Tending a garden is a favorite hobby for many people, not only for the relaxation, but for the tasty harvest in due season. Tomatoes are a versatile plant with many varieties to sample and are one of the easiest garden treats to grow. Whether you opt for starting your plants from scratch with the seedlings or buying your plants in a semi mature stage, tomato gardens don't ask for much: just a little sunlight, water and TLC. And to help you get started and give your plants a boost, try these 10 easy tips to help your garden thrive.

1. To increase your garden results, choose locally approved varieties of tomatoes that contain VFN on the package. This variety helps to protect your vines from major plant diseases and nematodes.

2. Plant your tomatoes in the sunlight and avoid fully or partially shaded areas. Outdoor lighting is the best, however, indoor plants do well will special horticultural lighting systems installed over head, directly striking the plants.

3. Use stakes or caging to keep your tomatoes off the ground. In addition, tomatoes planted in windy climates may need to have a windbreak shield to guard them from high speed gusts. If you are using a cage, attach the windbreak to keep the container in an upright postion.

4. Keep your tomato plants well hydrated, especially in hot water. Every tomato could use a good soaking on a regular basis. Home kits for drip irrigation are easy to install or choose a soaker hose for a deep hydration of the soil. And if you choose not to invest in automation, the good old garden hose will do.

5. Add fertilizer or compost to keep your soil moist for maximum water intake to the plant. However, if you have just transplanted your tomatoes, give them two weeks to settle in before adding a mulch.

6. Estimate your garden space and choose between the determinate and indeterminate tomato vines. The former grows to a fixed length and works well with smaller spaces, and the latter will continue to spread beyond the boundaries you have set for your garden.

7. When planting seedlings, be sure to leave ample room for the tomatoes to grow. Cramped quarters will cause some of the vines to choke and block the mandatory sunlight for others to thrive.

8. Prune the under lying leaves away, especially the discolored ones that are showing signs of disease. Infections will spread quickly and can destroy the bulk of your harvest. In addition, to protect the healthy vine, its best to use clippers rather than plucking the dead leaves.

9. When transplanting a tomato, be sure to submerge the plant three quarters into the ground. The depth will allow the plant to adapt quickly to its new environment and sprout its new roots.

10. Plant your tomatoes after the last cold snap of the year. Frost can do great damage to any young plant, and the tomatoes are highly susceptible. If your tomatoes were planted in the spring, you should be able to harvest from the same vines for the entire season.