Last updated: · expanded with variety advice, a full seed-to-transplant routine, planting-out and care tips, common problems and university extension sources.
If you grow any vegetables at all, you've probably already thought about tomatoes. They are the most popular home garden crop for a reason: the choice of flavors and colors is huge, a few plants go a long way, and a tomato picked ripe and warm from the vine tastes nothing like one that has traveled in a truck.
The good news is that tomatoes are not hard. Most failures come from a short list of avoidable mistakes: starting seeds too early, skipping hardening off, planting too shallowly, crowding the plants and letting the soil swing between bone dry and soggy. This guide covers the whole journey, from a short history of the plant through choosing varieties, starting seed, transplanting, planting out, care and the problems you're most likely to meet.
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Quick answer
Choose varieties that suit your space and season, and start seed indoors about six weeks before your last frost. Thin or pot on the seedlings, harden them off for 7 to 10 days, then plant them deep in warm, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun once frost is over. Support the vines, water deeply about once a week, mulch, and pick the fruit fully ripe.
| At a glance | Details |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Solanum lycopersicum |
| Family | Solanaceae (nightshade family) |
| Plant type | Tender perennial grown as an annual |
| Sun | 6 to 8 hours of direct sun |
| Soil | Fertile, well drained, rich in organic matter, pH about 6.2 to 6.8 |
| Sow indoors | About 6 weeks before the last frost |
| Seedling temperature | Around 64 °F (18 °C) or slightly warmer |
| Plant out | After the last frost, once nights are mild |
| Spacing | 18 to 36 in (45 to 90 cm) depending on type |
| Water | 1 to 2 in (2.5 to 5 cm) per week |
| Support | Stakes or cages for most types, strong ones for vines |
A Short History of the Tomato
The tomato has a more tangled story than most vegetables. Its wild ancestor, a small red-fruited plant called Solanum pimpinellifolium, is native to western South America, with fruit about the size of a pea. The plants we grow today were domesticated much later, and researchers still argue about exactly where and when. The leading idea is that a cherry-sized form spread north, and people in Mesoamerica then bred it into the large, lumpy, endlessly variable fruit we know. By about 500 BCE tomatoes were already being cultivated in southern Mexico, and the word "tomato" itself comes from the Aztec word tomatl.
Tomatoes reached Europe soon after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec capital in 1521, and were growing in Italian gardens by the 1540s. The first printed mention in European literature, in a 1544 herbal, called them "golden apples" (pomi d'oro), which suggests early varieties were yellow, though a 2022 study in PeerJ found that the earliest European tomatoes came in a much wider range of colors and shapes than people once assumed. You can read the open-access paper, Sixteenth-century tomatoes in Europe, if you enjoy the detail.
For a long time much of northern Europe treated the tomato as an ornamental curiosity, in part because it belongs to the nightshade family and was suspected of being poisonous. The French nickname pommes d'amour, "love apples," probably came from a misreading of an older Italian name, though plenty of people still repeat the story that they were thought to be aphrodisiacs. It took a few centuries for the tomato to become the staple it is today. Now it is one of the most widely grown vegetables in the world, and in gardens across the United States it is the number one crop.
Why Grow Your Own Tomatoes?
Flavor is the big one. Shop tomatoes are usually bred for toughness, shelf life and uniform color, and picked before they are fully ripe. When you grow your own you can choose from hundreds of varieties, most of which never make it into supermarkets or even garden centers as plants. You also decide when to pick, and a tomato left to ripen fully on the vine develops sugars and aromas that a gassed, shipped fruit never will.
You'll often read that homegrown tomatoes are far healthier, with higher levels of lycopene. Tomatoes are a good source of that antioxidant, and some varieties are richer in it than others, but I'm not aware of solid evidence that a garden tomato beats a good shop one nutritionally. Grow them for taste, variety and the pleasure of it, and treat any health benefit as a bonus.
Tomatoes are also long-season, heat-loving plants that don't tolerate frost. That's why most of us buy transplants or raise our own indoors and set them out once the weather warms up. Buying plants is easy. Starting your own is cheaper, more rewarding and the only way to grow the more unusual varieties.
Choosing the Right Tomato Varieties
Choosing varieties is confusing because there are so many of them. It helps to ask yourself three questions before you order.
- What kind of tomato do you want? Cherry for snacking, slicers for sandwiches, paste types for sauce, or a mix.
- How big will the plant get? A 6-foot vine needs a bed and a trellis. A compact bush can live in a pot.
- Which diseases are common near you? Your local extension office can tell you, and the plant tag or seed packet will list resistance codes. Choosing resistant varieties is the easiest way to avoid trouble, as the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension guide points out.
Determinate and indeterminate tomatoes
You'll see one of these two words on almost every seed packet. They describe how the plant grows, and they affect where you put it, how you support it and when you get your harvest.
| Feature | Determinate (bush) | Indeterminate (vine) |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | Stops at a set size | Keeps growing until frost |
| Height | Usually about 3 to 5 ft (1 to 1.5 m) | Up to 6 ft (1.8 m) or more |
| Harvest | Most fruit ripens in a short window, often about two weeks | A smaller harvest several times through the season |
| Best for | Sauce, canning, containers, small gardens | Fresh eating over a long season |
| Support | Cage or stake. The fruit load is heavy | Strong stake, trellis or tall cage |
| Pruning | Remove only low leaves | Suckers and low leaves, if you like |
Determinate types make sense when you want a big batch at once, say for sauce. Indeterminate tomatoes suit the home gardener who would rather pick a handful every few days, and how many fresh tomatoes end up on your counter is controlled simply by how many plants you grow. Whichever you pick, give them support: all tomato plants are vines at heart, and left to sprawl on the soil they tangle, stay damp and invite disease and pests. Washington State University Extension's home garden tomato guide also reminds cool-summer gardeners to choose fast varieties, ideally under about 75 days to maturity.
My advice is to grow a mix. Put in at least one or two disease-resistant varieties, because tomatoes are among the most disease-prone vegetables you can plant, plus one that you simply want to try for the fun of it. If you want somewhere to start, browse these organic tomato seeds, or see my guide to non-hybrid seeds if you want to save your own.
Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors
Starting from seed puts you in charge of what you grow. Tomatoes are heat lovers, and few gardens have a long enough season to sow them outdoors, so seed is almost always started indoors first. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln guide suggests sowing four to six weeks before transplanting outdoors, and I aim for about six weeks before the last expected frost. Go much earlier and you end up with tall, root-bound seedlings waiting for warm weather.
Use a fine commercial seed-starting mix rather than garden soil or a homemade blend. Bagged mixes are easy to use and free of weed seeds and pests, which is exactly what young seedlings need.
- Moisten the mix thoroughly, then fill your containers to about ½ inch (1 cm) from the top.
- Firm it gently. You want contact, not compaction.
- Sow two or three seeds in each small pot or cell, and cover with about ¼ inch (6 mm) of mix, pressed lightly.
- Water with a fine spray. Dampen the surface only. You don't need to soak it.
- Cover the pots with plastic wrap and put them somewhere warm.
- Check daily. Keep the mix moist but never waterlogged.
- Uncover as soon as sprouts appear and move the pots into the brightest light you have. A sunny window works, but a grow light is better. Keep it only an inch or two (2.5 to 5 cm) above the tops of the plants and raise it as they grow.
- Keep seedlings around 64 °F (18 °C) or a little warmer.
That stubby look is your goal. Tall, pale, spindly seedlings almost always mean too little light, and a weak early start is hard to correct later. If you only have a windowsill, turn the pots every day or two so the stems don't bend toward the glass. Label everything. It is astonishing how quickly you lose track of varieties.
Thinning Tomato Seedlings
You can give a seedling perfect light, water and food, but if you don't give it room, it won't thrive. Crowded plants compete for nutrients and you end up with several small, weak plants instead of one strong one.
Thin seedlings when they are two to three weeks old and about 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) tall. Keep the biggest, healthiest seedling in each pot. Cut the others off at the soil line with scissors instead of pulling them. Pulling would tug the roots of the seedling you want to keep.
Transplanting Tomato Seedlings
If you'd rather not sacrifice seedlings, you can separate them and pot them on. Tomato plants in pots should be spaced out when their leaves start to touch, or they stretch and turn leggy. Keep the compost moist and never allow it to dry out completely.
Lift each seedling gently, holding a leaf rather than the stem. Tomatoes grow roots along any buried stem, so sink the plant deeper in its new pot, up to the first true leaves. Water gently and put it back in bright light.
Watch: How to Transplant Tomato Seedlings
How to Transplant Tomato Seedlings
Watch the step-by-step method for lifting seedlings and potting them on without damaging the roots.
Prefer YouTube? Watch it there.
Hardening Off Before You Plant Out
When the danger of frost has passed and your seedlings are at least about 6 inches (15 cm) tall, they are ready to move outside. They are not ready to move outside yet, though. Plants raised indoors have never felt wind, direct sun or a cool night, and going straight into the garden can scorch the leaves and stall growth for weeks.
Hardening off fixes that. For a week to ten days, set the plants outdoors on mild days and bring them in at night. Start with an hour or two in a sheltered, shaded spot, then add more time and more sun each day. When they can handle a full day in sun, leave them out overnight, as long as the nights stay frost-free.
Watch: How to Successfully Harden Off Tomato Seedlings
How to Successfully Harden Off Tomato Seedlings
A simple day-by-day routine for getting seedlings used to sun, wind and cooler air.
Prefer YouTube? Watch it there.
Planting Tomatoes in the Garden
Prepare the soil
Tomatoes want well-drained soil that has been generously fed with organic matter. Rotted manure, compost or leaf mold dug in as soon as the ground can be worked in spring all help. The University of Georgia's tomato guide recommends a soil pH of about 6.2 to 6.8 and says a county extension soil test is the best way to find yours. If your soil is heavy clay, Ohio State University Extension suggests adding organic matter to improve drainage, or growing in raised beds.
For feeding, see my guide to organic fertilizers. As a rule, tomatoes are medium feeders. They want steady nutrition, not a huge nitrogen hit that grows lots of leaves and few fruit.
Plant deep and give them room
Pick the sunniest spot you have, with six to eight hours of direct sun. Space plants 18 to 36 inches (45 to 90 cm) apart, closer for pruned and staked plants and wider for big bushy ones. Crowded plants stay damp, and damp plants get sick.
Set each plant deep enough that about two-thirds of the stem is below ground. Roots will form along the buried stem, which gives you a sturdier plant that finds water more easily. My full step-by-step is in how to plant tomatoes. Put in your stake or cage at the same time, before the roots spread.
Caring for Tomato Plants
Water consistently
Tomatoes need roughly 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water a week, from rain and watering together. Water deeply once or twice a week rather than splashing a little every day, and do it in the morning at the base of the plant. Steady moisture matters more than the exact amount. Wild swings between dry and drenched cause cracked fruit and blossom end rot.
Mulch
Once the soil has warmed, spread a layer of straw or shredded leaves around the plants, leaving a little room around the stems. Mulch holds moisture, suppresses weeds and stops soil splashing up onto the leaves, which is how early blight and other soil-borne diseases climb the plant.
Feed sensibly
If your soil was well prepared, you won't need much extra. Once the first fruit has set, a balanced organic feed or compost tea every few weeks keeps things going. Avoid heavy nitrogen once the plant is flowering, since it gives you jungle leaves and few tomatoes. For a homemade option, read why nettles are great for your garden.
Add companions
Basil, marigolds, borage, chives and parsley all grow happily beside tomatoes and bring in beneficial insects. See companion plants for tomatoes for the full list.
Common Tomato Problems
- Blossom end rot. A dark, leathery patch on the bottom of the fruit. It is usually caused by uneven watering, not by a lack of calcium in the soil. Mulch and water evenly.
- Cracked fruit. Often follows a heavy rain after a dry spell. Consistent watering and mulch help.
- Early and late blight. Fungal diseases that show up as brown spots or water-soaked patches. Give plants space, keep the leaves dry, remove low foliage and rotate your crop from year to year.
- Hornworms and whiteflies. Pick hornworms off by hand, and encourage ladybugs and lacewings to deal with whiteflies.
- Leggy seedlings. Almost always a light problem. Move seedlings closer to a grow light.
If you're not sure what's wrong, your local extension office will help identify the problem, and the NC State Extension tomato page collects some useful fact sheets for home growers.
Harvesting Your Tomatoes
For the best flavor, pick tomatoes when they are fully ripe on the vine, with deep, even color and a slight give. Fruit that is harvested at the mature green stage can still ripen indoors on a counter, which is helpful when frost is on the way, but it won't match a vine-ripened tomato. Pick every couple of days once things get going, and don't refrigerate ripe tomatoes if you can avoid it, because the cold dulls the flavor.
Tomatoes are one of the greatest additions to any garden. If you have a tip for growing organic tomatoes that I've missed, I'd love to hear it in the comments.
Tomato Seeds I Recommend
If you're planning your seed order, these four give you a good spread: Black Zebra, a striped indeterminate cherry, Park Seed's Purple Zebra cherry, Sow Right's cherry tomato collection, and a 12-pack organic variety collection that mixes paste, slicing and cherry types. The links below are affiliate links. See the disclosure at the end of this guide.
A striped, burgundy-brown cherry on an indeterminate vine. Forty seeds is plenty for a few plants and some to share.
A striped, purple-toned cherry in the same spirit as Black Zebra. A small 10-seed pack, ideal for a pot or two.
A mix of cherry tomatoes for the home garden, handy for trying different colors and sizes in one season.
Twelve packs including Roma, cherry, Black Krim and Yellow Pear. A broad collection for paste, slicing and snacking tomatoes.
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Further Reading from University Extensions
These free guides were written by extension specialists, and they are worth bookmarking, especially for local advice on varieties and diseases.
- Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden (Ohio State University Extension): soil, planting and fertility.
- Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden (University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension): choosing cultivars and growing transplants.
- Tomato Growing Guide (University of Georgia Extension): soil pH, watering and harvesting.
- Growing Tomatoes in Home Gardens (Washington State University Extension): determinate versus indeterminate types and short-season varieties.
- Tomatoes for Home Gardeners (NC State Extension): a collection of fact sheets for backyard growers.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start tomato seeds indoors?
About six weeks before your last expected frost. That gives seedlings time to grow sturdy without outgrowing their pots. Starting much earlier leads to tall, weak plants that struggle when they finally go outside.
How deep should I plant tomato seedlings?
Deeper than they were growing in the pot. Bury about two-thirds of the stem, because tomatoes form roots along buried stem. This produces a stronger plant that can reach more water and nutrients.
What is the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes?
Determinate tomatoes grow into a bush of fixed size and ripen most of their fruit in a short window. Indeterminate tomatoes are vines that keep growing and fruiting until frost. Determinate types suit sauce and containers, while indeterminate types suit fresh eating over a long season.
How much water do tomatoes need?
About 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) per week from rain and watering combined. Water deeply in the morning at the base of the plant and keep moisture even, since uneven watering causes cracking and blossom end rot.
Why are my tomato seedlings tall and thin?
Almost always not enough light. Move them closer to a grow light, within a couple of inches, or into your brightest window, and turn them regularly. Cooler temperatures also slow stretching.
Do I need to harden off tomato seedlings?
Yes. Seedlings raised indoors are tender, and sudden sun, wind and cool nights can damage them. Spend a week to ten days putting them outside for longer each day before you plant them out.
Should I stake or cage tomatoes?
Yes, for nearly all types. Support keeps the fruit and leaves off the damp soil, which reduces disease and rot. Put the stake or cage in at planting time so you don't damage the roots later.
When are tomatoes ready to pick?
When they have developed full, even color and give slightly under gentle pressure. Fruit picked at the mature green stage will ripen indoors, but vine-ripened tomatoes have the best flavor.
Final Thoughts
Growing tomatoes is more about habits than secrets. Choose varieties you'll actually eat, give the seedlings enough light, harden them off, plant them deep in good soil, support the vines and keep the water steady. Do those few things and you'll be picking fruit all summer.
You don't need a perfect garden to get started. A couple of pots, a bag of good mix and one packet of seed will teach you more than any article can, including this one. Start small this season, take notes on what worked, and let next year's plan build on it.
More Tomato Guides
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