Tomatoes are easy and popular to grow. I saw a cooking show once where they made a salad with several varieties of tomato, and I was surprised at the sheer number of colors involved. I decided that I wanted to grow a variety of tomatoes rather than the usual plain red ones, so I bought yellow, red, and striped tomatoes, the only variety I could really find.
Young tomato plants have to be planted about two thirds of the way into the ground in order to establish a strong root system. (You don't have to pull off the leaves that are getting buried.) Tomatoes need a support system, so I use the cheap metal tomato cages. They get terrible reviews for blowing down in winter storms, but mine have survived hurricane season, so I'm not very worried. I think it's a matter of getting them stuck firmly into the ground. You can secure them with a stake if you wish.
Tomatoes love sun, so plant them in the sunniest spot of your vegetable patch. I give mine a little tomato food (prepackaged mix from the garden center) every now and then, and they love it. The plants have tripled in size since I planted them, and the smallest tomatoes are now appearing. I can't wait for the harvest.
