either a large raised bed, a container bed or even a pot. They are also easy to start from seed or a starter. 

Tomatoes are Instant Garden Rewards 

Tomatoes grow very quickly. As a new gardener its so fun to see progress quickly. It’s a little nod from the earth that says “yep you’re doing this right.” When you first start growing tomatoes, within maybe a few weeks you will start to see yellow flowers. Those are the buds through which the pollinators will use to help your babies grow. 

There are so many varieties of tomatoes. 

There are types of tomatoes for every type of person. This year in my garden, I am growing better boys, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, roma (and 3 others, LOL). I will not get into indeterminate vs. determinate (that’s a little beyond beginner necessity knowledge). There are tomatoes for every type of purpose. Which brings me to my next reason why I love them.

Tomatoes are versatile.

Tomatoes are used for nearly everything! They give such a unique burst of flavor, acidity and sweetness to most dishes. I have used my tomatoes (various variety) for salsa, salad, fruit salad, tomato and cucumber salad (we will discuss cucumbers at another time), and pasta sauce. And of course, this southern girl LOVES frying up green tomatoes.

Of course this Southern girl has a recipe you can use!

Tomatoes teach patience. 

If you don’t want to indulge in green tomatoes you have to wait until they turn red. The other day someone asked me on Facebook what can they do to help their tomatoes turn ‘red.’There are a lot of scientific reasons but usually if it is too hot, they won’t turn.

Tomatoes teach and try your patience. But I would not be WIndyCityPeach if I did not give you tips to turn them “more quickly.” If you want your tomatoes to turn here are two tips I’ve tried, that work. 1. You can sun ripen them on the counter or on your (inside) kitchen window seal. Place them in a bowl and they will eventually turn. Another way to get them to turn is to take a red apple and place that in a bowl with the green tomato. The chemical that apples give off speeds up the color process. HOWEVER you know the saying one bad apple will ruin the whole bunch? It’s true- so be careful. Your tomatoes will ripen very quickly. 

Want more helpful tips like this and want to learn how to grow a tomato? My beginner’s gardening book *Harvesting Joy* breaks it all down. From seed to harvest! 

Ready to grow your own tomatoes with confidence? My book Harvesting Joy: A Beginner’s Gardening Guide walks you step-by-step through the entire process—from soil prep to harvest. Grab your copy and let’s get growing!