How to Grow Fourth of July
Solanum lycopersicum 'Fourth of July'
Fourth of July tomatoes are a popular warm-season variety prized for their compact size and quick harvest. Gardeners choose them for reliable disease resistance and suitability in containers or small spaces where space is limited.
📷 Wikipedia: TomatoStarting Fourth of July: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Fourth of July is not usually started indoors.
Since this is a frost-sensitive warm-season crop, plant seedlings outdoors only after all danger of spring frost has passed and the soil temperature is sufficiently high.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 before planting. As a warm-season crop, you must wait until after the last spring frost when the soil has warmed up; do not sow indoors early as cold kills them. Plant seeds directly at a depth of about 1/4 inch. Expect germination to occur within seven to ten days under these warm conditions.
Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart to ensure good air circulation. Staking or caging is essential since the variety can reach up to ten feet tall. Provide consistent moisture by watering regularly, as dry periods cause blossom end rot. Apply mulch around the base to retain water and feed the soil periodically with a balanced fertilizer.
Watch for aphids, flea beetles, cutworms, and tomato hornworms; inspect leaves frequently and hand-pick pests or use organic sprays if needed. Prevent early blight, late blight, bacterial speck, and blossom end rot by watering at the base and maintaining even soil moisture. Harvest ripe fruit in 49 to 55 days after transplanting when they turn fully red.
When to Plant Fourth of July
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 | — | August – 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 | — | June – August |
| Zone 8 | February | — | June – August |
| Zone 9 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 10 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 11 | January | — | March – May |
| Zone 12 | January | — | March – May |
| Zone 13 | January | — | March – May |
Companion Plants for Fourth of July
✓ Good companions
Repels aphids and whiteflies, may improve tomato flavor
Helps loosen soil for tomato roots, doesn't compete for space
Repels aphids and may help prevent fungal diseases
Provides ground cover and benefits from tomato's shade
Deters nematodes and aphids with natural compounds
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles
Repels many pests and attracts beneficial pollinators
Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies and parasitic wasps
✗ Keep away from
Releases juglone toxin that causes tomato wilt and stunted growth
Compete for similar nutrients and may stunt tomato growth
Both attract corn earworm and compete for heavy nutrient demands
Inhibits growth of most garden plants through allelopathy
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
