It happens every summer. I wander into the backyard of a friend and discover a pitiful tomato plant, neglected and desperately struggling to produce a few yellow blossoms. Meanwhile, in my small suburban backyard, I have a jungle of tomatoes rapidly taking over my raised bed. Vines soar six feet into the air, filled to the brim with juicy fruit waiting to be transformed into salsas, sauces, or sprinkled with a bit of salt and devoured right in the backyard.

People tell me that I have a green thumb. I disagree. I simply know the secrets to a successful tomato crop. I also know that after the initial set up, it really doesn’t take much work at all to produce the bumper crop of your dreams. Here are 10 of my favorite tomato growing tips.

Warning: there is nothing quite like a home grown tomato. After making sandwiches, sauces, and salsas with the real deal, you will become addicted. Store-bought tomatoes will taste like bland mush.

Tomato Growing Tips for a Successful Tomato Crop

1. Select the Right Seed or Plant

The first key to a successful tomato crop is to pick the right tomato for your backyard. There are dozens of varieties specially bred for a variety of needs. Some are designed for climates with short, cool growing seasons. Many are great for slicing, while others are bred for using in sauces.

Selecting the right tomato plant may seem a bit daunting to first timers, but once you know which questions to ask yourself, you will feel like a kid in a candy store while strolling down your local nursery’s vegetable aisle.

Check out my post on 5 questions to ask yourself before purchasing a tomato plant and discover all you need to know about tomato selection.

2. Plant at the Right Time

Tomatoes do best when the days are warm and the nights are cool, but not cold. Frost will kill a tomato plant, so it is best to plant as soon as the danger of frost has passed in the spring.

You can find your local frost dates in the Farmer’s Almanac. In Orange County (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 10a) where there is no real danger of frost, I typically plant in March. When I lived in Sacramento (Zone 9b), I tended to plant towards the middle of April. Visitthe USDA Plant Hardiness website to find out which zone you live in.

If you live in the Western United States, I highly suggest familiarizing yourself with Sunset’s climate zones. They take into account micro-climates and offer great insight into the specifics of what can successfully grow on your little dot on the map. In South Orange County, I currently live in zone 23, which is subtropical and great for growing all sorts of citrus, avocados, and yes, tomatoes.

3. Tomato Growing is All About Location, Location, Location

Tomatoes like sun. This means, it is crucial that you plant tomatoes in a spot that gets at least six hours of sun in order to have a crop. You want at least eight hours of sun to have a bountiful crop.

These hours of sunshine do not need to be consecutive. If you aren’t willing or able to give your tomatoes six hours of sun, don’t even bother planting them.  This is not one of those tomato growing tips that you can ignore. You will end up with piddly, disappointing plants.

If you are planting near a wall, house, tree, or other shade-producing structure, pay attention to which hours your plot will be receiving sun. I like planting my tomatoes in a spot that will get a decent amount of afternoon sun because tomatoes love heat.

If you live in a climate that experiences more extreme heat, such as the desert, you may want to focus more on the earlier sun and not plant next to a cement wall, which will further radiate heat.

While tomatoes can grow in compact spaces, they do need some room to grow. I suggest planting seedlings at least 18-24 inches apart.

4. Tomato Growing is Also All About the Dirt

This is one of those tomato growing tips that should not be ignored, especially if you want to produce a big crop. Planting your tomatoes in the wrong soil is like feeding your kids a diet entirely of fast food. They will probably survive, but they will be completely unhealthy and never reach their full potential.

Tomatoes grow fast and pull nutrients from the soil in order to produce fruit. They grow best in soil that that is slightly acidic, with a pH of 6.0-6.8. I don’t typically test the pH of my soil (but it is easy to do with a pH test meter) because I grow my vegetables in raised beds, which are filled with good top soil mixed with 2-3 inches of compost.

Raised beds should be at least 12 inches deep. It is important that you mix in some new compost each year to retain the health of your soil year after year. I highly recommend growing in raised beds, especially if you are trying to be productive in a small amount of space.

If you are planting directly in the ground, test your soil to see what you are working with. You will need to break up your soil (especially if you have clay soil) and likely have to amend it in order to achieve the proper pH (typically by adding sulfur or lime). Soil should be tilled to the depth of 6-8 inches. Compost should also be added to help break up both sandy and clay soils and help absorb moisture.

5. Water is Key

Of all my tomato growing tips, I feel like this is the one that people can’t seem to get right. Tomatoes need water. Giving them a quick soak with the hose for 30 seconds every few days is a recipe for disaster. People have good intentions but then they get distracted by life and four days into a heat wave they discover half dead plants.

I highly recommend installing a drip irrigation system to water your tomatoes. This will allow you to use less water and target each tomato plant individually.

Plus, you can put your drip system on a timer and then set it, and forget it! Drip systems are easy to install, especially if you have an existing sprinkler line or faucet you can tap into. Here is one of many online drip system installation guides.

Another benefit of using a drip system is that it will help you avoid tomato rot which can occur when using overhead watering (ie: sprinklers or hose).

6. Mulch Your Tomato Plants- Yes, It’s Important!

This tomato growing tip is connected to the previous tip about water. During the hot summer months when tomato plants are supposed to be producing at their best, evaporation can become one of a tomato plant’s greatest enemies. Mulch prevents evaporation and soil erosion. 

Mulch basically acts as shade and protection for your precious, nutrient-dense soil. It helps ensure that the water you have given your tomato plants stays in the ground so that the plant’s roots can continue to absorb it.

Another reason mulch is beneficial is because as it biodegrades, it helps feed your soil and make new soil. Decaying organic material is essentially what good soil is made of. It also helps improve the overall appearance of your tomato garden. After all, who doesn’t love a neat and tidy looking garden?

Finally, mulch helps reduce weed infestations. Nobody wants weeds in their beautiful vegetable garden and mulch can greatly reduce the amount of time you will spend weeding your beds. 

I like to use bark mulch that I purchase from a local nursery or home improvement store. I re-mulch my garden every year after I plant my tomatoes. 

7. Feed Your Tomato Plants!

So many people seem to skip this part. One of my most important tomato growing tips is to actually feed your tomatoes! Your tomato plants are growing at a rapid rate and sunlight, soil, and water is simply not enough to sustain a healthy production rate. 

What do you feed tomato plants? I like to keep my garden organic so I purchase organic tomato food. A good tomato food has nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in it. Nitrogen stimulates chlorophyll production, phosphorus is important to developing strong flowers and fruit, and potassium helps strengthen the roots. 

Tomato food comes in a variety of forms such as liquid, granular, and stakes. I have always used granular tomato food because it is easy to deliver the proper amount per plant, releases slowly, and stores well. There are many great brands out there which can be found on Amazon, at home improvement stores, or local nurseries. One brand I can recommend is Jobes Organics.

Directions are on the packaging of the plant food, but I typically feed my tomato plants when I first plant them and then begin fertilizing them every 4-6 weeks after the first fruit begins to appear. Make sure not to over-fertilize your tomatoes! Too much fertilizer or direct contact with fertilizer on the plant roots can burn the plant’s leaves.

8. Stake Those Bad Boys

Like a teenager going through their first breakup, tomatoes need support. No, this doesn’t mean that they need a hug or a shoulder to lean on; they need actual physical support!

Without support, indeterminate tomatoes grow on the ground like vines and their leaves and fruit are more susceptible to fruit rot and sunburn. When the vines are staked, the fruit is shaded by the leaves and less like to be exposed to constant moisture. It is also much easier to see and pick ripe fruit.

Many people use circular, wire tomato cages. I am personally not a fan of these. They are typically are much too short to support my tomato plants (which usually extend to six feet in the air during peak season) and quite frankly, can be expensive and difficult to store.

Staking your tomatoes is inexpensive and effective. I either use bamboo stakes or plastic-coated metal stakes that can be used year after year, but wooden stakes are a great option as well. The system I typically use involves using stakes in combination with garden twine. Here is a great video tutorial which covers the details. 

Important note: Determinate tomatoes are bushier plants which tend to be smaller since they have a limited harvest. They work well in cages. 

9. Prune Now For Higher Yields Later

I often wonder if casual, backyard gardeners know that they are supposed to prune their tomato plants. My guess is that most don’t. I certainly had no idea in my tomato farming days 20 years ago.

Believe it or not, pruning your tomato plants will result in more fruit, especially if you are trying to grow multiple tomato plants in a compact area. It is important to prune any leaves which might be touching the ground (to prevent rot and disease) as well as remove some suckers to keep things neat and tidy. 

What is a tomato sucker? It is basically another little tomato plant that grows out of the joint of a tomato plant where a branch meets the stem. These shoots will turn into full size tomato plants if left alone. The more suckers you have, the less resources the main tomato plant has (plus, things can get unruly). 

I typically remove suckers until the plant gets to be sturdy and at least a couple feet off the ground. I may let a couple suckers stick around if I have the space and feel like they are interfering too much with the overall shape of the plant. 

There are so many schools of thought on tomato pruning and endless Youtube videos on the subject. Here is the school of thought I tend to follow. 

10. Keep Those Tomato Pests and Diseases Away

You have beautiful tomato plants filled with ripening fruit and suddenly a pest invasion occurs. Gah! Don’t fret, there are many solutions to common pests and diseases. Here are a few of the problems I most commonly encounter and what to do about them. 

1. Tomato Hookworms

Tomato hornworms are gross and destructive. Many people new to tomato growing might mistake them for caterpillars. They are bright green, leave dark droppings everywhere, and can rapidly eat your tomato plants!

While you can use insecticides to get rid of them, I keep my garden organic and have found hand removal to be easy and effective. I check my tomatoes regularly during the growing season and simply pluck and chuck (while screaming obscenities) those little jerks away. Planting marigolds in the same bed as your tomato plants can be good deterrent as well. Their scent keeps several pests away.

2. Aphids

Ew. I hate aphids. They can be so damaging to a garden and leave this sticky, gross substance behind. Check the underside of your plants leaves and if you little dot-like creatures on the on them, you likely have aphids.

I pull leaves that are heavily infected and then apply a diluted soap spray to the plant, which kills the aphids. The ratio of soap to water in your spray should be approximately 2 tblsp dish soap per gallon of water. If you are just using a standard squirt bottle, put a couple drops in the bottom and then fill up with warm water and start spraying those leaves!

3. Birds and Rodents

I have the same bird show up every single year to feast on my tomatoes. He is a tropical-looking bird with vibrant yellow and black feathers and a hunger for partially ripened tomatoes. I call him “Bitch Bird”. He is not to be outdone by his pals, “Asshole Opossum” or “Jerkface Rat”. 

How do I keep the local wildlife from feasting on my tomato harvest? I use a mesh net to cover my plants when the tomato feast party seems to be getting out of control. They still get a nibble on some of the tomatoes on the outer edge of the garden, but the net drastically reduces their tomato consumption rate.

I keep the net secure at the bottom by using a combination of stakes and bricks. Yes, it is a major pain. Yes, my garden is less aesthetically pleasing when I have to put the net up. But I want to actually enjoy my tomatoes, so these are the sacrifices I have to make. 

4. Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew basically looks like white must on your tomato plants. I most often find it on my squash plants, but have definitely encountered it on tomatoes as well. It is often caused by humidity. I typically use the same soap and water solution as I do on aphids and it gets rid of it. I also pull the most infected leaves. 

5. Blossom End Rot

If you are noticing a dark, brownish spot on the bottom end of your fruit, you have blossom end rot. This is cause by two things- uneven watering and calcium deficiency. Both of these problems can be solved by following my previous tomato growing tips on watering, feeding, and mulching.

6. Fruit Cracking

This is another condition caused by uneven watering. Keep your tomato watering on a schedule and cracking will be at a minimum. Overhead watering is another source of fruit cracking, so try to avoid that. Hot, rainy weather is can cause fruit cracking, but there isn’t much you can do about that. 

Here is a link to a good resource  that covers several more tomato problems and how to fix them. 

Featured image via Flickr/Lufa Farms

The first secret to a successful tomato crop is selecting the right tomato for your backyard. Here are five questions to ask yourself before purchasing a tomato plant.

After you purchase your plants and put them in the ground, use these tomato growing tips to ensure a bountiful harvest!

Tomato Planting Tips- What to Ask Yourself Before Purchasing a Tomato Plant

1. Do I Want Determinate or Indeterminate Tomatoes?

There are two different types of tomatoes. Determinate tomato plants produce all of their fruit at the same point in the season while indeterminate tomatoes continue producing through the season.

As far as I’m concerned, there are only two reasons for buying determinate tomatoes:

1. You want to do all your canning and sauce-making at one time.
2. You are plotting to have a massive tomato fight with all of your neighbors.

As tempting as the tomato fight may be, I still purchase indeterminate tomatoes because I would much rather extend my tomato production through the season. The plant or seed label usually lists whether the variety is determinate or indeterminate.  If you can’t find the info on the label, a quick Google search works.

2. Is this Tomato Right for My Climate?

There are dozens of varieties of tomatoes out there. Some are cultivated to respond to short growing seasons and cooler temps, while others were developed with humidity and oppressive heat in mind.

One of my most important tomato planting tips is to pick a plant that is suitable for your climate. If you are purchasing seeds from an online source (I like Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds), read the description to determine where the tomatoes were developed.

Check out reviews and pay attention to the location of the reviewer. What may do well in the Pacific Northwest could be a total disaster in the Deep South.

One surefire way to pick tomatoes that are appropriate for your climate is to purchase seedlings from a local nursery. Any nursery worth its salt purchases varieties that are designed to thrive in your climate. 

Big box stores such as Walmart tend to sell the same few varieties around the country and their staff is usually less knowledgeable. Spending a bit more on the right seedling from a respected local source will pay off in a more fruitful tomato crop.

3. How Long Will the Plant Take to Mature?

When I select tomatoes for my backyard plot, I always pay attention to their maturation rates. Maturation rates are listed on the seed packet or seedling label.

I like to have a couple early season varieties, which bear fruit in as little as 50 days, as well as some that come to maturity at 80 or 90 days. This ensures a longer production season for my garden.

4. Does the Seedling look Healthy?

Of all my tomato planting tips, this one feels like a no-brainer, but it bears mentioning. If you are going to grow tomatoes from seedlings, pick out the healthiest of the bunch.

Take time to look at the seedling and pick the one that looks like it has more vigor and vitality than the rest. If the plant looks wilted, move on. If seedlings are stressed, they will take much longer to produce fruit.

Pro tip: Don’t waste your money purchasing a tomato plant that is bigger than a small seedling, especially if you live in a climate with a long growing season (like California).  

Your small seedling will grow rapidly as soon as the days are long and warm. The larger plants available for purchase at garden centers and nurseries are nothing more than scams to grab your $$$.

5. What is your Tomato End Game?

Ultimately, the type of tomato you should select largely depends on what you want to do with your tomato.

Some varieties, such as beefsteak, are great for slicing and placing on sandwiches. Others, like San Marzano, are paste tomatoes which are better for sauces and canning.

Pear and cherry tomatoes are great for salads or snacking right from the vine. Heirloom tomatoes in various shapes and sizes add color and sophistication to your dishes. 

A quick internet search will give should produce a  wealth of information about prospective tomato varieties.  I love to plant a variety of tomato plants that result in a rainbow of colors, sizes, and uses. Happy planting!

The good news is that there are literally dozens of tomato varieties that will grow well in the heat of a Southern California summer, as long as you follow my tried and true tomato growing tips. Still, some are more prolific than others and some varieties of tomatoes are bred to be better suited for Southern California’s climate.

Here are my picks for the best tomatoes to grow in Southern California, from bite-sized snackers to gorgeous heirloom varieties that will be stunners in your summer salads.

Don’t plant your garden without first reading my tomato planting tips. Foillow them and you will be well on your way to a bountiful harvest.

Best Tomatoes to Grow in Southern California

Paul Robeson Tomato

The Paul Robeson tomato just might be my all-time favorite slicing tomato for Southern California. This beefsteak has beautiful color and a great heirloom look, but this tomato is about so much more than good looks.

The fruit is easy to grow, maturing at just 65-70 days, and is a high producer. It also happens to be one of the best tasting tomatoes, if not THE best tasting tomato around.

The tomato was named after Paul Robeson who was an actor, opera singer, athlete and civil rights activist.

Fruit tend to be 3-4 inches in size and ideal temps for this guy are below 95, so while it will still do well in hot inland areas, it will do even better in more temperate patches of SoCal. These are long vining tomatoes that should be staked or trellised.

My local nursery has this heirloom in their tomato seedling selection every year, and I am noticing the garden sections at well-stocked home improvement stores are starting to sell these as well. You can also purchase seed for this tomato.

Brandywine Tomato

Another great beefsteak tomato that is ideal for slicing is the Brandywine. This tomato plant has large-leaved foliage and produces large fruit in a variety of colors. The most common varietals are pink and red.

It is a popular tomato plant, and you will notice that it does look different than most of the other tomato plants in your garden. It really does have an old-fashioned vibe and bigger leaves.

This is a more late-ripening tomato variety. Harvesting typically begins around the 90 day mark. It is indeterminate and does well in high temperatures providing you give it plenty of water and tomato food.

Once ripe, these tomatoes can be nearly a pound in weight! Since they are slow to ripen, they do have more of a chance to be bothered by pests. I plant marigolds and onions with my tomato plants to help discourage pests. Watering from below will help keep the plant healthy as well.

Brandywine Tomato plants are commonly found at most plant nurseries and home improvement store garden centers in Southern California.

Momotaro Tomato

Momotaro Tomatoes are the most popular variety in Japan. This hybrid has also become quite popular at farmer’s markets, thanks to its lovely pink flesh, sweet flavor, and long shelf life. This is a classic looking tomato.

It is named for the legend of Momotaro, aka: Peach Boy. He is a baby boy found living inside a giant peach by farmers who yearned for a child of their own. He grew to be a celebrated figure who incouraged peace. There is a Momotaro Festival in Japan every year.

I have to wonder if Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book, James and The Giant Peach, was inspired by this legend…

This is an early producing tomato, which will reach maturity in just 60 days. The fruit are about 1/2 a pund each. The plant is indeterminate and will keep producing all season long. Each cluster on flowers on the plant tend to produce 6-7 fruits.

This is not a tomato that tolerates extreme heat. If your temps hover over 95 degrees for an extended time, it can cause the flowers to drop. If you do live in an are that reaches those temps in the peak of summer, just plant early and use it as an early season variety.

Rumor has it that this Dolly Parton’s favorite tomato.

I have seen this variety of tomato at my local nursery (Green Thumb) year after year. The seeds can also be readily found online.

Green Zebra Tomato

I think every heirloom tomato garden needs a green tomato for a little bit of pizazz, and the Green Zebra Tomato offers just that. It is a green, stripy tomato with shades of yellow intermixed when ripe.

The tomatoes are about two inches around. It matures in about 75 days. It has great flavor, sweet with a bit of tang. I have great success growing this tomato year after year. I have noticed that the plants don’t get as big as some of my other tomatoes, usually in the 4-5 foot range.

This particular tomato became popular when Alice Waters started using it in her heirloom tomato dishes at Chez Pannise. It has become the most widely available green heirloom tomato around. It has great flavor and is easy to grow.

Since this is a green tomato, you have to go by feel to know if it is ripe. If it is soft, it is ripe.

I have seen this variety at Home Depot, Green Thumb, Rogers Gardens, and just about any garden center with a decent selection of tomato seedlings.

Cherokee Purple Tomato

The Cherokee Purple Tomato is another popular heirloom variety. It is a slicing tomato, about 8-12oz in weight when fully ripe. It is a beautiful, dusky purple and pink color with tinges of red. Some have greenish areas at the top, even with ripe.

This tomato is gorgeous, sweet and smoky, and easy to grow. It is said to have originated with the Cherokee tribe, and has been grown for well over 100 years.

This tomato is a particularly disease-resistant heirloom, making it easy to grow. It matures at about 80-90 days and plants can produce 20-25 tomatoes per season. It is an indeterminate tomato which means it will continue to produce throughout the growing season.

Gold Medal Tomato

We all love classic slicing tomatoes but sometimes we want one that really stands out in terms of color without sacrificing flavor. The Gold Medal Tomato (aka Ruby Gold) is that tomato.

It has awesome tropical coloring with yellow and pinkish red streaks. It also has great flavor, sweeet with even a bit of tropicality in its taste.

This beefsteak variety has been around for 100 years and you definitely want it growing in your garden. I have heard that people have success growing these in smart pots as well as raised beds.

The Gold Medal is also very prolific, producing dozens of tomatoes off of one plant! Ripe fruit will keep for a couple weeks, if you manage to hold out that long. Fruit are large- 16 to 18oz- and the plant starts maturing around 75-85 days.

If you can’t find Gold Medal Tomato seedlings at your local nursey, this local website carries these seedlings as well as dozens of other amazing heirloom varieties.

Best Small Tomatoes to Grow in Southern California

Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato

If you want an easy to grow tomato that does well in pots or in a garden bed, the Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato is a great option. These cherry tomato plants are very prolific and these little tomatoes are great additions to salads. They are also just as tasty right off the vine.

This tomato takes only 65 days to mature and is indeterminate, which means you will be popping cherry tomatoes into your mouth all summer long.

There is another hybrid of this plant, the Super Sweet 100, which is also great. Both varieties are easy to find throughout Southern California at home improvement stores or traditional nurseries.

Since Sweet 100s grow so well in pots, they are great options for people that only have room for patio plants. This is really one of the most fool-proof tomatoes to grow. Just be sure to stake or cage the tomato plant because it can grow pretty tall (over 4 feet) if it is well fed and watered.

Grow big in small spaces! These are the best container fruit trees for your patio.

Sungold Cherry Tomato

I think Sungold is probably my favorite cherry tomato in terms of flavor. It really has the sweet flavor of a bigger tomato, packed into an orange drop of sunshine.

These beauties only need 60 days to reach maturity and are perfect for salads, pasta dishes, or snacking. When my daughter was a toddler I would often catching her over by my Sungold Tomato plant just gorging herself with little orange treats right off the vine.

This is an indeterminate tomato and will often be the first and last tomato producing in your garden; it just doesn’t quit!

You can grow these tomatoes in the ground, in raised beds, and pots. They are disease resistant and generally happy campers as long as they get plenty of sunshine, tomato food, and water.

Grow a bounty of tomatoes with our tomato growing tips. We go over everything you need to know to have your best tomato harvest yet!

Yellow Pear Tomato

I love a pretty summer salad, and this tomato helps bring a color and vibrancy that definitely provides some cheer to your dishes. These tiny, pear-shaped tomatoes are abundant once the plant reaches maturity at 78 days.

Yellow Pear is an indeterminate variety and will keep producing into the fall as long as there is no frost. They are quite disease resistant, so just watch out for bugs like aphids and tomato worms and you should have a happy plant.

These 1-2″ tomatoes are an heirloom variety, and their vines can reach up to eight feet long, so be sure to stake these suckers! This variety is also a common one used in making tomato preserves.

Best Tomatoes to Grow in Southern California for Canning and Sauces

Roma Tomatoes

Roma Tomatoes are probably the most common tomato you will see in grocery stores in California. But, as someone who used to live in the heart of Roma Tomato country and used to see trucks of them rolling down the highway all summer, I can assure you that they pick those grocery store tomatoes when they are still green.

Tomatoes are picked for grocery stores when they are still hard and green to help with transportation and extend shelf live but it comes with a big sacrifice- flavor.

A homegrown Roma Tomato is 100 times better than anything you will get at the store. They have very few seeds and are perfect for sauces and canning.

Another reason you might want to make sauce to freeze or can is that these tomatoes are a determinate variety. This means that the plant produces the bulk of their fruit all at once.

I love picking a large bunch of Romas and then making big batches of sauce to freeze for the winter. Roast your Romas to make the sauce even sweeter and more flavorful.

Fruit are usually 5-8 oz and oblong. It reaches maturity in 70 days. I grow my Roma Tomatoes in raised beds but many people have had success in large containers as well.

Roma Tomato seedlings are easy to find just about everywhere that sells tomato plants.

San Marzano Tomato

If you head to the grocery store, you will notice that the more expensive canned tomatoes (like my favorite, Muir Glen) that come from Italy are all made with San Marzano Tomatoes. This is because, in my opinion, San Marzano Tomatoes make the best sauce.

These tomatoes are a bit larger than Roma Tomatoes (3 1/2 inches long and 6 ounces in weight) and the flesh is very thick and has very few seeds, making it perfect for rich sauces.

They are indeterminate so they don’t show up all at once like Romas. This can be a plus or a minus depending on your canning/sauce strategy.

They mature at 85 days, which means they show up later in the season than Romas. I suggest you plant both types so you can have a bountiful harvest early and late in the season.

Don’t worry, San Marzanos aren’t just for sauces and canning. They are also great fresh in salads and on sandwiches.