Deciding what variety of the myriad available is probably the hardest part. In the spring your garden center will have tomato seedlings for you to choose from. You can also choose to grow your plant from seed, or a cutting from a tomato plant that is established. The only rule is you want to choose a tomato that is an indeterminate grower (meaning it doesn't stop producing fruit and flowers).

After you have chosen your tomato, you will want to put it in a pot. The pot size will determine the size of the finished tomato to a certain extent. If you want a small plant that will sit on a windowsill, then choose a pot that will fit nicely with a drip tray on the windowsill, or perhaps you want a tall bush that will sit on the floor next to your favorite chair. The pot should have drain holes, but if the pot of our choice doesn't then you can insert one that has a drain hole in the decorative pot.

When watering your plant, use a weak solution of plant fertilizer. Tomatoes are heavy feeders so you will not over fertilize if you mix the plant food about 1/4th the usual strength.

Unless you are starting your tomato from seed, you will want to dig a shallow trench across the pot, ending the trench in the center. Place the roots near the edge of the pot, and then lay the tomato down in the trench. Any leaves that are lying in the trench should be clipped off. Now bury the roots and part of the stem, gently pressing the soil against the roots and stem. Your plant will be lying down, but over the next few weeks it should angle up, if not then encourage it to grow upwards with a small stake. Water with tap water or weak plant food solution for transplants.

Your tomato will do best in a very sunny location, preferably a south-facing window, but if a southern window is not available, you can supplement the light with grow lights, or daily trips to a sheltered location. Water your tomato when the soil is dry on the surface. Don't worry about over watering, since tomatoes don't mind roots that are slightly moist. Some of the best plants have been grown when I keep them in a drip tray that is kept full of water.

You should notice new growth in about a week. If your tomato starts to get leggy or lean to one side then you will need to turn the pot more often, and provide extra light. Many times a simple foil reflector placed to reflect more light onto the plant will encourage more vigorous growth. If this doesn't work after a week or so, then placing your plant closer to the window or outside for two or three hours in the sunlight will correct the problem. Tomatoes can easily become frost bitten. If you need to provide extra sunlight and the outside temperatures are below freezing, or their is a cold wind blowing try placing your plant in a car that is parked in the sun for a few hours.

Tomatoes are perennials, so will grow and produce fruit and flowers year round if you can provide the required amount of sunlight, and warmth. As your tomato grows it will send out side shoots. You should allow a few of these to develop into branches, but pinch or clip off the others. The clipping and pinching will encourage your plant to bush out and become an appealing healthy plant. You may need to stake the plant if it becomes tall or top heavy. I have seen some very decorative plant stakes, including a friend who placed a tomato in a silk fig tree and just tied the tomato to the silk plant.

When you notice the first signs of blossoms on your plant, you will know that you have the sunlight and water just right. Let the flowers open fully, and then spray lightly with a commercially available blossom set. Tomatoes are "self" pollinating, so unless you're trying to produce a hybrid, nothing more needs to be done.The small tomatoes that will form are a reward for a job well done.

A word of caution here, tomato leaves are poisonous, so take care if you grow your tomato near small children or pets.

Bring a little of the summer goodness into your home, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Tomatoes grown at home have a flavor more intense than those commercially grown.

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