RED-Y OR NOT, HERE THEY COME TOMATOES OF ALL SIZES AND COLORS AWAIT HOME GARDENERS.

Byline: Elizabeth Smilor Correspondent

There's nothing quite like a plump, juicy tomato fresh from the vine - especially if it comes from your own garden.

``Tomatoes are a hot buy for gardeners in the spring,'' says Scott Daigre, one of the founders of the Tomatomania sale that stops at the Tapia Brothers Farm stand in Encino Friday through April 1. ``For some people, that's all the gardening they do all year.''

Southern California gardeners love tomatoes because they're relatively easy to grow in our sunny climate and the rewards are sweet. A large variety of tomatoes can be grown along with other vegetables in the garden or alone in containers on a patio. The most difficult part might be deciding which variety to grow - small tomatoes for salads, tomatoes for sandwiches or meaty tomatoes for grilling and sauces.

Most nurseries will be well-stocked with tomato seedlings this time of year. The Tomatomania sale at Tapia Brothers will feature 1,300 flats of seedlings along with all the accouterments needed to grow a tomato plant successfully. The time to buy and plant is now, before the weather really heats up.

Choosing a tomato plant is mostly a matter of taste, as most varieties will do well in our climate. It is helpful to understand some terminology, though. The first is the difference between heirloom and modern or hybrid tomatoes.

``Heirloom tomatoes are very old varieties that have been preserved due to their unique color, flavor or shape. Modern tomatoes have had a lot of improvements - genetically,'' explains Chris Greenwood, public relations director for Armstrong Garden Centers. ``They tend to be more productive and disease-resistant, but many lack the flavor of their more ancient relatives.''

Another detail to look for is a variety's wilt resistance, says Craig Harmer, product manager for the Gardens Alive! catalog. He explained that ``VF'' on the label indicates the plant is resistant to verticillium and fusarium wilt. Daigre says, however, these wilts are less common in our climate.

Tomatoes can be started from seed or seedling. In addition to nurseries, catalogs such as Gardens Alive! and Burpee carry seeds or plants. Gardeners we spoke with preferred to start with the plant because it's faster, but they said starting from seed was simple as well.

No matter how you begin, the first step in planting is the same. First, find a sunny spot, says Daigre. Tomatoes need six to eight hours of sun a day. If you plan to grow the plant in a container, pick a large container (25 to 30 gallons) made of a material such as resin or plastic in a light color that won't heat up, says Daigre.

Then, prepare your soil. For a container, mix a premium-grade potting soil with a planting mix, Daigre says. In your garden, condition the soil with compost (such as E.B. Stone Planting Compost) - not steer manure, advised Greenwood. Add a granular fertilizer to the hole when you plant, he says. Soil preparation is especially important if you're replanting tomato plants in the same spot as last year.

``The tomato is a greedy plant, so it makes sense to replace nutrients,'' says Daigre.

Greenwood, Daigre and Harmer agree that using all organic materials is best.

``It's the last chance we have to know what goes into the food we eat,'' says Daigre.

Harmer explained how the organic additives feed the soil, rather than just the plant. A soil with lots of native microbes is best for growing all kinds of vegetables, he says.

``Tomatoes actually taste better if grown organically,'' Harmer explains. ``There are more healthy nutrients in the tomatoes grown with an organic system. The plants are usually healthier, and usually there's a larger harvest.''

Now, you're ready to plant.

``Planting tomatoes from seed is so easy. Basically, just throw them down and run,'' says Greenwood. ``Plant the seed in pots, just lightly cover them, and they will sprout in time.''

The one thing to remember when planting a tomato seedling is to plant deep, Daigre says. Remove the leaves from the bottom 3 inches of the stem and bury it, he says.

``If you buy a 7-inch seedling, you should see only 3 to 4 inches showing,'' Daigre says. ``The roots will be deeper, the stem will root, and the plant will be more sturdy.''

The plant will need to be staked or surrounded by a cage to keep the growing vines supported and the foliage covering the tomatoes, Daigre says. Water the plants every two to three days when they are first planted, then cut back the frequency of watering, he says.

``One of the common mistakes in growing tomatoes is watering them too frequently,'' says Greenwood. ``I always told my customers to water them the day before the wilt.''

Less frequent, deep watering is best, says Daigre.

``The plant might look haggard at the end of the season, but that doesn't mean it needs more water. Too much water dilutes the fruit's taste,'' Daigre says.

Tomatoes also should not be over fertilized. Daigre recommends the initial fertilization upon planting, and three to four weeks later, when the plant starts to flower. Only tomato plants in containers might need more-frequent watering and fertilizing, he says.

Tomatoes are not prone to many diseases or pests. The most common pest is the tomato horn worm. These large worms can be handpicked from the plant, says Greenwood.

``For the faint of heart, there is an organic product called BT that controls worms effectively,'' he says.

Tomatoes mature in 60 to 80 days, depending upon the variety. Then, have your tomato recipes ready, as many plants will produce the juicy fruit in abundance.

TOMATOMANIA

Where: Tapia Brothers Farm Stand, 5251 Hayvenhurst Ave., Encino.

What: Part of the largest tomato seedling sale in the nation.

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through April 3.

Other dates: April 15-17 at Southern California Spring Garden Show in Costa Mesa; April 30-May 1 at the Arboretum in Arcadia as part of its Baldwin Bonanza sale.

For more information: www.tomatomania.com.

Tomato varieties

There are many varieties of tomatoes that thrive in our Southern California sun. Here are some of the common and not-so-common types available:

--Beefmaster: An improved hybrid variety of Beefsteak. The very large 24- to 32-ounce fruit is resistant to splitting.

--Better Boy: A vigorous grower with 16-ounce bright red tomatoes. Plants bear continuously through fall.

--Black Krim: Very dark maroon beefsteak heirloom tomatoes with a tangy flavor. (See picture).

--Brandywine: Heirloom Amish variety. One of the finest-flavored large (up to 11/2 pounds) tomatoes. (See picture).

--Celebrity: Produces large quantities of 8-ounce bright red fruit. Space plantings two to three weeks apart for continuous production.

--Cherokee Purple: Purplish heirloom tomatoes with a smoky flavor.

--Cherry gold: Golden cherry tomatoes.

--Green Zebra: Green tomato that's great for salads.

--Patio: A popular container tomato because it's compact and produces good-quality 3- to 4-ounce red tomatoes.

--Red Cherry: Vigorous vines produce hundreds of small, red cherry tomatoes. (See picture).

--Red Robin: Dwarf novelty tomato. Plants grow to just 8 to 15 inches tall and produce 1-ounce red tomatoes.

--Reif Red Heart: Great multipurpose tomato. Great for slicing and salads, but meaty enough for sauces as well.

--San Marzano: Compact-growing plant that produces a large quantity of meaty, 3- to 4-ounce pear-shaped tomatoes. Great for tomato paste. --Summer Sizzler: Sets bright red 6- to 7-ounce tomatoes even when the temperature is too hot for most other varieties.

--Sungold: Orange cherry tomato with a sweet taste that kids love.

--Wadda Tomato: An Armstrong Garden Centers exclusive. Produces 6- to 8-ounce bright red tomatoes for several months.

--Yellow Pear: Small, yellow, pear-shaped fruit is produced in abundance all season.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Seeing red

It's prime time to plant your tomato garden

(2 -- color) BRANDYWINE

(3 -- color) BLACK KRIM

Photo courtesy of W. Atlee Burpee 

(4 -- color) no caption (tomatoes)

Photo courtesy of Scott Daigre, Tomatomania!

Box:

Tomato varieties (see text)