From soups and pasta dishes to salsas and chilis, tomatoes can be used into a wide range of dishes.

If you eat a lot of tomatoes, growing your own could be a cost-effective option for you (and give your food a greater flavor). There are alternative ways to begin a new harvest than the traditional method of planting a tomato seedling.

Here are four methods to ensure that you always have access to your favorite fruit:

1. Bury tomato slices

That’s not a typo; you heard it here first. The Wannabe Homesteader provides a simple and low-cost solution. An overripe tomato, some potting soil, and several containers will do the trick.

Put potting dirt into a big container until it is almost full.

Next, lay a few thin tomato slices atop it all.

You should choose slices that have a lot of seeds and bury them in just enough dirt to keep them from sprouting. Give them a week or two to begin growing. ​

It will take your tomato seeds roughly a week to germinate. Possible to grow up to 60 seedlings in one container.

Try to identify the top four or five (strongest sprouts). Take the cuttings and replace them elsewhere.

Check on the young plants every few weeks.

One or two of the plants may appear to be expanding and strengthening relative to the others.

Cut down the weaker plants to make room for the stronger ones.

2. Plant them in the ground

If you have a large yard with lots of sunlight, planting your tomatoes directly in the ground rather than in a container can increase your harvest significantly.

Bonnie Plants claims another advantage of this approach is reduced watering.

Be aware that deer and rabbits enjoy munching on these gardens, so you’ll need to take precautions if you decide to go this path.

3. Grow them in Window Box

Tomatoes can be grown successfully in a window box, even if you don’t have much area for a garden.

Window boxes that can carry at least 1.5 litres of soil are recommended.

The plant can be supported by a string trellis drilled into the wall. To make this strategy work, you need to use smaller tomato varieties.

4. Grow them in a Hanging Basket

Do you fear damaging your windowsill by suspending a hefty box from it? Instead of a pot on the porch, you may use a hanging basket.

One drawback of this technique is that the plant will require more water than it would in a standard container since the water will evaporate more quickly. DIY Network suggests using a cascade cherry tomato variety in this type of planting.

Growing tomato plants from overripe tomatoes has never occurred to me, and I imagine I’m not the only one.

Remember to share this advice with your Facebook friends! Hopefully, we can contribute to reducing food waste while still savoring some luscious homegrown tomatoes!