Growing Tomatoes

Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. Sow in seed trays filled with sterile seed-starting mix, 1/4 inch deep. Maintain soil temperature at 70-80°F for germination (5-10 days). Once seedlings have two sets of true leaves, transplant into individual 3-4 inch pots. Harden off for 7-10 days before outdoor planting by gradually increasing sun exposure and reducing water.

Alternatively, purchase transplants from a local nursery. Look for stocky plants with dark green foliage, no flowers or fruit yet, and no signs of disease. Leggy, pale, or already-fruiting transplants establish poorly. For tropical climates, start seeds in a shaded nursery and transplant during the cooler, drier season for best results.

Tomatoes need rich, well-drained soil with pH 6.0-6.8. Amend beds with 2-4 inches of compost, plus a balanced organic fertilizer (or 10-10-10 at 2 lbs per 100 sq ft). If your soil test shows low calcium, add gypsum or lime to prevent blossom end rot. Avoid fresh manure - excess nitrogen produces lush foliage but few fruits.

Transplant on a cloudy day or in the evening. Bury the stem up to the lowest set of leaves - tomatoes form adventitious roots along buried stems, creating a stronger root system. Space determinate varieties 18-24 inches apart, indeterminate varieties 24-36 inches apart. Water deeply at planting (1-2 quarts per plant) and apply 2-3 inches of straw or leaf mulch to conserve moisture and prevent soil-borne disease splash.

All indeterminate tomatoes and most determinates benefit from support. Options: Cages (low maintenance, good for determinates and smaller indeterminates), Stakes (single stake with tie-ups every 12 inches as the plant grows), Florida weave (stakes every 2 plants with twine woven between them - the commercial standard), or Trellis netting (vertical netting on a frame).

Install supports at planting time to avoid root disturbance later. For indeterminate varieties, prune to 1-2 main stems by removing suckers (shoots that grow in the leaf axils). This improves air circulation, concentrates energy into fewer but larger fruits, and makes the plant easier to manage on a single stake. Determinate varieties generally should not be pruned.

Water deeply and consistently - 1-2 inches per week, preferably through drip irrigation or soaker hoses rather than overhead watering (which promotes foliar diseases). Water at the base of the plant in the morning. Inconsistent watering causes blossom end rot (calcium uptake issue) and fruit cracking.

Fertilize when the first fruits are golf-ball sized, then every 2-3 weeks through the season. Side-dress with compost or balanced fertilizer. Avoid high-nitrogen feeds once fruiting begins - too much nitrogen produces excessive foliage at the expense of fruit. Potassium-rich feeds (like tomato-specific fertilizer or wood ash tea) improve fruit quality and disease resistance.

Basil is the classic tomato companion - it may repel certain pests (aphids, whiteflies) and some gardeners claim it improves flavor. Plant basil between tomato plants or around the bed edges. Marigolds repel nematodes and whiteflies. Carrots and lettuce make good understory companions, using space efficiently without competing for light.

Avoid planting tomatoes near brassicas (cabbage, broccoli - they compete for nutrients), fennel (inhibits tomato growth), or corn (attracts the same pests, especially tomato fruitworm which is also corn earworm). Rotate tomato beds annually - do not plant tomatoes or other nightshades (peppers, eggplant, potatoes) in the same location more than once every 3-4 years to break disease cycles.

Harvest tomatoes when they reach full color and give slightly when squeezed. For the best flavor, let tomatoes ripen fully on the vine in warm weather. If frost threatens, pick all tomatoes that show any color change (breaker stage or beyond) and ripen indoors at room temperature. Never refrigerate fresh tomatoes - cold temperatures destroy flavor compounds and create mealy texture.

Pick cherry tomatoes daily when they color up to prevent splitting. For large slicing varieties, harvest every 2-3 days. At the end of the season, pull entire plants and hang upside down in a garage to ripen remaining green fruit. A healthy indeterminate plant produces 10-15 lbs over the season; exceptional plants in long-season climates yield 20+ lbs.