One of the things that I always look forward to during the summer is the taste of a homegrown tomato right out of my garden. You probably feel the same way and that is why you plan to buy some tomato plants at the Ellis County Master Gardener Plant Expo on March 23 at the Waxahachie Civic Center.
If you are new to growing tomatoes in Texas or have not been happy with your results, here are a few things to consider to ensure that you have a good crop.
First, there two categories of tomato plants.
Determinate plants have an expected size and growing pattern, will not necessarily need
staking but can be staked, and they bear fruit at a specific time.
Indeterminate plants are more often vining, have no definite size or shape, will usually need a trellis to grow on, and bear fruit all season long.
Second, if you expect great tomatoes, they need well-draining soil and will need additional fertilizing during the growing season. Additional fertilizing starts when the first fruits reach about 1 inch in size and then every four weeks after that.
Third, your tomato-growing success depends on how you plant the tomatoes.
It may sound illogical, but your tomatoes should be planted slightly deeper than where they are in the pot. Very small plants can be planted at current soil depth while medium plants should be planted an additional 2 to 3 inches below soil level after pinching off the bottom leaves. Larger plants (particularly the indeterminate varieties) can be planted deeper by bending the stem in an “L” shape on the bottom of your hole after the leaves on the plant below ground level have been removed. It may sound wrong, but tomatoes are all essentially vines and will happily grow more roots on the buried stems to increase their ability to reach water and nutrients.
Fourth, tomatoes need water.
If you leave a shallow depression around your tomato’s stem, it will help channel water to the plant. Tomatoes need to be watered slowly and deeply. How often depends on the temperature, wind, and amount of direct summer sun. Inadequate water will result in withered plants and small fruit. I purchased a moisture meter to help.
A caution is important here: do not water your tomatoes from the top. Tomatoes get a fungal disease called early tomato blight. The blight fungus overwinters in the soil and overhead watering causes the spores to be splashed up onto the lower leaves. Once the blight starts showing itself, it is very hard to control. I will follow up with a later article explaining how to control the blight. I have found that laying a soaker hose alongside my tomatoes works well and can be put on a timer.
Fifth, support your plants.
Tomato plants can make some very heavy fruit (we all hope) and will need some help supporting them.
Determinate tomatoes can be supported with a commercial tomato cage, think bigger = better. You can make a cage out of reinforcing wire by cutting a section and bending it into a cylinder. I have also made a support out of old bamboo canes and tied the tomato limbs to the canes.
Indeterminate tomatoes are going to need additional support beyond the cages. I plant my indeterminate tomatoes so that they will have additional reinforcing wire to climb. 
Good luck with your tomatoes and may yours have so many fruit that you will have to share your abundance.
by Rob Franks, ECMG
Additional resource from Agie Horticulture:
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/09/EHT-043.pdf