460-Ripe Tomato Revolution: Practical Tips for Easier Growing
3/12/202643 min
Growing better tomatoes doesn't have to mean more work. Horticulturist, designer and author Frank Hyman says many common tomato-growing practices — like heavy pruning, frequent spraying and constant tinkering — may actually be unnecessary. Frank joins me this week to share practical ideas and inventive solutions that make growing healthy, productive tomato plants simpler and more successful.
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First 90 secondsJoe Lamp'l· Host0:00
Hi, everybody. I'm Joe Lamp'l, the Joe behind Joe Gardener, and welcome to The Joe Gardener Show. If you think you've got tomato growing figured out, you might wanna think again. Today's guest is challenging some of the most common advice that we've all heard about growing tomatoes, and backing it up with decades of real-world experience. Frank Hyman is an award-winning garden designer, longtime contributor to many gardening magazines, former farm manager, and nationally recognized horticulturist. He's designed and installed thousands of square feet of edible landscapes, and he's spent years testing what actually works in the garden, not just what gets repeated year after year. He's also written three books, including Hentopia and How to Forage Mushrooms Without Dying. In his new book, Ripe Tomato Revolution, Frank reexamines everything from pruning and staking to spacing, soil prep, and disease prevention. And in some cases, he turns conventional wisdom on its head. Tomatoes are the plant that hooks so many of us on gardening, but they're also the one that frustrates us the most. So today, we're digging into smarter strategies, better support systems, and practical shifts that can lead to healthier plants and better harvest. If you grow tomatoes, this conversation could change how you do it, so let's get started, and as we do, thanks to our sponsors for today's episode, Soil Cubed and Territorial Seed. You probably know by now, having access to high-quality compost is my not-so-secret weapon for the success