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.
Reader Comments
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Tomatoes need a lot of sun
Tomatoes need a lot of sun and being in the shade will stunt their growth. You may want to add some extra compost to the soil. Find out what variety of tomatoes you are growing. Some varieties don't get very big.
In south Nevada I'm growing
In south Nevada I'm growing tomatoes & peppers in 5 gl plastic hits buckets. It is now reaching into the 80's & 90's daytime temps. Should I move my containers into a shaded ara instead of an area that has full sun for about 10 hours. Day? Also I need to trim, how do I do that?
Move your plants to a spot
Move your plants to a spot where they will get some light afternoon shade. You can remove suckers (new growth between a branch and the main stem) from your plant to have a stronger plant with fewer branches.
Hi Almanac Editors, We
Hi Almanac Editors,
We recently started a garden in our yard and for the past two seasons we have had beautiful big green tomatoes. Some of these tomatoes ripen and turn red and others just start rotting. We live in New England and have a fair amount of shade. I'm thinking that the tomatoes are rotting before they are able to ripen because there isn't enough sun. Do you think this is the culprit? Any advice is very much appreciated!
Tomatoes need as much sun as
Tomatoes need as much sun as possible. Consider growing some plants in containers that you can put in full sun. Sometimes too much rain can also cause rotting.
I live in New England aswell
I live in New England aswell I also have a fair amount of shade so I am careful to stake and cage my tomatos off the ground or they ripen slower and have a tendecy to rot or get fungal deseases!Also I am making an educated guess cause you did not give to much info but it sounds like you might have a case of blossom end rot which starts to cause the tomato to rot at its base this is cause by a lack of calcium in the soil or hopefully you did not water with alot of Epsom salt in your garden and add to much magnisium cause even though a plant loves and needs it it competes with calcium on the plants ability to use it so to much and then your plant can not take up enough cacium and the end of you fruit darkens and rots
I live in New England aswell
I live in New England aswell I also have a fair amount of shade so I am careful to stake and cage my tomatos off the ground or they ripen slower and have a tendecy to rot or get fungal deseases!Also I am making an educated guess cause you did not give to much info but it sounds like you might have a case of blossom end rot which starts to cause the tomato to rot at its base this is cause by a lack of calcium in the soil or hopefully you did not water with alot of Epsom salt in your garden and add to much magnisium cause even though a plant loves and needs it it competes with calcium on the plants ability to use it so to much and then your plant can not take up enough cacium and the end of you fruit darkens and rots
Tomatoes split because of
Tomatoes split because of uneven watering. You should water the plants regularly every two to three days. Water deeply and at ground level (don't use a sprinkler). Put some mulch around the plants to keep the soil moist.
Uneven ripening causes white spots inside the fruit. Regular watering will help and use high potassium fertilizer when fruits are the size of a golf ball.
I want to ask u a question,
I want to ask u a question, can i plant tomato seeds right away on my garden? if i planted them indoors, i will get into SERIOUS TROUBLE if there are plants inside my house , there are very strict rules here were i live, i live in SC, any advice?
Yes, you can seed outside
Yes, you can seed outside though we'd still start the tomatoes in small seed pots. Sow 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost is forecast into 3-inch pots. When all risk of frost has passed, you can transplant. The plants should be about 6 to 8 inches tall and flowers are forming.
I live in San Antonio, Texas.
I live in San Antonio, Texas. We are expecting a freeze over the next few days. I have cherry & brandywine tomato plants still in the ground and producing fruit. Most of what is there is still green. How can I save them? I want to let them ripen. I love my tomatoes. Life without tomatoes (to me) would be unbearable. Do I cover them, do I yank them from the ground??? Please help me save my fall Texas Tomatoes. Thank you.
It would seem a pity to yank
It would seem a pity to yank them. And them may not last if you do. That would be quite a shock, mid-growth period.
The best thing to do is cover much more than ever. Try a multi-layered method. Wrap the plants in sheets of plastic, even bubble wrap, which has air pockets. Don't necessarily "touch" the plants; use stakes to support the plastic around and over the tops of the group of plants or the plants individually, depending ontheir spacing.
We are watching this current ice storm! Best wishes for your safety as well as your plants' survival.
Thank You. Merry Christmas
Thank You. Merry Christmas and may you have a bless-full Holiday Season.
I live in Windcrest TX. I
I live in Windcrest TX. I cover mine with a blanket if temp goes below 32 deg.
Place wooden or pvc stakes
Place wooden or pvc stakes around the garden area you want to protect from freezing. Length of stakes should be long enough to go into ground about 6-8 inches and stand about 2-3 inches above tallest plants. Purchase large size plastic sheeting (the greater the thickness of plastic, the better the insulation) from a hardware store. Drape sheeting over plants, place rocks or other heavy items along perimeter of sheet to keep it in place. Makes a very good "hot house" and protects plants down to about 25 degrees (overnight temp with a warm day).
We were gone and had a
We were gone and had a freeze,, the plants were covered but they froze anyway .. Can the tomatoes be used for anything even if they froze ??
If you harvest them right
If you harvest them right away after the frost you can use them in salsas or tomato sauces. After a couple of days they will turn soft and start rotting.
My tomato plants have reached
My tomato plants have reached 90 cm and has started flowering.I have been advised to trim the lower leaves of the plants as such trimming is beneficial to the plants because it will give more "force" to the top leaves and the plant will yield better.
How far is this true?
Thanks
We suggest to prune plants by
We suggest to prune plants by pinching off suckers so that only a handful of stems are growing on each plant. You will get healthier and bigger tomatoes this way. Also remove any leaves that are touching the soil.
As your plant advances in age
As your plant advances in age I 100% recommend to gradually trim all bottom branches off to alleast 12 Inches from the soil surface cause that is where your fungal desease start and splash off the soil onto the leaves spreading desease plus good air circulation help prevent disease and has a tendecy to give you a healthy plant with better produce then the enery can go better into fruit production and healthier growth
I have 6 tomato plants in
I have 6 tomato plants in containers on my porch. Two are in one container that produced but the other plants have not. Those 4 are each in their own container. I live in Los Angeles and the weather has been very strange this year. I have never grown tomatoes before. Will they just be dormant for the winter or will they produce more tomatoes? I pinched the blossoms off earlier in the summer but no tomatoes on the ones in the other containers. Thanks for your help and I hope I am making sense.
It sounds as if your tomatoes
It sounds as if your tomatoes are flowering. The flowers turn into fruit. (So don't pinch off any flowers!) If the flowers are present but they are failing to set fruit, the common reason is high temperature. If temps go over 85 degrees F during the day and 75 degrees F at night, tomatoes will have trouble fruiting; you need the weather to cool down. Similarly, when temps get cool and daylight increases, the tomato plants will stop growing.
What causes tomatoes to turn
What causes tomatoes to turn red. Is there anything that can be done to speed up the process?
To ripen, tomatoes prefer
To ripen, tomatoes prefer temperatures between 68 and 77 degrees. The further away from these temps, the slower the ripening process. If it's too hot or cold, they'll stop ripening altogether!
You can't do much to speed up the process except, perhaps, take off the leaves if you feel it's getting too cold and they need more sunlight.
Once the tomatoes have reached the mature green stage, they will ripen off the vine. Never put tomatoes in a refrigerator; it's too chilly and you'll ruin that off-the-vine taste!
My roommate and I are growing
My roommate and I are growing some cherry tomato plants together. I was out earlier today, and picked what was red and ripe on the plant. He came home...and picked the ones that weren't ripe. Then proceeded to get angry with me for 'over-picking' and stunting the growth of the plant. I had been away on vacation, so I haven't been home to water it...he has been home, but I don't think he has watered in a while. The plant is about 3' tall, and regularly is yeilding between 10-20 ripe tomatoes a week or more. Now after I come back its saggy and turning brown..but still yeilding. Can you over pick ripe fruit and stunt the plants growth? I've never heard that before, and I've been growing tomatoes since I was itty bitty with my father. Any input would help to settle this debate.
Picking ripe tomatoes does
Picking ripe tomatoes does not stunt the growth of the plant. Your plant is brown perhaps because it has reached the end of its life span. Saggy because it probably hasn't been watered enough. Or maybe it has a disease that makes it brown and saggy.
I live in NE TN section of
I live in NE TN section of the Appalachian Mtns. We have a huge problem with late blight and have had too much rain and cool temperatures this summer. I gave up putting tomatoes in the ground after losing all my in ground tomatoes last summer. It's tomatoes in containers for me. I keep them on the porch and under the eaves to help prevent late blight. You still have to check them twice a day, even using fungicide. I've had a little blight on leaves, but so far the plants are fine. Now, if the tomatoes would just get ripe...
I have a few different tomato
I have a few different tomato plants growing just a small amount, 6 plants one sweet 100 cherry tomatoes 1 or early birds and 1lemon boy all of those ones are doing well. They are producing and soon will be ripening. The other three I'm having a few problems. 2r Brandywine I think and they have potato leaf. Their bout 5 feet tall and have dark green leafs. but they are not having any flowers or fruit growing they were planted at the same time as the other three that are doing great. Just trying to figure out why I'm not getting flowers and tomatoes from these plants are they late bloomers or what am I doing something wrong ?
Typically, grape or cherry
Typically, grape or cherry tomatoes appear and ripen sooner in season that large, traditional tomatoes.
Some sources suggest that while Brandywine has great taste, it lacks disease resistance (it's an heirloom) and is not consistent or reliable in its produce (the quality, amount, even color). You do not indicate where you are, but this one also ripens late, so that might be part of the matter. You could consult a local agricultural extension service or even a nursery for local advice.
My tomatoes are starting to
My tomatoes are starting to "crack?" Also, the leaves on my tomato plants are turning brown and drying up? Finally, it's almost 100 degrees everyday here in Oklahoma. I've been watering everyday. My production is excellent. Comments on the above? Thank you.
Duane Wilson
Oklahoma City
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