Here's the secret to growing tasty tomatoes

It's not that hard, say two longtime tomato growers.

As a tomato-growing novice, the first thing to do is figure out the type of tomato you want. When it comes to tomatoes, the varieties are endless. Heirlooms are a favorite of local grower Sandy Burrell, owner of Northern Tropics Greenhouse. But even heirlooms aren't all the same, Burrell said as she ticked off varieties that are black, purple, white, brown and fuzzy like a peach!

"Heirlooms come in a wide range of colors," said Burrell, who has 165 varieties of tomatoes. "That's one of the things that attracted me to them; also different sizes. We have ones that are green when they're ripe, red when they're ripe, yellow and red striped. We have ones that are green when they're ripe and they taste like red."

Tom Leonard also is partial to heirloom, but his favorite type is an heirloom brandywine.

"It just tastes good," Leonard said of the tomato. "The big challenge in tomato growing is to get tomatoes early. You can buy the tomato plants, or you can start them from seeds. You have to have a lot of light, and if you put your light right almost on top of the plant, that's the best approach."

If your mouth is watering just thinking about biting into a big, juicy tomato this summer, slow down. Tomato planting season is just getting under way. New plants will have fruit in late July or early August, and older plants might produce tomatoes around July 4, Burrell said.

"Don't be in a big rush to put them outside in the garden because they are sensitive to cold," Leonard added. "In the night, temperatures under 50 degrees, they don't like. If you have them out in the garden and you get a frost, it would kill a tomato plant."

The decision of where to plant the tomato also is important. It doesn't matter whether you choose to do hanging tomatoes, tomatoes in a pot or a traditional garden, tomatoes need about five to six hours of direct sunlight a day, so too much shade is a definite no-no.

Also, make sure your tomatoes get about an inch of water a week. Too much water can cause blossom-end rot and not enough water or inconsistent watering causes cracks, Burrell said.

One more thing: Not enough light can make tomato plants "tall and spindly" instead of stocky, Leonard added.

"They need water and fertilizer and sun; that's the three ingredients they're going to need," Burrell said.