Sweet Tomatoes

You can sweeten your tomatoes on the vine by using a little less than 1/4 cup of baking soda and sprinkling it around your tomato plant.

1. Test your soil first – if it’s already alkaline (a pH above 7.0), this could harm your plant.
2. Test on one plant first – give the test plant about two weeks and note any differences.  If it’s doing well, proceed to do this to the rest of the plants
3. a little less than 1/4 cup about 2″ away from the stem when you’ve transplanted the plant
4. once again when the plant is about 1/2 grown

This neutralizes the acids in the soil, bringing the pH  higher.  This also works when you’re canning the tomatoes, sweetening the tomatoes without adding extra calories (use 1 tsp per 20 tomatoes).  Too much baking soda will alter the flavor.  Also, skim any foam that rises to the top.