Axios reporters take the tomato plant challenge
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Welcome to Chicago's traditional start of tomato gardening season.
What's happening: We're launching our first Axios tomato challenge, where each of us nurtures the same type of plant in our different environments to see who can produce the most or best fruits this summer.
- And we'd like you to play along.
State of play: Because none of us has a ton of traditional gardening space, we asked the Chicago Tomato Man, Bob Zeni, to advise us on the best option to suit:
- High-rise Carrie, who will need to garden on a south-facing windowsill
- Townhouse Justin, who wants something off the ground that won't attract rats.
- Three-flat Monica, who gardens on her back porch.
The plant: A Rosy Finch tabletop seedling that we picked up at one of Zeni's many Tomato Man pop-ups happening throughout May across the city and burbs.
- Other compact varieties include Golden Hour micro dwarfs or Little Bing cherry tomato plants available at local shops and nurseries.
What he's saying: The plants "should do well in the ground, in pots outdoors or even indoors with the right light," Zeni tells Axios.
- "Indoors, they won't be as productive because they need six to eight hours of sunlight every day, but if you have a south-facing window, that's good."
The big picture: "I always recommend these for people that are just starting out because they're so much easier to take care of than standard plants that get 6 to 8 feet, and you have all kinds of issues about staking and trimming," he said.
Cold facts: Despite the conventional "after-Mother's Day" timetable for outdoor planting, Chicago has proven unseasonably chilly this month. Zeni advises caution until nighttime lows remain above the mid-40s.
- He also urges folks to spend a week "hardening off" indoor-grown tomato seedlings. This means giving the plants outdoor exposure during the day followed by nights back inside.
- Justin and Monica will follow these instructions all week with our outdoor-bound plants.
- Once the seedlings are ready to stay outdoors, we'll lean on Zeni's growing tips all summer.
The judges? You! In a few months, we'll post pics of our best tomatoes and let readers decide the winner.
What's next: We're hoping you'll follow along, plant your own tomatoes and share tips and pics as we dig into our first virtual Axios garden club.