Morning sun along with some relief from the evening sun becomes the best setting for them. When the temperatures do push into the 90s, provide some shade. One gardener has his cheesecloth ready to cover the plants when it gets around 85. Select a tomato resistant to the common diseases in our soils. Verticillium and fusarium wilts are both soilborne diseases that plug up the vascular system of plants, and they slowly die.
Researchers breed resistance to another fusarium strain into tomatoes.
Nematodes are microscopic worms that feed on tomato roots, thereby robbing plants of food, causing them to die. Here is a myth we must dispel. Many seed catalogs contain glowing sections about their low-acid tomatoes. The USDA collects data from all over the country and finds the acidity to be about the same no matter where the plants grow. When your tomato roots find the fertilizer, they will be off to a great season.