Tomatoes
Starting Plants From Seeds
Contents
Seeds and Transplanting
Care
Insects and Diseases
Starting your own tomato plants from seeds allows you to choose from a wide range of varieties. Begin six or seven weeks before you plan to transplant. If you try to start earlier, they will become leggy and spindly. I use peat pots so that the roots will be disturbed as little as possible when transplanting. The seedlings need to be kept moist, but not soaked, and it's best to give them lots of sunlight. For more information see our seed starting guide.
Choosing Varieties
If you have had problems with tomato diseases in the past, try growing disease resistant varieties. VNF varieties carry resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and root-knot nematodes. Celebrity and First Lady II are good disease resistant tomatoes. It's best to experiment with several varieties to find the one you like best.
Most tomato cultivars are either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate varieties grow to a certain height and then stop. They will flower and set all their fruit within a relatively short period of time, which is an advantage if you want a large crop for canning. Indeterminate tomatoes grow, flower, and set fruit over a long period. If you like to eat your tomatoes fresh, choose an indeterminate variety.
If you are purchasing your transplants, choose those with straight, sturdy stems about the size of a pencil. They should have 4 to 6 true leaves and no blossoms. Check carefully for signs of insects or disease.
If you plan to save seeds for next year's crop, choose an heirloom or open pollinating variety. Heirloom tomatoes will produce tomatoes just like the parent plant.
Location
Choose a location that receives full sun. Tomatoes will tolerate a little shade, but you'll get a smaller crop. Good drainage and protection from strong winds is a must. Prepare beds with animal manure and compost, especially if your soil is mostly clay or sand. Tomatoes grow best in a slightly acid soil with a pH between 6.2 and 6.8.
Transplanting
Harden off the plants before transplanting. Each plant will need about three square feet of space if they are to be staked or caged. If your soil is not well drained, set the plant on a mound four to six inches above the surrounding soil. If your soil is dry, place them in a depression in hopes that water will collect around the roots.
Water well before transplanting, and place them in the ground about two inches deeper than they are in the pot. If you are using peat pots, tear the pot slightly so the roots can come through easily. After planting, remove two or three bottom leaves. Water well, then go back and water any plants that look wilted again. A thick mulch will help the soil retain water, but if you mulch too early you may prevent the soil from warming. As your plants grow, water them any time they look wilted. Water deeply to prevent them from developing shallow roots.
If the transplant is tall and leggy at time of planting, the trench planting method should be used. To trench plant, dig a horizontal trench rather than a hole for each plant. Next, remove all of the leaves from the plant except the top leaf cluster (4-5 leaves). Then lay the plant on its side in the trench and cover the root system and bare stem up to the top leaf cluster with 2 to 3 inches of soil. Firm the soil over the plant. Be sure not to press the soil too firmly around the stem where it comes out of the ground, or the stem may break.
Tomatoes can be grown in large containers or tubs and some small fruiting varieties can even be grown in hanging baskets. Use a sterile planting mix and choose a container with good drainage. Pay special attention to water and fertilizer needs of container-grown tomatoes.
Recipes
