Gardening: A tomato lover’s 7 tips for growing them big

Tomatoes are not only my favorite backyard crop — they’re also the most popular among American home gardeners. And it’s no wonder: Have you ever compared a supermarket tomato to a backyard one? The homegrown scent alone will transport you straight to summer.

Another benefit of growing your own tomatoes is variety. Seeds for yellow, black, pear-shaped and even giant tomatoes — which you won’t typically find in the produce aisle — are readily available in catalogs and many garden centers. And since my tomatoes-of-choice are large and lumpy, that’s typically how I roll.

I’m so enamored with them that while writing a garden column for Newsday in New York, I created and for 13 years hosted The Great Long Island Tomato Challenge, a gathering of fellow tomatophiles in search of the biggest fruit of the season (yes, tomatoes are technically fruits).

Over the years, I came face-to-face with many