Gardening Plants & Flowers Vegetables

13 Best Tips for Planting and Growing Great Tomatoes

From planting your first seedlings to ripening fruit

Tomatoes are among the most popular plants to grow in the vegetable garden. With the right care and a few helpful tips, your tomato plants can produce delicious, ripe fruit. The trick to growing great-tasting tomatoes is to choose the best varieties, start the plants off right, and control problems before they happen. Start here with these time-tested tips for planting tomatoes to harvest a juicy, bountiful crop this year.

  • 01 of 13

    Choose the Right Tomato Variety

    full frame of colorful heirloom tomatoes with green, yellow, orange, red, and pink varieties

    RubyRascal / Getty Images

    The two main categories of tomatoes are indeterminate and determinate. Indeterminate tomatoes fruit continuously throughout the season, while determinate tomatoes ripen nearly all at once.

    Indeterminate tomatoes, which include many heirloom varieties, are better for continuous harvests all summer long. Determinate tomatoes are great for making sauces and they are better for container planting because they reach a smaller size at maturity,

    Consider the type of tomato you want to grow and how long it will take to ripen. Tomatoes are divided into early-season, midseason, and late-season categories. When growing tomatoes in colder climates, look for early-season varieties bred to grow well in cooler weather.

  • 02 of 13

    Choose a Big Pot

    A tomato plant can grow large and needs a big pot to fit its extensive root system. A 5-gallon bucket with drainage holes drilled at the bottom would be an ideal container. Avoid black containers because they will become too warm for the plant, which leads to stunted growth problems. Also, avoid clay pots because they dry out quickly; stick to plastic or fiberglass posts for tomatoes.

  • 03 of 13

    Grow in Direct Sunlight

    using artificial plant lighting for tomato seedlings

    The Spruce / K. Dave  

    Tomato seedlings need strong, direct light. Use artificial plant lights for 14 to 18 hours every day when the seedlings are indoors but keep the lights a couple of inches away to prevent plants from getting leggy.

    When planting in the garden, choose a location that receives at least six to eight hours of full sun. Tomatoes need plenty of sun to grow well and produce fruit.

  • 04 of 13

    Create Air Circulation

    Growing plants

    s0ulsurfing/Jason Swain/Getty Images

    Tomato plants need to move and sway in the breeze to develop strong stems. That happens naturally outdoors, but if you start your seedlings inside, provide some type of air circulation. Do this by turning a fan on them for five to 10 minutes twice a day. Or, ruffle the tomato plants by gently rubbing your hands back and forth across their tops for a few minutes several times a day.

    Continue to 5 of 13 below
  • 05 of 13

    Provide Healthy Soil

    closeup of shovel in garden soil

    DonNichols / Getty Images

    Make sure your soil provides the proper conditions for tomatoes before you plant. Tomatoes prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8. Check your soil's pH with a soil test from your local extension agency. A soil test also diagnoses nutrient deficiencies.

    Tomatoes are heavy feeders and require a steady source of nutrients. Here are a few ways to do this:

    • Work compost into the soil before planting tomatoes.
    • Side-dress plantings with compost midseason to add nutrients.
    • Apply a fertilizer specifically designed for tomatoes every two weeks during the growing season, starting with planting time.
  • 06 of 13

    Plant at the Right Time

    closeup of light skinned hands planting a tomato plant in a window box

    Guido Mieth / Getty Images

    Plant tomatoes outdoors once any danger of frost in your growing zone has passed and soil temperatures are at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It's best to wait to plant tomatoes outdoors until nighttime temperatures stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Harden off tomato seedlings that were grown indoors to help them adjust before planting.

  • 07 of 13

    Plant Stems Deep

    burying the tomato stems

    The Spruce / K. Dave 

    Plant your tomato plants deeper by burying them up to the top few leaves. It's a hack used by many gardeners that helps tomatoes develop roots all along their stems for a stronger plant.

    Dig a deep hole or simply dig a shallow trench and lay the plant sideways. It will quickly straighten itself up and grow toward the sun. Just be careful not to drive your tomato stake or cage into the buried stem.

  • 08 of 13

    Water Deeply

    watering tomatoes

    The Spruce / K. Dave  

    Water tomato plants deeply and regularly while the fruits are developing. Here are more watering tips for tomatoes:

    • Make sure your plants get 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water per week. Give plants an inch of supplemental water each week if there has been little rainfall.
    • Give wilting tomatoes more water during hot, dry spells.
    • Supplement your tomato plants with an extra inch of water each week if there has been little rainfall.
    • Water at the base of the plant or use a soaker hose.
    • Avoid splashing water on the leaves, which can lead to disease.
    • After the fruit begins to ripen, ease up on watering so the plant concentrates its sugars for a better-tasting fruit.
    • Don’t withhold too much water or the plants will continually wilt and become stressed causing them to drop their blossoms and possibly their fruit.

    Tip

    Irregular watering can lead to blossom end rot (a calcium deficiency), cracking, and splitting.

    Continue to 9 of 13 below
  • 09 of 13

    Mulch Tomatoes

    mulching tomatoes with straw

    The Spruce / K. Dave  

    Once air and soil temperatures have warmed up, add a layer of mulch to your tomato plants to retain moisture. Mulching also prevents soil and soil-borne diseases from splashing up on the plants and shades and cools the soil.

  • 10 of 13

    Don't Crowd Seedlings

    crowding seedlings

    The Spruce / K. Dave 

    Give tomato seedlings plenty of room to branch out by thinning the seedlings and putting one strong plant per small pot. Crowded conditions inhibit growth, which stresses plants and can lead to disease.

    Transplant tomato seedlings into 4-inch pots shortly after they get their first set of true leaves. Harden off seedlings before planting in the garden.

  • 11 of 13

    Provide Support

    small tomato plant in red wire tomato cage

    Joe_Potato/Getty

    Give your tomato plants support when they reach 10 to 12 inches tall. Use tomato cages, string trellises, wooden or metal stakes with ties, or other strong supports to keep plants upright.

    Indeterminate tomatoes typically need stronger supports than determinate varieties. Use stakes or cages to help determinate tomatoes stand up straight once they bear fruit.

  • 12 of 13

    Remove the Bottom Leaves

    removing the diseased leaves

    The Spruce / K. Dave  

    After your tomato plants reach 2 to 3 feet tall, remove the leaves from the bottom foot of the stem. These old leaves sit close to the ground and are usually the first to develop fungus problems as they come into contact with soil-borne pathogens.

    Make sure to disinfect your clippers between snipping plants to avoid spreading disease.

    Continue to 13 of 13 below
  • 13 of 13

    Prune Suckers

    Tomato Suckers

    The Spruce / Marie Iannotti

    Remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches. Pinch or prune them off when they're 3 inches long or smaller. They won’t bear fruit and can take energy away from the rest of the plant.

    You can root tomato suckers in water to grow additional plants.

How to Harvest and Store Tomatoes

The best time to harvest tomatoes depends on whether you planted early-, mid-, or late-season varieties. Early-season tomatoes mature in 40 to 70 days, midseason in 60 to 70 days, and late-season tomatoes in 80 to 100 days from planting. Here are tips on how to harvest and store tomatoes:

  • Harvest fruits when they are good-sized, fully colored, and have smooth, shiny, supple, yet firm skin.
  • Ripe tomatoes should come off the plant easily. If you have to pull hard, the fruit isn't quite ready.
  • Ripen a partially ripe fruit by placing it in a paper bag and leaving it on the counter at room temperature. Refrigeration prevents fruit from ripening.
  • Don't leave partially ripened fruit on the stem too long or it will attract pests.
  • Chill fully ripe tomatoes in the refrigerator for two to three days, but they'll taste best when brought back to room temperature before eating.

Tip

Fully green tomatoes will never ripen properly after harvesting but you can use them in recipes as green tomatoes.

ripe and unripe tomatoes

The Spruce / K. Dave 

FAQ
  • Should you put Epsom salt on tomatoes?

    Put Epsom salt on tomatoes only if a soil test indicates your garden has a magnesium deficiency. However, the additional magnesium in Epsom salt can contribute to blossom end rot by preventing plants from absorbing calcium.

  • What does hydrogen peroxide do for tomato plants?

    Studies show that hydrogen peroxide does not control disease in tomato plants and can damage and burn leaves if used in high concentrations.

  • Are coffee grounds good for tomatoes?

    Coffee grounds contain elements like carbon and nitrogen that may benefit plants. However, it's better to feed tomato plants a quality fertilizer that contains more nutrients than coffee grounds provide.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Blossom End Rot. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Horticulture.

  2. Conserving Water Through the Use of Mulch in Our Landscapes. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

  3. Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum). University of California, Davis, Vegetable Research and Information Center.

  4. Steps to Prevent and Manage Tomato Leaf Spot Disease. Home and Garden Information Center, University of Maryland Extension.

  5. Using and Storing Tomatoes. Clemson Cooperative Extension.

  6. The Epsom Salt Myth. North Dakota State University.

  7. VegNet Vol. 13, No. 17. Ohio State University Extension.

  8. Coffee grounds, eggshells and Epsom salts in the home garden. University of Minnesota Extension.