How to Grow Celebrity
Solanum lycopersicum
Celebrity tomatoes are a popular warm-season choice for home gardens due to their reliable production and disease resistance. Gardeners appreciate this hybrid variety for its ability to thrive in full sun while delivering consistent moisture needs that ensure bountiful harvests.
📷 Wikipedia: TomatoStarting Celebrity: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Celebrity is not usually started indoors.
Do not start indoors before the last frost; instead, wait until soil temperatures are warm enough to plant seedlings or seeds directly outdoors immediately after the danger of frost has passed.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare rich, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 before planting. As a warm-season crop, start seeds indoors only after the last frost date has passed or wait until soil is warm enough to plant directly outdoors. Sow seeds about 1/4 inch deep; germination typically occurs within 6 to 12 days under optimal conditions.
Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart to allow proper airflow and growth up to 10 feet tall. Provide sturdy support or a trellis since these vines can become quite heavy with fruit. Maintain consistent moisture levels through regular watering, apply mulch to retain soil water, and feed regularly to sustain high yield potential.
Watch for hornworms, cutworms, and flea beetles; inspect leaves frequently and remove pests by hand or use organic controls early. Prevent late blight, bacterial spot, and blossom end rot by ensuring good air circulation and avoiding overhead watering. Harvest ripe fruit approximately 60 days after transplanting when the color is fully developed.
When to Plant Celebrity
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | May | — | September – August |
| Zone 2 | April – May | — | September |
| Zone 3 | April | — | August – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | — | August – October |
| Zone 5 | March | — | July – September |
| Zone 6 | March | — | July – September |
| Zone 7 | February – March | — | July – September |
| Zone 8 | February | — | June – August |
| Zone 9 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 10 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 11 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 12 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 13 | January | — | April – June |
Companion Plants for Celebrity
✓ Good companions
Repels aphids and whiteflies, may improve flavor
Attracts pollinators and beneficial insects, may repel hornworms
Helps loosen soil around tomato roots and doesn't compete for nutrients
Repels aphids and may help prevent fungal diseases
Benefits from tomato shade and doesn't compete for deep nutrients
Deters nematodes and many pest insects with natural compounds
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles
Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies that prey on tomato pests
✗ Keep away from
Produces juglone which is toxic to tomatoes and causes wilting
Compete for similar nutrients and may stunt tomato growth
Both attract corn earworms and hornworms, creating pest concentration
Inhibits growth of most garden plants through allelopathy
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
