How to grow Tomatoes
Solanum lycopersicum
Summer staple — wait for warmth, then feast.
Tomatoes are frost-tender — wait until nights stay above 50°F before setting them out. In short-season areas, choose early varieties; in long, warm summers, vines can produce right up until your first fall frost.
Grow Tomatoes with step-by-step help for your exact yard.
Start free in Seededly →Tomatoes at a glance
| Sun | Full sun |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 6.0–6.8 |
| Spacing | 24–36 in |
| Harvest | Aug → frost |
| Plant | After ~May 20 |
| Support | Cage or stake |
How to grow Tomatoes, step by step
Pick a type
- Determinate (bush) types ripen all at once — great for canning.
- Indeterminate (vining) types produce all summer — best for fresh eating.
- For our shorter season, choose early or mid varieties (60–75 days).
Plant after the frost
- Wait until late May when nights stay above 50°F.
- Plant deep — bury two-thirds of the stem; it roots along the buried part.
- Space 2–3 ft apart in full sun and cage or stake right away.
Feed & water steadily
- Mulch to keep soil evenly moist — uneven water causes cracking and rot.
- Feed every few weeks once fruit sets.
- Pinch side shoots on vining types to keep airflow.
Harvest
- Pick when fully colored and slightly soft.
- Before the first fall frost, bring in any mature green tomatoes to ripen indoors.
Tomatoes problems & fixes
Tomatoes — Dark sunken spot on the bottom: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Blossom-end rot from uneven watering. Mulch and water steadily; it usually corrects itself.
Tomatoes — Brown spots spreading on leaves: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Fungal blight — common in humid lake summers. Improve airflow, water at the soil, remove affected leaves.
Tomatoes — Cracked fruit: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
A heavy rain after dry weather. Mulch and water consistently to even out moisture.
Tomatoes — Big leafy plants, little fruit: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Too much nitrogen. Ease off high-nitrogen feed once flowers appear.
Recommended tomatoes varieties
- Celebrity — Best all-rounder. Disease-resistant and dependable almost anywhere — the safe first tomato.
- Sungold — Cherry. Super-sweet orange cherries by the handful; vigorous and easy.
- San Marzano — Paste / sauce. The classic sauce and canning tomato.
Tomatoes month-by-month
| January | Plan & order seeds. |
|---|---|
| February | Start seeds indoors under a light. |
| March | Pot up seedlings; keep them growing. |
| April | Harden off transplants late in the month. |
| May | Plant out after frost (~May 20); cage and mulch. |
| June | Feed and water; tie up vines. |
| July | First tomatoes ripen — keep picking. |
| August | Peak harvest. Can or freeze the surplus. |
| September | Harvest continues; watch for blight in damp spells. |
| October | Bring in green tomatoes before frost. |
| November | Beds cleared. Don’t compost diseased vines. |
| December | Off-season — plan next year’s varieties. |