How to Grow Tomatoes
Learn how to grow tomatoes from seedling to harvest. Covers choosing varieties, planting, watering, staking, and troubleshooting common problems.
We killed our first tomato plant within three weeks. Overwatered it, stuck it in a shady corner, and wondered why it turned yellow and flopped over like it had given up on life. It had.
The second attempt went better because we learned the two things that matter most with tomatoes. They want a lot of sun and consistent water. Get those two things right and the plant does most of the work for you.
Tomatoes are one of the most forgiving vegetables to grow once you understand the basics. They grow fast, produce a lot of fruit, and taste dramatically better than anything from the grocery store. A single healthy plant can produce 10 to 20 pounds of tomatoes over a season.
This guide covers everything from choosing a variety to picking ripe fruit off the vine. You do not need a big yard. A single pot on a sunny balcony works perfectly fine.
Tomato seedlings from a garden center (starting from seed is doable but adds 6 to 8 weeks to the process). A pot at least 18 inches wide and deep if growing in containers, or a garden bed with at least 6 hours of direct sun. Potting mix or garden soil amended with compost. A tomato cage, stake, or trellis for support. A watering can or hose. Optional but helpful: slow-release fertilizer or liquid tomato feed.
Choose the right variety for your setup
Tomato varieties fall into two categories: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate varieties (Roma, Rutgers) grow to a fixed height, produce all their fruit in a short window, and then stop. They are great for containers and small spaces. Indeterminate varieties (San Marzano, Cherry, Beefsteak, Brandywine) keep growing and producing fruit all season until frost kills them. They need more space and taller support but give you tomatoes for months. For beginners, cherry tomatoes are the easiest. They are prolific, disease-resistant, and forgiving of watering mistakes.
Good to know: Check the tag on the seedling for the number of days to harvest. Most tomatoes take 60 to 85 days from transplanting to first ripe fruit. If your growing season is short (northern climates), choose varieties with fewer days to maturity.
Pick a spot with maximum sun
Tomatoes need at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. More sun means more fruit. South-facing spots are ideal in the Northern Hemisphere. Watch your potential spot throughout the day to make sure buildings, fences, or trees do not shade it during key hours. If growing in pots on a balcony, choose the sunniest side. Morning sun is especially valuable because it dries dew off the leaves, which reduces fungal disease risk. Avoid spots that stay wet or have poor air circulation.
Plant deep for a strong root system
Dig a hole deep enough to bury the seedling up to its top two sets of leaves. Remove the lower leaves before planting. This sounds extreme, but tomatoes form roots along any buried stem, which gives the plant a much stronger root system and better stability. If planting in a container, fill the pot with potting mix, make a deep hole, and bury the seedling the same way. Water the hole before placing the plant, set the seedling in, fill around it with soil, and water again thoroughly. Space plants at least 24 inches apart if planting multiples.
Set up support right away
Install a tomato cage, stake, or trellis at planting time. Waiting until the plant is large risks damaging the roots when you push supports into the soil. Tomato cages (the cone-shaped wire structures) work well for determinate varieties. For indeterminate types that grow tall, a sturdy stake or a string trellis system gives better support. As the plant grows, tie the main stem loosely to the support with soft ties or strips of old t-shirt. Never use wire or thin string that can cut into the stem.
Water consistently and deeply
Tomatoes need about 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Water at the base of the plant, not overhead. Wet leaves promote fungal diseases like blight. Water deeply and less frequently rather than a little bit every day. Deep watering encourages roots to grow down, which makes the plant more drought-resistant and stable. In containers, you may need to water daily during hot weather because pots dry out faster than garden beds. Stick your finger an inch into the soil. If it is dry, water. If it is still moist, wait.
Heads up: Inconsistent watering (dry then soaked, dry then soaked) causes blossom end rot. That is the dark, leathery spot on the bottom of the tomato. It is not a disease. It is a calcium uptake problem caused by irregular watering. Keep the moisture level as consistent as possible.
Feed and maintain throughout the season
Once the plant starts flowering, feed it every two weeks with a liquid tomato fertilizer or a balanced fertilizer. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and produce better fruit with regular nutrition. Prune the suckers (small shoots that grow in the V between the main stem and a branch) on indeterminate varieties to direct energy toward fruit production. You do not need to prune every sucker, but removing the ones below the first fruit cluster improves air circulation and fruit size. Remove any yellowing lower leaves as the season progresses.
Harvest at the right time
Tomatoes are ready when they are fully colored and slightly soft when gently squeezed. They should come off the vine with a light twist or tug. Do not pull hard. If they resist, they are not ready. For the best flavor, let them ripen fully on the vine. If a frost is coming or you have a lot of green tomatoes at the end of the season, pick them and ripen them indoors on a windowsill. Placing them in a paper bag with a banana speeds up the ripening process. Store ripe tomatoes at room temperature, not in the fridge. Cold kills the flavor compounds that make homegrown tomatoes taste incredible.
Growing tomatoes is one of those rare activities where the effort-to-reward ratio is wildly in your favor. A $3 seedling, some dirt, water, and sunshine turns into pounds of tomatoes that taste nothing like the ones from the store. The first time you eat a tomato still warm from the sun, you will understand why gardeners will not stop talking about it. Start with one or two plants your first season. Learn what works in your specific spot. Adjust next year based on what you observed. Gardening is a multi-season experiment, and every year teaches you something the books cannot.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
Absolutely. Use a pot that is at least 18 inches wide and deep with drainage holes. Five-gallon buckets work in a pinch. Use good quality potting mix (not garden soil, which compacts in containers). Cherry tomato and determinate varieties are best for containers since they stay more compact. You will need to water more frequently than garden-planted tomatoes because containers dry out faster. A sunny balcony that gets 6 or more hours of direct sun is all you need.
Yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant are normal as the plant matures. The plant redirects energy to upper growth and fruit. Remove them to improve air circulation. Yellow leaves throughout the plant can indicate overwatering, nitrogen deficiency, or disease. Check your watering schedule first. If the soil is consistently soggy, cut back. If watering is fine, try a dose of balanced fertilizer. Widespread yellowing with brown spots may be early blight, a common fungal disease. Remove affected leaves and improve air circulation around the plant.
Most varieties produce ripe fruit 60 to 85 days after transplanting the seedling. Cherry tomatoes are on the faster end (55 to 65 days). Large beefsteak varieties take longer (75 to 90 days). The first few tomatoes always take the longest. Once the plant starts producing, you will get a steady harvest for weeks or months depending on the variety and your growing season.
The most common culprits are hornworms (large green caterpillars that are hard to spot), squirrels, and birds. Hornworms can be picked off by hand. Look for dark droppings on leaves and stripped stems. Squirrels and birds take bites out of ripening fruit. Covering the plant with bird netting or picking tomatoes just before full ripeness (they will finish ripening inside) usually solves the problem. Slugs eat low-hanging fruit. Raise the lowest branches off the ground and remove any fallen fruit.
Garden Starter
How to Grow Tomatoes
← you’re hereHow to Start a Garden
How to Compost