About
So who am I, owner of Homegrown Tomatoes? And why am I writing about growing tomatoes?
The short answer is that I was tired of those plastic-tasting tomatoes in the grocery store — yuck! I wanted tomatoes that actually tasted like tomatoes, and to get them, I figured I’d have to grow my own.
The longer answer is below. 
My Name is Gail and I Love Tomatoes!
I’m Gail Nettles, the owner of this site, chief writer and tomato-tester (meaning I love eating the ripe tomatoes). Here’s how I got started on my tomato growing journey.
Let’s see, about 16 years ago, my husband (David) and I moved into this house. We have a bit of land, so I figured it was time to grow myself a garden. Not only for the great-tasting produce, but also I wanted to grow my veggies as organically as possible.
So I read and read and read more about growing vegetables. And since tomatoes love a warm climate (South Florida is indeed warm), they caught my interest. So I started perusing the seed catalogs and haunting the garden shops for different tomato varieties.
Wow! I had been used to a red tomato, with the occasional yellow, but I didn’t know they came in so many colors and shapes! Black, striped, green (even when ripe), orange and purple are just a few of the colors. And there are round, oval, square (yes, square) and banana-shapped tomatoes. Sizes? From teeny-tiny micro-cherry sizes all the way up to whoppers that you have to hold in both hands.
So, I was hooked on tomatoes and tried growing all kinds. Determinates, indeterminates, hybrids, heirlooms….they were all fair game.
Along the way, as I shared some of my bounty, friends were asking me how they could grow their own tomatoes. After trying to tell them a few times, I figured that I may as well share my knowledge with everyone.
So, welcome to Homegrown Tomatoes! Glad you could stop by, and I hope you enjoy your stay here. Come back often, send friends, link to me…just get the word out on how easy it really is to grow vine-ripe tomatoes!
