This time of year, many gardeners are anxiously awaiting the first ripe fruits of their labors. But if your tomato plants aren't growing quite as high as you'd like, you may be missing an important step in the process. According to a recent experiment by the Royal Horticultural Society, the secret to getting your tomatoes to grow is...talk to them.

The plants responded best to the sound of women's voices instead of men's, growing up to two inches taller when played recordings of women speaking than plants who were left to grow with no conversation. That's an inch taller than plants that were played recordings of men's voices.

Once you've talked your tomato plants into growing so tall that they can't support themselves anymore, find out how to stake them and how to harvest and prepare your crop.

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