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.

At a glance

Difficulty
Takes some care
Sunlight
Full sun
6 to 8 hours of sun 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.

Optional local dates

Planting dates where you live

The growing guide above works anywhere. This section adds local frost dates when we have them.

Optional local dates

Get planting dates for where you live

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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.

Step by step

Start the seeds indoorsFive to six weeks before you plan to plant out, sow a quarter of an inch deep in small pots somewhere warm and bright. They germinate best between 75F and 85F.
Pot them onWhen the first true leaves appear, move each seedling to a bigger pot and bury the stem a little deeper than it was. Tomatoes root along a buried stem.
Harden them offFor a week before planting out, stand the pots outside for a few hours a day, building up to a full day, so the leaves toughen.
Plant out once the frost risk has goneOne 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.
Put the support in nowCage or stake at planting time, before the roots spread. Doing it once the plant is big tears them.
Mulch, then water deeplyTwo inches of straw, then about an inch of water a week in one or two good soakings. Even watering is what prevents split fruit and blossom end rot.
Feed when the first fruit swellsNot before. Early feeding, especially with nitrogen, gives you a magnificent plant carrying almost nothing.
Pinch out side shoots on vining typesEvery week or two, remove the shoots appearing where a leaf meets the main stem. Skip this entirely on bush varieties.

Common mistakes

Planting out too earlyA cold week stalls a tomato for a month. A plant set out two weeks later usually overtakes it and fruits first.
Watering little and oftenShallow watering makes shallow roots, split fruit and blossom end rot. Soak the ground, then leave it until it needs it again.
Feeding nitrogen too earlyYou get a huge green plant and very few tomatoes. Wait until fruit has set.
Adding the cage in midsummerBy then the roots fill the space you are about to push a wire frame through.

Water

Thirsty

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.

Too dry
About right
Too wet

If it goes dryCopes with a short dry spellLeaves curl inward in the afternoon, and fruit develops a sunken brown patch on the bottom.
If it stays wetDislikes sitting wetLower leaves yellow, and ripening fruit splits after heavy rain.

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.

Harvest

You will know it is ready when: Fully coloured right to the shoulders, and giving very slightly when you press gently.

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

What to expect8 to 12 lb per plantA rough guide. A good year and a bad year can differ by half.
Keeping itKeeps 5 to 10 daysKeep at room temperature, one layer deep and not touching. Never the fridge: cold destroys both flavour and texture.

Common problems

Tomato hornworm
Can ruin the crop
One caterpillar can strip a plant in a couple of days.
What to look for: Whole leaves gone overnight, and dark pellets on the leaves below.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Check plants every few days once fruit sets. Turn the soil over in autumn.
What to do: Pick them off by hand. If one is covered in white rice-like cocoons, leave it: wasps are dealing with it.
Aphids
Common, worth watching for
What to look for: Clusters on the tips and under leaves, sticky leaves, and ants running up the stems.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Do not overfeed with nitrogen, which makes the soft growth they love. Leave a few flowers nearby for ladybirds.
What to do: Knock them off with a jet of water, or rub them off by hand. Insecticidal soap for a heavy attack.
Spider mites
Common, worth watching for
Worst in a hot, dry spell.
What to look for: Leaves stippled with pale dots, and fine webbing where the leaf meets the stem.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Keep plants watered and the air around them from getting too dry.
What to do: Spray the undersides of leaves with water, repeating every few days.
Early blight
Can ruin the crop
Works up from the oldest leaves. Mulch and crop rotation are the real defences.
What to look for: Brown spots with rings inside them, like a target, on the lower leaves first.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Mulch so rain cannot splash soil onto the leaves. Do not grow tomatoes in the same spot two years running.
What to do: Take off the affected leaves as soon as you see them and keep the plant fed and watered.
Blossom end rot
Common, worth watching for
A watering fault rather than a disease.
What to 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 & prevention
Prevention: Water steadily rather than in feast and famine. Mulch to keep soil moisture even. Do not overfeed with nitrogen.
What to do: Pick off the affected fruit and even out the watering. Later fruit usually comes good.
Powdery mildew
Cosmetic, the crop is still fine
What to look for: Pale, powdery patches on the upper side of leaves, spreading until the leaf yellows.
What to do & prevention
Prevention: Leave room between plants for air to move. Water the soil, not the leaves.
What to do: Remove the worst leaves. In a bad year, a milk or potassium bicarbonate spray slows it down.

Is this right for you?

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.

Soil

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.

The year at a glance

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.

Start seeds indoors
5 to 7 weeks before your last spring frost
Plant out
1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frost
Growing
about 7 weeks of growing
Picking
10 to 22 weeks after your last spring frost

Questions people ask

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.

Common varieties

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.

Also filed under: Vegetables

Where this came from

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

Sources & review dates

Light and weather: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11
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
Soil: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11 · pH range
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
Step by step: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11
Questions people ask: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-11

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