Our Growing Tomatoes Guide takes you from planting to harvesting! Find out when to plant America’s favorite garden crop, the best way to grow tomatoes, how long it takes a tomato to bear fruit, and what tomatoes need to thrive. We’ll touch on how to transplant, stakes and cages, the best tomato varieties, and more tomato tips!
There’s a reason why tomatoes are the #1 home garden vegetable. The taste of a tomato right off the vine is incomparable to a typical grocery store type.
Tomatoes are warm-weather vegetables and sun worshippers!
- In northern regions, tomato plants will need at least 6 hours of sunlight daily; 8 to 10 hours are preferred.
- In southern regions, light afternoon shade (natural or applied, e.g., row covers) will help tomatoes to survive and thrive.
How Long Does It Take to Grow a Tomato?
This is one of our most common questions. The exact “days to harvest” depends on the cultivar and it can range from 60 days to more than 100 days.
In addition, tomatoes can not be started too early in the ground as they are a tender warm-season crop that can not bear frost. In most regions, the soil is not warm enough to plant tomatoes outdoors until late spring and early summer except in zone 10, where they are a fall and winter crop. See when to start tomatoes for your location.
Due to their relatively long growing season requirements (and late planting date), plant small “starter plants” or transplants instead of seeds. Choose young tomato plants from a reputable nursery. Good starter plants are short and stocky with dark green color and straight, sturdy stems about the size of a pencil or thicker. They should not have yellowing leaves, spots, or stress damage nor have flowers or fruits already in progress.
Types of Tomatoes
- Determinate tomatoes, better known as “bush” varieties grow 2 to 3 feet tall. These varieties tend to provide numerous ripe tomatoes at one time, do not put on much leaf growth after setting fruit, and tend to fruit for a (relatively) brief period of time. They are generally productive earlier than the vining varieties, and not in the latter part of the growing season. Determinate tomatoes do not require staking or caging. These plants are idea for containers and small spaces. Most paste tomatoes are determine (which works well for making sauce and canning).
- Indeterminate tomatoes, better known as “vining” varieties produce the largest types of mid- to late-season slicing tomatoes all summer and until the first frost. Because indeterminates experience more leaf growth, their production tends to be spread more evenly throughout the season. Indeterminate tomatoes need staking. They are ideal in large gardeners. Most beefsteak and cherry tomatoes are indeterminate.
Tomatoes come in a wide range of flavors as well as colors and sizes, from tiny grape-sized types to giant beefsteaks. The choice also depends on how you will use this versatile fruit in the kitchen. For example, Roma tomatoes are not usually eaten fresh out of hand, but are perfect for sauces and ketchups. Tomatoes do need vigilant care, as the crop is susceptible to pests and diseases. To avoid problems, choose disease-resistant cultivars whenever possible.
Image: Tomatoes aren’t only red! Featured here is the flavorful heirloom ‘Green Zebra,’ a high-yielding indeterminate plant. Credit: VZaitsev/GettyImages
Check out this video to learn more about how to choose tomatoes.
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want to learn more
THANKS ALOT FOR THE INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE I HAVE GAINED FROM YOUR SITE.
I WILL BE VERY HAPPY IF YOU COULD RECOMMEND GOOD BOOKS TO READ FOR A HOPEFUL SMALL SCALL FARMER.
Compatible growing companions
What can you grow to next to tomatoes and what should you not plant next to them??
companions to tomatoes
You are referring to “companion plants”—things that grow well together. We compiled a list of the 10 most common/popular vegetables and their “friends” and foes” here: http://www.almanac.com/content/plant-companions-list-ten-common-vegetables You will certainly find tomatoes on the list; it’s probably the number one most popular plant!
Pls understand that companion plants are traditionally favorable to success but there are other factors that can put the kibosh on even the best efforts: Make sure your soil is the proper pH and is suitably composted. Plant your tomatoes in sun and water as needed. Tomato horn worms seem to resist the best companions, so keep an eye out for these finger-size (at maturity) green worms or they will destroy your crop. (Drown ‘em, of you find ‘em.)
Best wishes for a fabulous harvest!
Growing plants in containers
If I plant veggies in pots, can I plant them outside at the time I should be planting them inside, if I bring them in every night?
inside out
You do not indicate specific conditions or locale, but in general, we would not recommend it. Seeds need TLC in order to sprout and become seedlings. These are tender times best passed in a caring and safe envonment, protected from too much sun, wind, rain, or the errant shoe that just might knock over the pot. Later, when the seedlings have established some size and stand on their own, you should put them out or a few hours per day (depending on conditions) to ease them into the outdoors. Eventually, when soil and air temps are suitable, you can leave them out—but not untended.
Tomato imports
Apart from growing tomato's do you also import them ?
Be sure to have an accurate
Be sure to have an accurate soil test done to determine exactly what your pH level is and how much you need to lower it. Many vegetables do just fine with soil as sweet as 7.5. If you live where limestone in the soil is constantly dissolving and raising pH, try applying elemental sulfur. It works best when the soil is warm but still is a slow fix, taking months to have any effect. It is a process that should not be rushed. Apply it 2-3 times over the season 6-8 weeks apart, testing between applications to be sure you don't go overboard. To acidify a small area, try watering with leftover coffee diluted 50% with water. Acidic mulches like shredded pine bark, pine needles, or peat moss can slowly lower pH over time. Let your soil test be your guide.
how do I lower my soil pH to
how do I lower my soil pH to favour the growth of my tomatoes ?
I just finished cleaning 4
I just finished cleaning 4 Bushels of tomatoes for canning. Can the seeds form these tomatoes be used for re-growing next year, if so what do I have to do? I also discarded the seeds from early canning into an old flower bed and covered them with soil, will these turn into tomato plants?
Appreciate your help.
ESF Shelton CT
In many cases, the seeds will
In many cases, the seeds will be viable, and you can grow tomatoes the next year. However, if your seeds came from a hybrid variety, they will likely not produce fruit of the same type as the mother plant (they may have certain characteristics that differ, such as taste, size, color, resistance). Some seeds may even be sterile. To have seeds come true (be the same as the original plant), then you need to save from open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. For more information about this, the basics of seed saving, as well as specific directions on how to prepare and save seeds for tomatoes, you might be interested in the following.
http://www.almanac.com/content...
(video)
http://www.almanac.com/video/s...
http://www.almanac.com/content...
This is the first time I have
This is the first time I have ever tried to grow anything. I started with a small starter kit from dollar general. lol. I got two plants out of it. (for me i was shocked I got anything out of it, lol) I have watched it bloom and get big and have become very proud of my efforts. My one plant has become taller than I am at 5'3" which i was very surprised at, my neighbors are lower to the ground and bushier. I had a cage around mine but now my neighbor helped put metal stakes and twine around it to help hold it up and keep the top which has become quite heavy from breaking off. I am very excited to say that just a few days ago some of the very first tomatoes to bloom have now begun to ripen and turn. My 6 yo daughter noticed first and got excited. I did this so I could see if i could grow something. Now that I see it is possible even under my care i plan on starting other plants. Hopefully herbs and definitely more tomatoes next year. Mine are Big cherry tomatoes. Can't wait to try them.
Congratulations! Enjoy them,
Congratulations! Enjoy them, and once this year is done, start planning for more next year.
Hi 1st time farmer here and
Hi
1st time farmer here and my Roma and San Marazano plants (17 Total)are loaded with fruit. Some are starting to turn red but the majority are green. All the plants are still growing and setting new flowers. Should I pinch back the new flowers so the fruit ripens? Each plant has about 8 clusters of 6-8 tomatoes. This is more than enough for us and will be wildly happy to just reap the 50 or so tomatoes on each plant. I don't want to shock them. I am in CT and it is late August. Thank you
Hi, Kathy, Nice going! • Yes,
Hi, Kathy, Nice going!
• Yes, prune off new blossoms. And clip vigorous new shoot, too—bu do not remove an excess of foliage, as these help to provide nutrients to the fruit. Ripening a lot of fruit takes a lot of energy and may slow the ripening of the entire crop.
• Check your earliest frost date ( http://www.almanac.com/content... ) an in the weeks prior, begin to remove the most mature fruit to ripen in doors. Because the red tomato pigments lycopene and carotene are not produced at temps about 85°F (but not belw 50°F), the cooler weather that usually comes at end of summer should help to bring on the red color.
• In later Sept, as night time temps run to around 50°F, you can cover the plants if there are tomatoes still trying to turn red and give them a few more days. But at this time (or sooner, if you prefer), remove green ones to ripen indoors.
Your local weather conditions and specific plants are your key determinants here. Better to bring them in to ripen than risk losing even one.
I purchased a dozen Heirloom
I purchased a dozen Heirloom plants from Burpee.This is only my second attempt.I turned the soil and mixed in mushroom soil before plantimg.Now here in SE Pennsylvania my plants are growing like mad.I did something different by using 1 1/2 inch PVC schedule 40 to make a frame that would be six feet high centered over the plants.From the top I hung tomato rollers one for each plant and dropped the string to the center stalk of each plant.No instructions were given and simple pictures however they showed the branches 'clipped' with the plastic supports that they provide with the rollers and attached to the vertical string.That didn't make sense to me since the entire plant would be squeezed together making pruning impossible.I decided to let out excess line and make loops every foot.Then I used the clips that were provided to each branch and clipped to the loops.This provided plenty of width for the plant to grow while making it each to prune.Sufficient sunlight and plenty of air have produced an amazing amount of tomatoes on each plant...I am talking about over thirty per plant.Unheard of by anyone that plants them.NOW my question.With so many tomatoes growing on each plant should I sacrifice some small ones to let the others grow larger or let them all grow?
I would be more than glad to supply photos
Gene
Wow! That's a lot of
Wow! That's a lot of tomatoes! There is no need to thin the tomatoes. Fruit thinning may instead increase problems like fruit cracking on the tomatoes left on the vines.
Enjoy your tomato harvest!
I have tomato plants that are
I have tomato plants that are growing like crazy and producing lots of tomatoes that I hope are on their way to turning red. I never fertilized. Should I still try to fertilize? Which kind is recommended if so.
Hi, Ellen, you don't say
Hi, Ellen, you don't say where you are (north, south, east, west), so it's not clear if your tomatoes are "on schedule" for ripening. However, this being only July, there would be plenty of time almost anywhere for them to turn red.
As for fertilizer, we are inclined to say, if it ain't broke ... ya' know? (Don't fix it.) But if you want to, use a fertilizer that is low in nitrogen (N) and relatively higher in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). An 8–32–16, for example, or even a 5–10–10.
We advise fertilizing two weeks before and two weeks after the first picking. (see above)
Here's a chart for watering frequency: http://www.almanac.com/content...
Sounds like you're having a great season!
What is the difference of
What is the difference of determinate and indeterminate tomatoes?
Rick, Please see information
Rick, Please see information on determinate tomatoes versus indeterminate tomatoes here: www.almanac.com/blog/gardening-blog/tomato-tips
I LOVE this site,have told
I LOVE this site,have told many people how great you are!!! Please keep up the good work. TKS
I am growing beefsteak
I am growing beefsteak tomatoes. I have found some of my tomatoes with rotten spots on the bottom. They are not touching the ground, and have cages around them. I have my plants 20-24 inches apart. They are very bush like, i have not pruned any branches away. What could cause this???
Sounds like blossom end rot,
Sounds like blossom end rot, Beth, as noted above as a potential hazard.
See here for solutions: http://www.almanac.com/content...
Bet this Q? is a first! We
Bet this Q? is a first!
We look at our tomato plant numerous times a day, every day. (It's a long story; I can elaborate if you'd like.)
We currently have 8 small tomatoes growing on a single plant, but we never saw any of them in their very-beginning, itty-bitty stage. It's like, when we look first-thing in the morning, we see a new fruit that's already at least a half-inch long and a half-inch wide. But throughout the day, whenever we examine the plant, we NEVER have seen the nascent stages of a fruit coming out from the yellow flower. We only have seen nickel- to quarter-sized fruit the very first time we see them, always in the morning. Never juuuuuuuust beginning to take shape. Always already thimble-sized or bigger.
So, the question is: does the fruit of a tomato plant first emerge in darkness? And grow quickly in size at first, in darkness? Or has it just been an 8-time coincidence for us?
Thanks!
Haha You are not the only
Haha You are not the only ones that go to see your plants multiple times per day. It may be coincidence for you. I live in an alright climate that is often humid. If it is too humid, the pollen sticks onto the male part of the flower of a plant and does not reach the female flower. It may be that you have some great growing conditions, or plant steroids :P
This is my first year
This is my first year growing... I bought tiny plants of Yellow Pear tomatoes.. I did not make cages or support. it has been raining a lot for last 6 weeks, the plants are now 3 feet tall and spreading a lot. I didn't think yellow pear are too heavy. I saw some yellow pear last year and they were quite small and bushy, without supports, but my plants has gone much bigger than that.Some are climbing up the sunflower stalks, or across the ground, sprouting roots from the stems. Leaves are touching/lying on the ground. Will it hurt the plants?
Do I need to make some kind of support for them? Or put down some straw mulch around, would that help?
Also, last question. There are mostly flowers and a few tiny, green fruits at this time. When will the fruits be ready, and do they have to be picked right away, or how long can they stay on the vine?
Thanks.
It's best to support the
It's best to support the plants so that they don't spread on the soil. You can use stakes and string to tie up some of the longer branches. Laying straw around the plants is also a good idea. The tomatoes will stay green for a while. Harvest when they turn bright yellow. The plants will produce lots of tomatoes all summer long.
we planted Celebrity tomato
we planted Celebrity tomato plants, the week of Mother's Day, 2015. this is June 4th. We have 4 small green tomatoes on the vines with a large amount of blossoms. isn't it too early for tomatoes? should we pinch the little ones off or leave alone? Thank you so very much. Vi & Charlie
Tomatoes need heat. Has it
Tomatoes need heat. Has it been hot where you are? Yes, it is early in season in most parts of the country. If your plant came from a greenhouse (not seed) it may have gotten a boost from that environment—enough to produce fruit early. Now outside, in "real" conditions in a garden or large pot, it may slow its growth to mature normally in season.
I am wanting to plant
I am wanting to plant tomatoes is it to late to plant them ?
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