Gardeners who want to grow tomatoes face lots of challenges. If it's not the cold delaying planting, it's the heat scalding the fruit. If not the early blight, it's the cutworms. If not the birds pecking the ripe beauties, it's the squirrels stealing them off the vine.

Tomato-growing requires a commitment of time and effort. "Probably it's one of the hardest plants to grow," says Tom Wilten, a former president of the First Men's Garden Club of Dallas, master gardener and frequent lecturer.

But because there's nothing like a homegrown tomato for taste, determined gardeners have developed many methods to tilt the odds away from the bugs, diseases and varmints and toward a successful harvest.

Below is a compilation of Mr. Wilten's tips, delivered recently at a North Haven Gardens event, plus methods used by organic gardeners and recommendations from Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

CHOOSE ADAPTED VARIETIES: Area gardeners have a fairly short window to plant tomatoes. Soil temperatures need to be above 60 degrees consistently, but many varieties stop setting fruit once it's hotter than 85 degrees. Mr. Wilten plants 'Celebrity' and 'Carnival'.

Large-fruited tomatoes such as 'Big Boy' and 'Beefsteak' can't handle the heat, Mr. Wilten says. Smaller varieties, such as 'Celebrity' and 'Carnival', along with roma and cherry tomatoes, do better.

Recommended varieties also generally resist diseases, such as Fusarium wilt, Alternaria and nematodes; plant tags should specify their resistance.

PLANT TRANSPLANTS, NOT SEEDS: It's too late to sow seeds. Get transplants into the ground by mid-April for the best chance of success. When buying transplants, avoid weak-looking, spindly plants. Transplants should have dark green leaves without holes.

FULL SUN, PLEASE: Tomato plants, and most fruits and vegetables, require at least 8 hours of sun a day. Some late-afternoon shade, once the full blast of summer arrives, is helpful.

PREPARE THE SOIL: Tomato plants aren't perennial, so spending lots of time improving the soil, as you would for a perennial garden, may be time wasted. Mr. Wilten uses a cultivating fork to dig three or four inches deep to break up and aerate the soil. Then, he works in lots of dried manure. Organic gardening expert Howard Garrett recommends preparing beds by adding compost, volcanic rock powder or sand, sugar or molasses and organic fertilizer. Generally, gardeners recommend one to two pounds of fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed.

SPACING AND PLANTING DEPTH: Plants need good air circulation, so space tomatoes at least 3 feet apart, with rows 5 feet apart.

Some gardeners like to place transplants a bit deeper in the hole than the top of the root ball, believing this encourages root growth. Trim off the lowest leaves, then plant deep enough so only two sets of leaves are above soil level.

But before you plant, put a tablespoon of high-phosphorus fertilizer into the hole to give the plant a jump start.

MUST MULCH: Take some of the heat stress off your plant and keep moisture in by laying 3 to 5 inches of organic mulch around the plant. Mulching can reduce early blight and blossom-end rot.

WATER SLOWLY AND DEEPLY: Water when the plant needs it, not on a schedule. Insert a finger 2 or 3 inches deep to see if the soil is moist. If so, don't water. Use drip irrigation or a trickling hose to water roots slowly and deeply. Mr. Wilten believes tomatoes would thrive if watered exclusively with rainwater, rather than city water that has a high pH. "I'll bet those things would explode," he says.

FERTILIZE WITH NITROGEN: Ring the root ball with a lawn fertilizer after fruit grows to about an inch in diameter. If you use an organic fertilizer, feed after blooming starts rather than waiting for the fruit to grow. (The slow-release nitrogen in organic fertilizers needs time to work.)

Mr. Wilten fertilizes only once, though other gardeners recommend fertilizing every two or three weeks. Mr. Garrett suggests fertilizing at least two times during the growing season.

STAKE 'EM UP: Tie tomato plants to tall stakes with a soft material, such as pantyhose or knee-high nylons, or enclose them in a wire cage. The cage should have holes big enough to reach in to pick the fruit.

CONTAINERS: You can grow tomato plants in containers, but Mr. Wilten says it will have to be a big container. A 15-gallon planter is the best size, he says. A benefit of container gardening is that you can move it into shade during hot afternoons.

PESTS AND DISEASES: Tomatoes have a long list of enemies: insects, disease and animal predators. Cleanliness is important: Keep leaves from contacting the ground; remove rotted fruit promptly; examine plants each day for problems; avoid watering foliage; fertilize.

Mr. Wilten sprays with a combination of fish emulsion and seaweed every five to seven days or after a rain. The spray helps keep plants healthy and also knocks off tiny spider mites, a common plague.

Your county Texas AgriLife Extension Service office has complete information about problems you're likely to face in growing tomatoes.

PICK THEM VINE-RIPE? NO: Every tomato lover likes vine-ripe fruit, including birds. Pick your tomatoes when they are pink and let them ripen indoors so you get to eat them before the animals do.

SPEAKING OF BIRDS: Another way to protect the fruit from birds and squirrels is to cut nylon pantyhose into pieces 10 to 12 inches long. Tie a knot in one end and slip the piece over a cluster of tomatoes. Secure the open end with a twist-tie.

Other tricks: Noisemakers, netting, scarecrows, aluminum strips and whirligigs. Mr. Wilten traps squirrels that attack his tomatoes and releases them elsewhere.

Recommended varieties for

North Texas

LARGE to MEDIUM

'Amelia'

'Bingo'

'BHN 444'

'Carnival'

'Celebrity'

'Champion'

'Florida 47'

'Florida 91'

'Heat Wave II'

'President'

'Quick Pick'

'Solar Set'

'SunMaster'

'SunPride'

'SunChief'

'SunLeaper'

'Super Fantastic'

'Solar Fire'

'Top Gun'

ROMA

'Healthy Kick'

'Roma'

'San Marzano'

'Viva Italia'

CHERRY

'Small Fry'

'Sweet Millions'

'Sweet 100'

'Yellow Pear'

SOURCE: First Men's Garden Club of Dallas, Texas AgriLife Extension Service