10 Tips for Planting & Growing Tomatoes

How to Get Ripe, Juicy Tomatoes

Want to add tomatoes to your list of grow-your-own foods? You’re not alone. Tomatoes are America’s most popular home garden crop. Technically it’s a fruit but most of us lump it in with the vegetables we eat. No matter what you call it, a tomato is delicious! To get the best harvest possible, follow these five tips for growing this savory, flavorful plant.

Preparing the soil is crucial for successful tomato planting and growth. You’ll want to make sure you select a spot that receives a lot of sunlight throughout the day. It's also beneficial to mix in some compost or manure with the soil as a natural fertilizer to help promote growth. You can also mix in a balanced fertilizer to provide essential nutrients. 

You’ll want to aerate the soil by tilling it, which allows roots to dig deeper and access water and nutrients more efficiently. Additionally, spreading mulch around the plants can help retain moisture, prevent weed growth, and maintain an even soil temperature.

Tomatoes love sunlight and warm weather but dislike extreme highs or lows. Most varieties won’t survive a hard frost. It’s recommended you wait to plant them until the threat of freezing temperatures has passed. Choose the sunniest spot in the garden, looking for at least seven hours of sunlight per day. If you have a greenhouse, you’ll get the best crop, but they'll grow just fine in your vegetable garden. You can even grow tomatoes in small spaces. They do quite well in planters. Just make sure the vessel is large and able to drain. Don’t put more than one plant per pot, and keep the container in a sunny spot for seven to eight hours each day.

Tomatoes need rich, drainable, slightly acidic soil to thrive. To test the pH, pick up a soil tester. You’re looking for a slightly acidic pH level of 6.5 to 6.8. If the soil is too acidic, add limestone. If it’s too alkaline, you can add sulfur or composted organic matter. After testing the soil, but before planting, add fertilizer. Either chemical or organic helps provide the nutrients tomatoes need to grow and produce. Organic fertilizers improve the soil’s structure and increase its ability to keep in water and nutrients. If you’re using containers and potting soil, you still need to use fertilizer.

You have two choices when planting tomatoes. You can use seeds or transplants.

If you’re using seeds, you should start them in seed trays. Once they reach an inch in height, you can move them to pots.

If you’re using transplants, plant them deep in the soil so that two-thirds of the plant is submerged in the soil. This gives the plant a stronger, better root system which, in turn, produces better fruit. Water deeply, as well, at the root of the plant. Wet leaves can lead to blight and fungus. Deeply, however, doesn’t mean excessively. Your goal is to keep the soil moist, not soaked. Consistency is key, and you should check your tomato plants every day to make sure the soil isn’t drying out.

Determining the right amount of water for tomato plants involves observing their needs. 

Here are the best practices for watering your tomatoes depending on what stage of growth they’re in:

• Seedlings: Water daily to keep the soil consistently moist. Gentle misting is ideal to avoid waterlogging.

• Mature Plants: Water every 2-3 days, allowing the top inch of soil to dry out between waterings. This encourages deeper root growth.

• Harvesting Stage: Maintain a balance by watering every 2-3 days. Ensure the soil stays moist but not overly wet to prevent fruit splitting.

Avoiding diseases like blossom-end rot and fungal infections requires proper watering practices. Uneven watering disrupts calcium uptake, causing blossom-end rot, while excessive moisture on leaves leaves a higher chance of fungal diseases. To minimize these risks, water at the plant's base early in the morning, allowing leaves to dry during the day. 

Determining the right amount of water for tomato plants involves observing their needs. 

Here are the best practices for watering your tomatoes depending on what stage of growth they’re in:

• Seedlings: Water daily to keep the soil consistently moist. Gentle misting is ideal to avoid waterlogging.

• Mature Plants: Water every 2-3 days, allowing the top inch of soil to dry out between waterings. This encourages deeper root growth.

• Harvesting Stage: Maintain a balance by watering every 2-3 days. Ensure the soil stays moist but not overly wet to prevent fruit splitting.

Avoiding diseases like blossom-end rot and fungal infections requires proper watering practices. Uneven watering disrupts calcium uptake, causing blossom-end rot, while excessive moisture on leaves leaves a higher chance of fungal diseases. To minimize these risks, water at the plant's base early in the morning, allowing leaves to dry during the day. 

As your tomato plant grows, it will need support. So tie each plant to a stake or cage. The main reason is to keep the fruit off the ground, where it will rot. The plant will produce cleaner, healthier tomatoes. Staking also keeps the plant from spreading around the garden, taking up too much space. You’ll get an earlier harvest with larger fruit. It’s also easier to monitor your garden for pests and diseases when the plants are tied up.

Gardeners often face pests and diseases that threaten tomato plants, such as aphids, whiteflies, tomato hornworms, and spider mites. Diseases like blight, powdery mildew, and wilts caused by fungus and bacteria are also common.

Here are some common organic solutions to pest and disease issues in gardens:

• Neem oil and insecticidal soaps manage pests without harming plants or the environment

• Baking soda mixtures can treat powdery mildew

• Copper-based fungicides defend against fungal diseases

If pests don’t go away with organic methods, chemical pesticides may be needed. Choose the right chemical, apply it correctly, and follow specified rates to reduce pests and limit disease spread. Always follow label instructions and use pesticides approved for edible plants.

So now that you know how to grow the best crop possible, you can join the 85% of home gardeners who plant tomatoes. Enjoy adding a ripe, red, fragrant tomato to your summer salad. Bon Appetite!

Tomato plants are for suckers. Well, they have suckers. These are the small leaves that shoot out from the main stem. Pruning them, or suckering, promotes air circulation, keeps disease down, and focuses the plant’s energy on growing fruit. Suckers should be plucked off by hand before they reach 4 inches long. Waiting until they are larger can damage the plant. Don’t use a knife on suckers, as this can lead to the spread of disease. Suckers grow back quickly. You should prune them once or twice a week. You can use pruning scissors on thicker stems that need to be removed. Also, remove any yellow leaves on the plant.

So now that you know how to grow the best crop possible, you can join the 85% of home gardeners who plant tomatoes. Enjoy adding a ripe, red, fragrant tomato to your summer salad. Bon Appetite!

So now that you know how to grow the best crop possible, you can join the 85% of home gardeners who plant tomatoes. Enjoy adding a ripe, red, fragrant tomato to your summer salad. Bon Appetite!
To ensure the best flavor, pick tomatoes when they are vibrant and even in color, and when it is slightly firm. This maximizes taste and storage life. 

It’s important to harvest tomatoes gently to preserve their life. Lightly grasp and twist them from the stem, or use clippers to snip the stem close to the fruit. Avoid yanking to prevent damage to the plant and fruit; a clean cut or twist keeps the plant healthy.

For a steady supply, stagger your tomato plantings. Plant a few tomato plants every two weeks to extend the harvesting period. This method ensures fresh tomatoes over a longer time and avoids an oversupply.

So now that you know how to grow the best crop possible, you can join the 85% of home gardeners who plant tomatoes. Enjoy adding a ripe, red, fragrant tomato to your summer salad. Bon Appetite!

It's best to fertilize tomato plants when you first plant them, then again when they start to set fruit. Be careful not to over-fertilize, as this can lead to fewer tomatoes.

Overwatered tomato plants may show signs like yellowing leaves, wilting despite wet soil, and cracked fruit. Underwatered plants often have dry, crispy leaves, drooping stems, and smaller or fewer tomatoes. Aim to keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.

Yes, tomatoes can be grown indoors if they receive enough light. Place them near a south-facing window or use grow lights to provide at least 14-16 hours of light per day. Ensure good air circulation and proper watering to avoid mold and mildew.

Yes, you can save seeds from open-pollinated or heirloom tomato varieties. Simply scoop out the seeds from a ripe tomato, ferment them in water for a few days, rinse, and dry them thoroughly before storing them in a cool, dry place.