How to Grow Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Tomatoes are beloved warm-season staples prized for their juicy fruit and versatility in cooking. Gardeners grow them for their vibrant colors and ability to thrive in full sun once temperatures rise.
📷 Wikipedia: TomatoStarting Tomato: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Tomato is not usually started indoors.
Do not start indoors; plant tomato seedlings directly outdoors only after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures have warmed sufficiently.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8. As a frost-sensitive warm-season crop, you must wait until after the last spring frost when soil is warm before planting outdoors. Start seeds indoors several weeks prior to this date. Sow seeds about 1/4 inch deep; they typically germinate within five to ten days.
Space plants 18 to 36 inches apart and provide sturdy support or a trellis for tall varieties reaching up to eight feet. Water deeply and consistently to prevent blossom end rot, applying mulch around the base to retain moisture. Feed regularly with balanced fertilizer as the plant grows vigorously.
Watch for common pests like aphids and diseases such as blight or early blight; practice crop rotation and remove infected leaves promptly. Harvest ripe fruit starting sixty days after transplanting, up to one hundred days later depending on the variety. Pick when fully colored and slightly soft.
When to Plant Tomato
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 | — | September – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | — | September – October |
| Zone 5 | March | — | August – October |
| Zone 6 | March | — | August – October |
| Zone 7 | February – March | — | July – September |
| Zone 8 | February | — | July – September |
| Zone 9 | January | — | June – August |
| Zone 10 | January | — | May – July |
| Zone 11 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 12 | January | — | April – June |
| Zone 13 | January | — | April – June |
