enjoy your visit — visiting the garden

To grow tomatoes in your garden, sow seeds indoors, 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart, 4 to 6 weeks before the Chicago area's average last frost date of May 15. Seeds germinate in 7 to 14 days. When the first true leaves appear, transplant seedlings to 4-inch pots. Harden off and plant outdoors around Memorial Day in soil amended with well-rotted manure or compost. To encourage strong roots and stocky plants, set seedlings deep, leaving just the top 4 sets of leaves exposed. Pinch off first flowers to allow young plants to establish themselves before producing fruit. Pinch off suckers that grow in the notches between main and horizontal stems. Cage or stake tomato plants at transplant time to keep developing fruit off the ground. Mulch soil to retain moisture and keep weeds at bay. Pick tomatoes when fully colored, firm and glossy.

Vine-Ripened Tomato and Mâche Salad

For Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes

2 cups mâche (or "field lettuce")

1/2 cup chiffonade of fresh basil

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Freshly cracked pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, salt, sugar and pepper. Add oil in a stream, whisking.

Cut tomatoes into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange decoratively on a platter. Drizzle tomatoes with two-thirds vinaigrette.

In a bowl combine mâche, basil and scallions. Toss with remaining vinaigrette.

Mound herb mixture on top of tomato slices. Fresh mozzarella is a wonderful addition to this salad.