The No. 1 reason people plant vegetable gardens or go to farmers markets is for the tomatoes. Over the years I have struggled with language, trying to find a way to describe the irresistible flavor of a home-grown tomato that has been allowed to hang on the vine until the moment of optimal ripeness.

Descriptors like “juicy” and “sweet” are accurate but inadequate to the task, so I always default to the negative comparison. I value the home-grown, vine-ripened tomato because it is NOT the flat-tasting, mealy impostor available in the supermarket.

It’s no accident that “ripe tomato” was the term (actually, one of many terms) Frank Sinatra used to describe a desirable woman. While this reference is now regarded as derogatory, in its day the phrase probably resonated with the popular understanding of a home-grown tomato’s superiority over other versions.

After all, this verbal wolf whistle was in use during a time when most American homes had vegetable gardens and home-grown tomatoes were more common. In Sinatra’s own case, the term may have echoed his legendary appreciation for freshly prepared Italian food.

Whatever the case, there’s a certain logic to the chauvinist terminology. Eating a vine-ripened tomato is indeed an intensely sensual experience. But again, a straight description of the flavor and texture is difficult to pin down. If any readers want to get out the thesaurus and take a crack at a meaningful description, I’d be happy to reproduce those efforts here.

Within the past week I have overheard at least three conversations in which people have been discussing when to plant their tomatoes. The answer is simple: Plant tomatoes as soon as the soil has dried out enough from recent rains to allow you to till.

While the forecast has been particularly unreliable this spring, it did call for temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s this week with overnight lows in the 50s. This is notable because tomato plants care as much about soil temperature as they do about air temperature. Soil that has been warmed by the sun retains some of that heat through the night, even as temperatures drop. After a succession of warm, sunny days, the soil will provide the roots of tomato transplants with a toasty new home.

Remember that tomatoes are really tropical fruit. The cultivars we grow have been tweaked to withstand the peculiarities of our climate, but they are still hot-weather plants.

The six plants I put in the ground on April 21, before a cold front pushed overnight lows into the low 40s, look fine. One even has a bloom. I may not be able to tell whether the plants were harmed by the last cold snap until it comes time for them to set fruit. Sometimes the effects of a temperature drop and of cool, wet soil are delayed.

As you plant your tomatoes, be sure to dig a much larger hole than you think you’ll need. It is not unreasonable to dig a hole that is 2 feet across and 1 foot deep. You want the tomato plant roots to be surrounded by loosened soil so the roots can spread easily.

Planting is a good time to fertilize, but be sure you are using an appropriate fertilizer for tomatoes and are not overfeeding. This year I am trying Tomatoes Alive, a natural 6-2-2 fertilizer marketed by Gardens Alive! Like most tomato fertilizers, it is mixed into the soil in the hole before planting.

To reduce the chance of transplant shock, be sure the plants start out with adequate water. Once you dig the hole and add any fertilizer, fill the hole with water and let it soak into the surrounding soil before planting.

Be sure to set the plant deep in the hole. Pinch off the bottom leaves and position the plant so that the soil will come up to the next full set of leaves. A lanky plant can be laid on its side in the hole and the top bent gently to form a 90-degree angle, with the leaves sticking out of the top of the hole. Smaller plants can simply be set deep in the hole.

The idea here is to allow roots space to grow off of the plant’s main stem. The more roots, the healthier and more productive the plant.