Eating Garden

How to Grow Tomatoes

Solanum lycopersicum

A warm season fruit that almost everyone treats as a vegetable, and the crop most people try first. It needs heat, steady water and something to lean on.

By · Updated · How we source and review advice

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At a glance

  • Difficulty

    Takes some care

    3 of 5 · More shovels, more care

  • Sunlight

    Full sun

    6 to 8 hours a day

  • Water

    Thirsty

  • First harvest

    50 to 85 days

    from planting out

  • Growing in a pot

    5 gal or bigger

  • Plant spacing

    24 to 36 in apart

More about this plant

Tomatoes are not difficult, but they are unforgiving about two things: cold and uneven watering. Wait until nights are reliably warm before planting out, water deeply on a rhythm rather than a splash every day, and put the support in on day one.

  • Grows for one season.
  • Can grow in the open ground.
  • A good one to grow together with children.

Which kind of tomato should I grow?

  • Cherry

    Small, sweet and the fastest to ripen. About 50 days from planting out.

  • Roma and other paste types

    Meaty and low in juice, the usual choice for sauce.

  • Beefsteak

    Large slicing fruit that needs the longest season, around 85 days.

Make it your plan

Add your location for local planting datesAdd place

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What are you starting with?
Where will it grow?

Your plan, starting Nov 10, 2026

Estimated harvest: Dec 30, 2026 – Feb 3, 2027. Add your location to compare this date with local planting windows. Your chosen date stays the same.

Add your location to compare this date with local planting windows. Your chosen date stays the same.

Estimated first harvest

Dec 30, 2026 – Feb 3, 2027

Counted from planting out. Variety, plant age, weather, and care can change this estimate.

Fully coloured right to the shoulders, and giving very slightly when you press gently.

Warm summers with a long stretch of frost free nights. It stalls below about 50F and sets little fruit above about 90F.

First, gather a few things

  • A young tomato plant
  • A pot of at least 5 gallons, with drainage holes
  • Potting mix that drains well
  • A watering can or hose
  • Put the cage or stake in at planting time. Adding it later tears the roots that have already spread.

Start or plant it

Follow the steps for the way you chose to start.

  1. Start here

    1. Plant out once the frost risk has gone

    One to three weeks after your last frost, when the soil has warmed. Lay the plant in a trench three to four inches deep so much of the stem is buried; it will root all along it.

  2. 2. Put the support in now

    Cage or stake at planting time, before the roots spread. Doing it once the plant is big tears them.

Water

Check the soil first. Heat, rain, and pots can change how often this plant needs water.

  1. 1. Check before you water

    Feel the top inch of soil. Water when it starts to dry, before the roots dry out.

  2. 2. Water the roots

    Water slowly at the base until the soil feels moist a few inches down. For a pot, water until a little runs out of the drainage holes.

    About one inch of rain or watering a week, given as one or two deep soakings rather than a daily splash. Steady moisture is what prevents split fruit and blossom end rot.

Need help judging moisture? Read how to check the soil and water the roots.

If the plant looks unhappy

  • Too dry

    Leaves curl inward in the afternoon, and fruit develops a sunken brown patch on the bottom.

    If the soil is dry, water deeply and check it again tomorrow.

  • Too wet

    Lower leaves yellow, and ripening fruit splits after heavy rain.

    If the soil is wet, wait before watering again and check that excess water can drain away.

While it grows

Check on your plant and do these jobs as they come up.

  1. 1. Feed when the first fruit swells

    Not before. Early feeding, especially with nitrogen, gives you a magnificent plant carrying almost nothing.

  2. 2. Pinch out side shoots on vining typesOptional

    Every week or two, remove the shoots appearing where a leaf meets the main stem. Skip this entirely on bush varieties.

Looking after it

  • FeedingFeed it regularlyFeed once the first fruits start to swell, not before. Feeding earlier gives you a large leafy plant and little fruit.
  • NitrogenToo much nitrogen gives leaves instead of food
  • SupportA cagePut the cage or stake in at planting time. Adding it later tears the roots that have already spread.
  • PruningNeeds pruningOn vining (indeterminate) types, pinch out the side shoots that appear where a leaf meets the main stem. Bush (determinate) types need no pruning.
  • MulchTwo inches of straw keeps soil moisture even and stops rain splashing soil, and the diseases in it, onto the lower leaves.
  • PollinationTomatoes pollinate themselves. On a still day, a gentle shake of the plant helps the flowers set.

Pick and store it

Use the plant's signs of readiness, then harvest gently.

  1. 1. Check if it is ready

    Fully coloured right to the shoulders, and giving very slightly when you press gently.

  2. 2. Pick it

    Twist the fruit until the stem snaps, or snip it leaving the little green cap attached.

  3. 3. Keep it fresh

    Keep at room temperature, one layer deep and not touching. Never the fridge: cold destroys both flavour and texture.

    Typical keeping time: 5 to 10 days.

You might pick about 8 to 12 lb per plant. Weather, variety, and care can change this amount.

Growing tomatoes in pots

One tomato plant in a roomy pot can be a useful small garden. Plan for its full size, support and regular watering before you plant.

  1. Choose the variety and pot together. Bush types are easier to fit into a small space. Use at least a five-gallon pot for one plant; check the variety’s label for a larger size. The pot needs drainage holes and lightweight potting mix, rather than heavy garden soil.
  2. Find a sunny home. Aim for the six to eight hours of direct sun shown in this guide. Put the pot where you can reach it to water and pick fruit.
  3. Plant when it is warm enough. Follow your local planting window and wait until frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed. Set the cage or stake at planting time, before roots spread.
  4. Check the mix before watering. Pots dry faster than garden beds. Check often in hot weather and water thoroughly when the surface begins to dry, letting extra water drain. Use the mix and the plant’s condition to guide you rather than treating a bed’s weekly water estimate as a pot schedule.
  5. Pick by the fruit, not just the date. Follow the readiness signs in the harvest section. The wait changes with the variety and weather; a planting date alone cannot promise ripe tomatoes.

Sources: University of New Hampshire: Growing Vegetables in Containers and University of Minnesota: Growing tomatoes. Read more about choosing a pot size.

Common problems

  • Tomato hornworm

    Can ruin the crop

    Look for: Whole leaves gone overnight, and dark pellets on the leaves below.

    What to do: Pick them off by hand. If one is covered in white rice-like cocoons, leave it: wasps are dealing with it.

    One caterpillar can strip a plant in a couple of days.

    How to prevent it next time

    Prevention: Check plants every few days once fruit sets. Turn the soil over in autumn.

  • Aphids

    Common, worth watching for

    Look for: Clusters on the tips and under leaves, sticky leaves, and ants running up the stems.

    What to do: Knock them off with a jet of water, or rub them off by hand. Insecticidal soap for a heavy attack.

    How to prevent it next time

    Prevention: Do not overfeed with nitrogen, which makes the soft growth they love. Leave a few flowers nearby for ladybirds.

  • Spider mites

    Common, worth watching for

    Look for: Leaves stippled with pale dots, and fine webbing where the leaf meets the stem.

    What to do: Spray the undersides of leaves with water, repeating every few days.

    Worst in a hot, dry spell.

    How to prevent it next time

    Prevention: Keep plants watered and the air around them from getting too dry.

  • Early blight

    Can ruin the crop

    Look for: Brown spots with rings inside them, like a target, on the lower leaves first.

    What to do: Take off the affected leaves as soon as you see them and keep the plant fed and watered.

    Works up from the oldest leaves. Mulch and crop rotation are the real defences.

    How to prevent it next time

    Prevention: Mulch so rain cannot splash soil onto the leaves. Do not grow tomatoes in the same spot two years running.

  • Blossom end rot

    Common, worth watching for

    Look for: A flat, leathery brown patch on the blossom end of the fruit, often on the first fruits of the season.

    What to do: Pick off the affected fruit and even out the watering. Later fruit usually comes good.

    A watering fault rather than a disease.

    How to prevent it next time

    Prevention: Water steadily rather than in feast and famine. Mulch to keep soil moisture even. Do not overfeed with nitrogen.

  • Powdery mildew

    Cosmetic, the crop is still fine

    Look for: Pale, powdery patches on the upper side of leaves, spreading until the leaf yellows.

    What to do: Remove the worst leaves. In a bad year, a milk or potassium bicarbonate spray slows it down.

    How to prevent it next time

    Prevention: Leave room between plants for air to move. Water the soil, not the leaves.

Common mistakes

  • Planting out too early

    A cold week stalls a tomato for a month. A plant set out two weeks later usually overtakes it and fruits first.

  • Watering little and often

    Shallow watering makes shallow roots, split fruit and blossom end rot. Soak the ground, then leave it until it needs it again.

  • Feeding nitrogen too early

    You get a huge green plant and very few tomatoes. Wait until fruit has set.

  • Adding the cage in midsummer

    By then the roots fill the space you are about to push a wire frame through.

Companion plants for tomatoes

Some of this is measured in trials and some is long-standing garden practice. Each note below says which it is.

Good together

Trials show a real benefit:

  • French marigoldIn large greenhouse trials, French marigolds grown beside tomatoes all season slowed whitefly build-up; adding them after an outbreak helped little.Measured in trials
  • BasilStudies found basil grown with tomatoes reduced thrips, and growing basil between tomatoes may also help the tomatoes grow.Measured in trials

Extension programs recommend this pairing:

  • LettuceLettuce can grow under and between tomato plants, using ground the tomatoes have not filled yet.Recommended by extension programs
  • SpinachSow spinach early, then set tomato transplants into the same bed; the spinach is picked as the tomatoes fill in.Recommended by extension programs

Gardeners have long paired these:

  • Nasturtium or pot marigold (calendula)Gardeners often plant these flowers near tomatoes hoping to attract pest-eating insects; the benefit is a hope, not a tested result.Traditional garden practice

Keep apart

Extension programs advise keeping these apart:

  • PotatoTomatoes and potatoes both get late blight, so extension advice is not to plant them close together.Recommended by extension programs
  • Black walnut treeBlack walnut roots release juglone, which harms tomatoes, so keep tomato beds away from walnut root zones.Recommended by extension programs
  • Sweet cornCorn earworm is the same insect as tomato fruitworm, and when corn silks turn brown the moths move to nearby tomatoes.Recommended by extension programs
How to choose companion plants

Questions about tomatoes

Tap a question to see the answer.

Will tomatoes grow where I live?

Warm summers with a long stretch of frost free nights. It stalls below about 50F and sets little fruit above about 90F.

  • LightFull sunAbout 6 to 8 hours of direct sun a day.
  • ShadeNeeds full light
  • SeasonA warm season cropUsually grown in spring or summer.
  • TemperatureHappiest at 65 to 85 °FIt can survive 33 to 95 °F.
  • FrostFrost kills it
  • HeatCopes with heat
  • AirNo strong preference
  • Hardiness zonesZones 2a to 11bZones describe winter cold only. They do not say when to plant.

What soil is best for tomatoes?

  • Soil pH5.5 to 7.0A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
  • Soil it likesLoam, Sandy
  • DrainageWants well drained ground
  • RichnessWants rich ground

Work well rotted compost into the bed before planting.

A soil test is worth doing before you add anything. Tomatoes rarely need extra phosphorus in an established garden.

Before changing your soil, learn how to test soil acidity and understand the result.

When and how deep do I plant tomatoes?

When to plant

Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

  • Start indoors 5 to 7 weeks before your last spring frostFive to six weeks before you plan to plant out, which is itself after your last frost.
  • Plant out 1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frostWait until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed.
When you can start picking
  • 10 to 22 weeks after your last spring frostFrom the earliest cherry types to the latest full season ones.
  • Seeds usually sprout in 5 to 10 days.
  • Ready to pick about 50 to 85 days from planting out.
  • Picking lasts about 10 weeks.

What you need

  • How to start itFrom seed or a young plantYou can start it indoors first.
  • How deep to plant0.25 in
    Planting depth: 0.25 in below the soil surface. Drawing is not to scale.
  • How far apart24 to 36 inLeave 36 to 48 in between rows.
    Leave 24 to 36 in between plants and 36 to 48 in between rows. View from above; drawing is not to scale.
  • How deep the roots go18 to 36 inUseful when picking a pot or planning a raised bed.
    Roots reach 18 to 36 in below the soil surface. Scale in inches; root shape is a guide. The dotted line marks the shallow end of the range.
  • Pot size5 gal or bigger
    Choose a pot that holds 5 gal or more. Shape and plant size are a guide.

What happens to tomatoes through the year?

Measured from your last spring frost, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.

  1. Start seeds indoors

    5 to 7 weeks before your last spring frost

  2. Plant out

    1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frost

  3. Growing

    about 7 weeks of growing

  4. Picking

    10 to 22 weeks after your last spring frost

How do I give tomatoes a better start?

Simple ways to help your tomato grow, from the soil up.

  • Start with good soil

    Work well rotted compost into the bed before planting.

  • Give the soil a cover

    Two inches of straw keeps soil moisture even and stops rain splashing soil, and the diseases in it, onto the lower leaves.

  • Support the branches

    Put the cage or stake in at planting time. Adding it later tears the roots that have already spread.

  • Help with pollination

    Tomatoes pollinate themselves. On a still day, a gentle shake of the plant helps the flowers set.

A soil test is worth doing before you add anything. Tomatoes rarely need extra phosphorus in an established garden.

Why are my tomatoes splitting?

Uneven watering, almost always. The fruit swells faster than its skin can stretch when a dry spell is broken by a soaking. Water deeply on a steady rhythm and mulch to even out what the soil holds.

What is the black patch on the bottom of my tomato?

Blossom end rot. It is not an infection and it is not catching: the plant could not move enough calcium into that fruit, which is usually a watering problem rather than a soil one. Pick off the affected fruit and even out the watering; later fruit normally comes good.

Can I grow tomatoes in a pot?

Yes. Use a pot of at least five gallons, one plant per pot, and expect to water more often than you would in the ground. Bush varieties suit pots better than vining ones.

Should I pinch out the side shoots?

On vining types, yes: it keeps the plant manageable and the fruit larger. On bush types, no. If the plant stops growing taller and sets all its fruit at once, it is a bush type and needs no pruning.

Quick answers about tomato

One question each, answered first, with the source named.

  • Companion Planting for Tomatoes

    Companion planting for tomatoes: basil and French marigolds have trial evidence behind them. Keep potatoes, sweet corn and black walnut away.

  • When to Plant Tomatoes

    When to plant tomatoes depends on your last spring frost: set plants out 1 to 3 weeks after it, once the soil has warmed.

Helpful gardening guides

Dig into the next thing you need, from starting a garden to getting watering right.

Starting your first garden? Choose your space and get it ready, then plan local planting times.

Browse all gardening guides

Also filed under: Vegetables

Where this came from

Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

Sources & review dates
Planting
University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11 · Sowing depth and spacing between vining plants
Oregon State University Extension Service, Grow your own tomatoes and tomatillos (EC 1333) · checked 2026-09-11 · Staked and trellised spacing
Timing
University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11 · Seed starting window
Oregon State University Extension Service, Grow your own tomatoes and tomatillos (EC 1333) · checked 2026-09-11 · Days to maturity by variety type
University of Minnesota Extension, Growing peppers · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, warm-season crops are timed to months whose nights usually stay above 50°F.
UC Master Gardeners of Placer County, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Tomato blossom drop · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, tomatoes avoid months whose nights usually stay above 75°F; nights below 55°F also hurt fruit set.
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Master Gardener Program, Time of planting · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, warm-season crops are timed to months with days between 65°F and 95°F.
University of Maryland Extension, Poor blossom and fruit set of vegetables · checked 2026-09-24 · Where frost is rare, tomato fruiting is timed to nights of at least 55°F.
Water
University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11 · One inch a week
Looking after it
University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11 · Feeding at first fruit enlargement
Harvest
University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11 · Ripeness and room temperature storage
Common problems
University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11 · Pest, disease and disorder lists
Companion plants
PLOS ONE (Newcastle University study), Companion planting with French marigolds protects tomato plants from glasshouse whiteflies through the emission of airborne limonene · checked 2026-10-28
University of Minnesota Extension, Companion planting in home gardens · checked 2026-10-28
UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, Companion planting in the vegetable garden · checked 2026-10-28
Royal Horticultural Society, Three ways to use companion planting · checked 2026-10-28
Washington State University Extension, Tomato: Late blight · checked 2026-10-28
University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, Black Walnut Toxicity to Plants · checked 2026-10-28
Utah State University Extension, Tomato Fruitworm (Utah Vegetable Production and Pest Management Guide) · checked 2026-10-28
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