When selecting plants, you should ask yourself these questions:

• What size, shape, and style do I prefer?
• Does this plant have resistance to local disease?
• Which plant is the most suitable for my climate?
• What number of plants would I like to plant?

Beginning to Garden Tomatoes

Go to your nearest nursery (avoid these big-box stores up to this time -you’re looking for someone who truly understands what they’re talking about) or go online and go to an online gardening forum to get the answers you need to all your gardening questions.

Find out which varieties of tomatoes are the best in your region and receive the answers you have. Buy several.

Here’s a brief instruction in vocabulary so you won’t be confused the moment that your nursery’s salesperson begins talking about:

Determinate tomatoes: These plants plant all their fruits at once and are finished. Blossoms appear at the end of their stems. They usually do not require a lot of pruning, staking, or trimming (unless they’re “vigorous” and have such colossal fruit that they need more support). Sorts that can be identified are those that prefer hot and dry conditions. They can thrive throughout the Southwest.

Indeterminate tomatoes: The plants can grow and produce fruit all summer. The flowers are borne along vines and not at the tops. The pruning and support required for indeterminate varieties that thrive in the warmer, humid regions of the nation.

Heirloom tomatoes: These “old fashioned,” non-hybrid varieties were cultivated throughout generations through continuous breeding plants that had the best traits alongside other plants that featured these characteristics. The plants of every age that failed to conform to the grower’s requirements were removed and never bred again. A key aspect of tomatoes from heirloom varieties is that they’re usually (but they are not all the time) indeterminate and grow in a pollinated open environment.

The most distinctive characteristics of an heirloom plant are found in the dominant genes and, therefore, even if cross-pollinated with different varieties are within proximity, the seeds of heirlooms will remain the same, at least for some time. Then, you’ll notice changes in the sources; however, by keeping them apart, they will continue to reproduce (see our post, Heirloom and Organic Seeds – A growing Movement).

Hybrid TomatoesThese plants are produced every year. They result from two tomatoes being force-pollinated by force or “crossed” with no attempt to make a self-propagating seed. Hybrid seeds have an individual plant with the traits it was bred only once.

Selecting Tomato Seedlings

If you reside in an area with a short growing season, purchasing seedlings might be the most efficient way. This is because they require less time to mature and grow tomatoes! Choose leafy, vigorous plants when it’s time to pick your young seedlings. Spindly or leggy plants will likely fall over and not do great in your garden. Seedlings that are a good size, 6-8 inches tall, with a single main stem, are the best. Be aware of plants with discolored leaves or insects on them. Also, avoid plants that are blooming. Their overall yield is likely to be lower.

Growing Tomatoes from Seed

A variety of tomato varieties and most heirlooms are available only in seeds. If you plan to plant various tomatoes, you must start from sources. However, starting tomatoes from sources is surprisingly simple.

When to Plant Tomatoes

The packets of seeds advise you to plant six to eight weeks before the end of the frost — inside. However, if you reside in a warmer climate and haven’t experienced a glaze, you can sow seeds between 6 and 8 weeks before the temperatures in the daytime reach the high 70s and temperatures at night do not fall below 55 degrees.

How to Start Tomato Seeds Indoors

Growing Media

Organic potting soil is light and drains well. It is also pest and weed-free ordinary garden soil not! Select an organic planter so that your seeds will appreciate it.

Containers

Any object can serve as a container for starting seeds. Egg cartons, egg containers lower than juice or milk containers, yogurt containers, etc. Be sure to make an opening for drainage in the bottom. Of course, plastic flats bought at the local garden store work well, too. Whatever you decide to use, make sure to put an area underneath your containers to collect the water that is drained out.

Tips: Planet Natural has a large selection of Seed Starting Materials to aid you in getting tomatoes off to a good beginning!

Seeds

Seedlings cannot be cultivated without seeds, regardless of the quality of your potting mix or containers. Visit the local garden shop or look online to purchase tomato seedlings.

Sowing and Sprouting

Sow 1/4 – 1/2 inch in depth (check in the seeds’ packets for details) and ensure the potting mix is uniformly moist. If roots become wet and then dry, they’ll end up dying. Roots should begin sprouting within 10-14 days.

Tips: To keep seeds evenly damp, cover the containers in plastic or place the seeds in a plastic bag. Please don’t allow it to get so moist that mold begins to grow. Remove or lift the wrap after the seedlings start to grow.

Maintaining them Healthy

After the seeds have germinated, they have plenty of sunlight -between 12 and 16 hours daily. If your home doesn’t receive enough sunlight, it may be necessary to purchase an indoor grow lighting installation (see the following section below). If your seedlings are on the windowsill, you should turn the plants daily to ensure they grow even.

After a seedling develops four leaves, it’s time to move it into the pot of a different. Here’s how:

• Add a layer of lighter potting mix into your new container.
• Remove the seedling gently from its pot. Be cautious not to harm or smudge the stem or roots.
• Put the new seedling in the pool.
• Fill the soil with care. Fill most of the stem with soil, leaving the leaves atop the ground.
• Repeat the process until plants reach 8-10 inches tall until it’s time to take them outside.

How to Move Tomato Plants Outside

When the soil temperatures reach 55-60 degrees and the daytime temperatures are 60 degrees, it’s time to plant your tomatoes. However, please don’t put them in the ground.

They’ll have to adapt to cooler temperatures outside and a more harsh environment. It would be best to start your plants in the shade for a few hours before returning them home for the best results.

Then, they increase their time outdoors until they can live outdoors full-time. The process can take 7 to 10 weeks (see Setting Out, Then Hardening off).

Transplanting Tomatoes

• Select a cloudy day, if possible, so the seedlings don’t dry.
• Water plants using compost tea or dilute fish emulsion for an hour or two before transplanting.
• Take the lower leaves off.
• Combine 1c of kelp meal 1c, bone meal, and one handful of organic compost into each plant hole.
• Carefully take the seedling from the container and place it in the hole for planting.
• The hole should be filled with dirt.
• Water well.

Tomato Plant Care and Maintenance

Watering

The secret to gorgeous tomatoes is to water consistently. Be sure to water frequently and intensely. Ensure you soak the soil 6-8 inches in depth at least twice weekly. Don’t let the earth get dry between waterings, particularly once tomatoes start to grow. Inconsistent watering can result in distorted tomatoes and cause various other issues, a few of which have been mentioned previously. Tomatoes love water!

TIP: Keep water off the leaves of tomato plants to prevent various plant diseases from forming.

Mulching

Mulch can help to retain the moisture in your garden and help keep the soil warm. Apply up to 8 inches of grass, straw leaves, or another organic mulch shortly after warming the earth. If you plan to use tomato stakes or cages, put them in place before applying mulch. Find more information about mulches in your backyard vegetable garden here.

Fertilizing

The tomato is “heavy feeders,” meaning they require lots of nutrients.

A lot of tomato fertilizers are rich in phosphorus, as is evident by the middle value in the nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) as well as potassium (K) ratio. A quality tomato fertilizer has the highest median number for its NPK ratio, such as 5-7-3 or 8-15-6.

The fertilizer ratio varies according to the fertilizer’s composition, specifically for tomatoes or other plants. Specific growth mixes contain synthetic or natural nutrients; others don’t.

The phosphorus will encourage the blooming (and consequently fruiting), while nitrogen will boost the vegetative growth. This applies to organic fertilizers only.

Liquid FertilizerLiquid fertilizers are available immediately to the plant. However, they can be released from the soil quickly, which requires regular applications. Fertilizers, such as compost tea or fish emulsion, can be applied directly to foliage or the dirt surrounding the plants’ roots.

Slow-Release Granules Organic nutrients may be spread around existing plants on the soil’s surface. They release slowly, do not harm plants, and include various micronutrients and nitrogen and phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. They can even enhance the texture of soil when broken down.

Top – and Side-dressings Top-dressing involves adding nutrients or amending soil to the soil. Compost is a great option to top-dress. The water will release nutrients into the ground, and earthworms will transport the compost downwards.

When you side-dress, you’ll have to introduce the tomato fertilizer into the soil around your plants, but be cautious not to disturb the root system. Side dress with calcium sources (such as Gypsum) during the flowering stage to stop bloom-end rot.

Pruning

Only indeterminate varieties have to undergo (or gain of) pruning. Pruning tomatoes consists of removing the sprouts that are volunteered as suckers. They grow at the junction between the main stem of the plant as well as the stem of leaves.

If you don’t trim the suckers, they will produce leaves, roots, and flowers as the rest of the plant. This can increase the number of tomatoes you can pick. However, it will reduce each tomato’s size as resources must be spread across a larger plant.

Tomatoes planted on a staked or trellis require pruning because the structures won’t be able to accommodate large plants. Caged tomatoes are typically cut to produce 4-5 branches. There is a myriad of information online on pruning tomatoes.

Training and Support

Stakes, trellises, fences, stakes, and everything you could think of can be utilized to help train and support tomato plants; because tomatoes are vines, they naturally expand along their ground until they locate something they can “grab hold of” and climb onto.

VINE SUPPORT

Certain varieties of compact tomatoes can be grown without the support and produce gorgeous fruits. However, they do take up lots of space. Furthermore, they are compact tomato varieties borne on soil and diseases. If you are growing tomatoes with no support, be sure to plant lots of mulch.

Start training plants when they’re around 1 foot tall and proliferating. Connect determinant varieties to wooden or metal poles between 5 and 6 feet high. As the plant grows, cut off sucker shoots that are small and connect the main stem using twine or cloth strips for the stake. Help the plant climb to the stake as it expands.

Another option for staking, Florida weave, is a good choice for growing several tomato plants in rows. Begin by putting stakes between the plants, then weave the garden twine or cord between them. The steel posts (instead of stakes) at the end of each row add support.

Cages are much easier to maintain than planting or Trellising tomatoes and are great for sprawling, indeterminate plants. As the plants grow, you can push their branches through the cage to provide support.

Tomato Plant Pests and Disease Problems

The tomato plant is prone to many diseases and insects related to its cultivation (far too numerous to list here). However, if you notice that your tomato plants appear poor, the first thing to determine is the root cause of the issue. The Texas A&M Tomato Diseases page is full of photos that will assist you in identifying the problem quickly and provide suggestions for how to fix it.

How to Harvest Tomatoes

They change color and mature best when temperatures remain around 75 degrees. Keep your tomatoes in the garden for as long as possible to get the best flavor. But, if temperatures drop, it is best to take all mature fruit (green or not) inside. Green tomatoes can be grown inside by storing them inside a cold, dark space or perhaps an old brown paper bag. In a couple of weeks, they will begin turning red.

Another way to ripen tomato plants is to take the entire plant out of the garden and then hang the plant upside-down in a dark space such as your basement. You’ll be surprised by the results. This method will work, and once the tomatoes mature, they can be picked directly from the plant.

Tips: Never store unripened tomatoes in the fridge since cold temperatures result in them losing flavor and becoming mush.

How to Extend Tomato Season

If you reside in a region with a short growing time and want to harvest ripe tomato plants, you’ll need to do some preparation and post-season work.

The spring season: Get the seeds inside up to 6-8 weeks before the first frost and earlier if you intend to plant in a greenhouse, cold frame, or row cover. When it’s time to grow with healthy, robust plants set to grow.

The fall season: When the weather turns cooler, it’s time to trim off the foliage on the tomato plant, allowing warmer sunlight to penetrate the fruit. The warmth and not the light will speed up the maturing process. Also, cut off any blooms that haven’t yet set fruit. This will redirect the plant’s energy into ripening the already present fruits.

If you anticipate frost, protect your plants by covering them with old blankets or other materials to prevent them from freezing for a few more weeks. The coverings should be removed during the day to replenish the heat inside the soil. To increase the warmth, run an extension cord through your yard and leave a lightbulb (or the Christmas lights) under the cover.

Tips: To stimulate fruiting in the fall, cut down on the amount of watering and cut down the plant’s roots on three sides using the help of a shovel.

The 3 Best Potting Soil for Growing Tomatoes in 2022

If you plan to grow tomato plants at your home, you’ll need the most suitable soil for kick-starting your tomato plant’s growth correctly. Below are the three best options we recommend checking out:

Best Value: Miracle-Gro Potting Soil

It is possible to grow delicious tomato plants without spending a lot. Miracle-Gro Potting Soil Mix offers an excellent foundation for tomato seedlings thanks to a mixture of sphagnum peat coconut coir perlite.

It also has a wetting ingredient that assists with the absorption process of water through the dry peat moss the first time the mix is wet. When it’s moistened, the mixture will absorb water.

Like many Miracle-Gro soil mixes, it has fertilizers to give seedlings an initial growth boost and won’t require fertilization for a few months.

Containerized tomatoes should be fertilized periodically, around every six weeks, or as stated on the package, with a fertilizer high in phosphorus specially designed to grow tomatoes.

Best Organic: Black Gold Potting Soil

The Black Gold Potting Soil is an excellent option for tomato growers looking for organic soil mixes. The potting soil is 100% natural, chemical-free, and made with non-toxic processes, as evidenced by the OMRI certification.

The mix comprises sphagnum, rich loam peat moss, pumice, and perlite. Pumice particles, a type of lightweight volcanic rock, help remove the water from the mix while providing the structural strength needed to anchor the roots of tomato plants.

Black Gold also includes compost Earthworm castings, compost, forest humus, and the soil mix base.

Best for Dry Areas: Espoma Organic Potting Soil

Espoma organic plant potting mix has received praise for its ability to nourish your plants and encourage roots to grow for improved water intake, which helps reduce plant stress. This is possible due to adding myco-tone to the mix of potting.

Since the mix is ideal for retaining moisture, you don’t need to water your tomatoes regularly. In addition, the mycotone enhancer will ensure that the potting mix consumes 30 to 40 percent less water than average soils and encourages the growth of more robust plant roots.

However, it’s crucial to remember that you might need to decrease the water you give in cooler seasons because the mix might hold too much moisture for your plant’s taste.