This week, I am going to pick up where I left off on the irrigating (watering) paragraph. I am amused when people call in and tell me that their tomato plants are 10 feet tall with no blossoms or fruit set.Upon questioning them, I’m told that they are faithfully watering and feeding the plants, and then I get to tell them that they have the happiest tomatoes in the county. The plants are putting out lush growth and feel no need to try to reproduce themselves … They’re just so happy to be growing. Life is good!Add a little stress into this scenario, and those same plants will bloom up a storm. Yes, you can be too good to your tomatoes. Once you have fruit set, you can start that faithful watering and feeding and you’ll be rewarded with the best fruit you could ask for. Prior to fruit set, that tender loving care will get you a plant that is fat and lazy! Another tip for growing good tomatoes is adding a thick layer of mulch out two feet around the base of the plants. Grass clippings work well for me. The mulch helps retain moisture and eliminates the need to weed around the base of the plant. Tomatoes have roots close to the surface of the soil, so if you get in there hoeing the weeds, you’re also chopping off roots … not a good plan.Also, keeping the soil moisture uniform, you greatly reduce the chance of the fruit developing blossom end rot. Every variety of tomato plants we sell is blight resistant … not meaning blight proof. Our summer weather is the perfect recipe for blight developing, so the resistance helps, but you may get to battle anyway. We sell several sprays that do a great job of eliminating blight if you apply the spray before it’s too late and if you do a thorough job with spray coverage … top and under sides of the foliage. Blight most often shows up as yellow spots on the lower leaves … the leaf color progresses to total yellow and dies. The blight rapidly moves up to higher foliage and will eventually kill the entire plant. Without foliage to shade them, the tomatoes sunburn. While talking tomato varieties, I also want you to know that there are two classifications of tomatoes … determinate plants produce one main large crop and then die … indeterminate plants produce over the entire season. The advantage of determinate is to people who want to can or process the fruit. You get most of it in one shot and are done. Those of us who like them for fresh eating would choose an indeterminate variety for an extended harvest season.The right variety, a "full sun" location, ample water and feed after fruit set, mulch and a watchful eye for blight … there’s your recipe for success with tomatoes. And yes, I’ve picked my first ripe tomatoes of the summer … they’re great!