That tub of yogurt at the back of your fridge may have a second life in your garden, according to a surprising bit of advice making the rounds online. Yogurt does hold calcium and protein, which are two important nutrients tomatoes need to thrive. Though whether a tomato plant can use any of it is a separate question.

The claim that a spoonful of yogurt plopped into your watering can boost tomato growth turns up regularly in gardening forums, usually framed as a good calcium source for tomatoes. The logic runs that dairy is rich in calcium – and tomatoes often suffer from calcium problems – so giving plants a dose of dairy fertilizer can provide plants with what they need. But this theory isn't exactly accurate.

But yogurt isn't exactly useless in the garden. Use it alongside a proper tomato fertilizer and it could potentially give plants a little extra oomph. I'll walk you through the truth behind the claim that yogurt is a good fertilizer for tomatoes, how to try it out for yourself, and some precautions to take before using yogurt in your garden.

Why Gardeners Are Using Yogurt on Tomato Plants

Calcium is the main claim behind using yogurt as a tomato fertilizer. Blossom end rot ruins fruit every summer and a lack of calcium is often named as the culprit, so a tub of yogurt in the fridge is perhaps the nearest source on hand. Plain yogurt carries a fair amount of calcium by food standards, which makes the connection feel obvious.

The rest of the appeal spreads wider than just that one mineral, though. Yogurt is also a good source of protein and protein means nitrogen for plants.

Lactose is a sugar that soil microbes will eat readily, which can improve soil. Then there are the live cultures in yogurt, mainly Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, which fit the popular notion of feeding soil biology as well. The tub was headed for the bin regardless.

Does Yogurt Tomato Fertilizer Really Work?

The case for yogurt as a calcium source for tomatoes falls apart once you really look at the numbers. A tablespoon (15 ml) of yogurt carries roughly 20 milligrams of calcium. A tomato in full fruit moves vastly more than that throughout a single season and the soil in which it grows is almost certainly holds a surplus already. So a spoonful of yogurt fertilizer doesn't make much of an impact.

Arithmetic isn't the real trouble, though. Calcium in dairy arrives bound to casein, which means soil microbes have to dismantle it before roots can reach any useful nutrients. Warmth and time do that work on their own timetable. Nobody decides when the nutrient turns up or whether it does so while the plant still needs it.

Blossom end rot is rarely a result of a shortage of calcium in the first place. It's more often a delivery failure. Uneven watering of tomato plants interrupts calcium moving into developing fruit, creating blossom end rot. Yogurt doesn't address the mechanism blocking the calcium, it only addresses the nutrient itself.

Best Type of Yogurt to Use

If you still want to try out this homemade tomato fertilizer anyways, choosing the right yogurt is key. Plain yogurt is the only version that belongs near a garden bed. Nothing else on the dairy aisle qualifies. A tub of yogurt is cheap and choosing nonfat leaves less greasy residue behind than the full fat stuff. Fruit, honey, added sugar – none of it should reach the garden.

Artificial sweeteners are the other thing to skip, since they bring nothing to the soil and nobody can say how the residues behave in a garden bed. Sugar-loaded yogurt causes a quicker problem, drawing ants, wasps, and rodents to the base of the plant. Flavored tubs also carry stabilizers nobody should pour on a garden.

How to Make Yogurt Tomato Fertilizer

Dilution does the safety work for yogurt tomato fertilizer. One tablespoon (15 ml) of plain yogurt stirred into a full 2 gallon (9 L) watering can is the strongest dose you should use. Stir it well so nothing settles into a lump, then pour slowly around the drip line of your tomatoes, roughly 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm) from the stem.

Follow with a can of plain water to carry the yogurt fertilizer below the soil surface, since dairy left sitting on top can cause problems. Keep every drop off the foliage as well. Damp residue on leaves in warm weather invites fungal tomato diseases far harder to fix than any nutrient shortage.

How Often to Apply

Applying yogurt tomato fertilizer once a month through the growing season is plenty and, often, less is fine. This belongs with small experiments rather than scheduled feeding, so there's little to gain from building a routine around it.

Anyone curious can run it properly. Treat one plant with the diluted mix, leave a matching plant untreated beside it and compare at season's end. That beats the anecdotes floating around online and it costs a single tub of yogurt.

What you should never do is replace a scheduled feed of traditional tomato fertilizer with only yogurt. A plant that doesn't receive real fertilizer and only yogurt just isn't being fed properly.

Mistakes To Avoid

Dolloping on a dose of yogurt fertilizer undiluted is a big problem for tomato plants. A blob of dairy on warm soil goes sour and draws flies. It can also set into a crust that sheds water instead of letting it through. Container plants suffer worst, since a pot holds little soil and none of the microbial diversity a bed uses to process organic matter.

Instead, if the goal is feeding the soil, a bag of Back to the Roots organic compost from Home Depot does that job properly.

Repeat applications of yogurt tomato fertilizer are the other trap. Residue accumulates and a spot treated over and over starts to smell bad and stays damp.

Signs to Stop Using Yogurt

A sour smell around the base of the plant means the residue is fermenting instead of breaking down cleanly. White or fuzzy growth across the soil surface signals the same issue. Scrape off what you can and flush the area with plain water.

Insects and animals can cause problems, too. Fungus gnats drifting around the stem are a sign something's wrong, but fruit flies more so. Soil turned over at night by raccoons or rats is the surest signal, since something has found the smell interesting. And a plant that looks worse than before the experiment started has already answered the question.

What to Use Instead

Fruiting tomatoes want steady nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, with an emphasis on the last two once flowering starts. Plants also need calcium and magnesium in amounts no kitchen leftover supplies. Espoma Tomato-tone 3-4-6 with 8% calcium from Amazon covers all a tomato needs in one product and yogurt simply can't compete.

Watering does more for blossom end rot than any additive from your fridge. Deep, even soakings in a steady rhythm with a few inches of mulch to hold in the moisture keep calcium moving into the fruit. All in all, save the yogurt for your breakfast. Invest in a good organic commercial tomato fertilizer or homemade compost instead.

Tomatoes ‘sweat’, in their own way. On a hot, muggy afternoon the plant is pushing water out through its leaves nonstop, and down where the foliage sits jammed against damp soil with nothing stirring, that moisture has nowhere to go. So it hangs around. Warm, dead-still air against a wet leaf – that's the setup fungal spores are hoping for, and usually where things go wrong.

The fix takes less work than it sounds. A good chunk of growing tomatoes well through a humid summer comes down to airflow, and airflow comes down to which leaves stay on the plant. Strip off the right few and the whole thing breathes easier. Add one cheap trick down at the soil line and a lot of the disease pressure that wrecks a crop never really gets going.

Why the Bottom of the Plant Is Key

A lot of tomato disease starts low and climbs. Those bottom leaves sit right over the dirt, and the dirt is where fungal spores ride out the winter. Then the rain comes, or the hose, and every drop hitting the ground flicks a little back up onto the nearest leaf. Early blight (Alternaria solani) and Septoria leaf spot (Septoria lycopersici) both get around exactly like this – a few spots low down, some yellowing, then up the plant. Clear off that bottom tier and the splash lands on nothing.

Airflow is the other half. Let a tomato bush out on its own and it becomes this dense, shut-in tangle, the inside of it staying damp hours after the outer leaves have gone dry. Spores are fine with that. Thin it out, get some air moving through the middle, and the leaves dry off quicker once the rain or the dew lifts – and a dry leaf is just a lot harder for anything to get into. None of this means pruning your tomato plant bare, though – it just needs room to breathe.

The 3 Leaves to Snip

Not every leaf is earning its keep. Three kinds in particular cause more trouble than they're worth once the humidity sets in, and they're the ones to go after first. A clean cut close to the stem does it, and a pair of bypass pruning snips from Amazon makes flush cuts easy and spares the stem.

1. The Lowest Leaves

Start low and work your way up. Anything in that bottom 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30cm) is either touching the soil or hanging just over it – first to catch whatever splashes off the ground. And those are old leaves anyway, shaded out, not pulling their weight, stuck in the worst possible spot on the plant. Snip them flush to the main stem. Once the plant is established and setting fruit, a bare lower stretch of stem does it no harm.

2. Yellowing or Spotted Leaves

Any tomato leaf going yellow or growing spots has more or less run its course – and if those spots turn out to be disease, it's now a launch pad for more. Don't wait for pruning day to deal with them. Remove them the moment you spot them. A yellow leaf down low is often the first tip-off that something fungal has moved in, and getting it gone fast is cleanup and early warning rolled into one.

3. Crowded Interior Growth

Deep in a big plant, leaves stack on leaves and almost none of them get real light or air. That congested inner growth is where humidity hangs around the longest. Thinning a few of those interior leaves, along with any small suckers crowding the center, cuts a channel for air to move straight through. You want a plant with daylight showing through it in gaps, not a solid green wall.

The Secret Skirt Trick

Here's the part many people don’t bother with. Once those lower leaves are gone, lay a skirt around the base of the plant – a ring of mulch or a fabric barrier over the bare soil. It seems too basic to count for much. What it actually does is drop a physical wall between the soil, where the spores live, and the leaves above, so when water hits the ground there's nothing left to splash back up.

Straw works for this, so does shredded bark, and even newspaper under compost will do. Grab a couple bags of shredded mulch from Home Depot and a row is covered without much fuss. Want something you're not redoing every season? A roll of landscape fabric from Walmart does the same job and lasts years. Either way there's a bonus – the cover slows evaporation, so the soil underneath stays damper and more even, roots getting a steady drink while the leaves stay clear of the muck. There's one catch, though. Keep the mulch an inch or two (2 to 5cm) off the stem. Bank it right against the stem and it traps enough moisture to start rot.

July is when backyard tomatoes either take off or quietly fall apart. The plants are big by now, heavy with green fruit and pushing hard through the hottest stretch of the year – which is right when small problems snowball into season-enders. Blossom end rot sets in, skins split, and a fungal spot creeps up the lower leaves before anyone notices. Most of that traces back to a few tasks that get skipped in the heat, not to bad luck.

The good news is that ten minutes of attention now pays off for weeks. Anyone already comfortable with growing tomatoes knows the vines are forgiving up to a point, and midsummer is where that forgiveness runs thin. A little pruning, steady water, a nutrient nudge at the right moment – these are the moves that keep fruit setting through August instead of stalling out in a tangle of leggy growth and cracked skins. None of it takes special skill. It just takes doing it before the plant forces the issue.

What Your Tomatoes Need in July

The plants aren't asking for much in July, but the little they need, they need on time. Skipping a step doesn't show up right away – it shows up three weeks later as cracked fruit or a vine half-taken by blight. Ten minutes now buys a lot of tomatoes later, and better-tasting ones at that.

1. Low-Leaf Haircut for Airflow and Blight Prevention

When pruning tomatoes, start at the bottom. Those lower leaves touching the soil, or hovering just above it, are the first place blight and early leaf spot get a foothold – rain splashes soil-borne spores up onto them, and from there the trouble climbs. Stripping the bottom 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30cm) of foliage off each plant opens up airflow right where things sit stagnant and humid. It looks a little brutal the first time. The plant won't miss them.

Those low leaves aren't doing much photosynthesizing anyway, shaded out by everything above. Pulling them lets air move through the base and dries the zone out faster after a storm, which is half the battle with fungal trouble. Do it on a dry morning so the wounds seal before evening humidity settles back in. A clean cut or a clean snap, either works – just don't leave torn stubs that invite rot.

2. Consistency With Deep Watering

Tomatoes hate surprises when it comes to water. Deep, consistent soaking is what heads off blossom end rot and split tomatoes both, and the two problems actually share a cause – erratic moisture. When a plant goes bone dry and then gets flooded, the fruit swells faster than the skin can stretch, and it cracks. Calcium uptake stalls during the dry stretches too, which is what triggers that sunken dark patch on the bottom of the tomato.

The fix is boring, but it works. Water tomatoes deeply and less often, right at the base. A couple of long soakings a week beats a daily sprinkle that only wets the top inch (2.5cm). A drip line or soaker hose from Amazon takes the guesswork out of it, running slow and low so moisture sinks down to where the roots are. Mulch over the top of that and the ground holds even between waterings. That last part is honestly reason enough to mulch.

3. Midsummer Sucker Pruning

Tomato suckers are the little shoots that pop out in the crotch between the main stem and a branch. Left alone, especially on indeterminate types, they grow into whole secondary stems that eat energy the plant could be putting into fruit. Midsummer is prime time to stay on top of them, since the vines are growing fast and throwing new suckers weekly. Pinch them out while they're small – thumb and forefinger, no tools needed.

There's a limit to this, though. Determinate tomatoes set most of their crop at once and shouldn't be sucker-pruned much at all, since every growing tip counts toward the harvest. On indeterminate tomatoes, a light hand beats a heavy one in the heat. Strip too much foliage and you expose fruit to sunscald, those pale leathery patches that show up on shoulders baking in full sun. Take the obvious suckers, leave enough canopy to shade what's ripening.

4. Mid-Season Potassium Boost

By July, the early fertilizer is mostly used up and the plant is heading into its heaviest fruiting stretch. This is where a potassium boost earns its keep – potassium drives fruit development and flavor, and a mid-season side dressing keeps production from tapering off early. Skip fertilizing tomatoes with the high-nitrogen stuff now. Nitrogen at this stage just pushes leafy growth at the expense of the tomatoes already forming.

Side dressing is simple. Scatter a low-nitrogen, higher-potassium feed in a ring a few inches (7 to 8cm) out from the stem, scratch it into the soil surface, then water it in. Something along the lines of a tomato-specific granular fertilizer from Amazon does the job without much fuss. The plant picks it up over the following weeks, right as the fruit load peaks. Do it once now and most gardens won't need another round before the season winds down.

5. Reinforcing the Rigging

All that fruit has weight, and July is when supports start giving out. A cage that held fine in June leans under a fully loaded plant, and once a stem kinks or snaps, that whole branch of developing tomatoes is finished. Walk the row and look for strain. Maybe a stake has worked loose, or a tie is starting to bite into a thickening stem. Better to catch it before a storm rolls through and lays everything flat.

Loosen any ties that are cutting in and re-secure with something soft. Strips of old T-shirt work, or these adjustable plant ties from Amazon that don't dig into the stem as it thickens. Add a stake where a plant is outgrowing its cage, and tie in the heavy trusses so they're not hanging off a single joint. Ten minutes of reinforcement now saves a snapped main stem later, and there's no coming back from that one.

6. Snapping Off Key Growing Tips

This one's aimed at the tail end of the run, but it's worth knowing about now. Toward the close of tomato season – usually mid to late summer, depending on climate – snapping off the growing tips of indeterminate plants tells them to quit making new growth and ripen what's already there. Any flower cluster that opens past a certain point won't have time to mature anyway, so the plant does better funneling that energy into the fruit already hanging.

It's called topping, and it can be the difference between a pile of green tomatoes at first frost and a properly ripe haul. Cut or pinch the top few inches (7 to 8 cm) off each main stem, just above the highest cluster worth keeping. Everything gets redirected downward. In shorter-season areas it's close to essential; in long, warm climates there's less urgency, though it still helps concentrate flavor late in the year. Miss July, and tomatoes coast. Get it right, and they produce like they’ve got something to prove.

I’ve been a gardening editor for longer than I want to admit, and I’ve been growing tomatoes from the start. My work has meant I’ve been lucky enough to visit goodness knows how many nurseries and talk to a gazillion professional growers, and I’ve hoovered up tips and tricks the whole time. So believe me, I’ve tried out way more than my fair share of professional hacks in pursuit of a perfect crop of juicy toms that keeps on coming all summer long.

And yes, as a regular Instagram scroller, I’ve tried out plenty of unprofessional tips too. Honestly, quite a few of both types turned out to be absolute hogwash. Some had the potential to be downright deadly (here’s looking at you, baking soda making tomatoes sweeter). But a few actually worked.

Heeding tomato care basics such as supporting and pruning tomato plants will bring you a decent initial crop of tomatoes. But here’s the thing: if you want to keep tomato plants producing plenty of tomatoes as the weather gets hotter, foliage and fruit become more susceptible to disease, and sap-sucking insects move in, you need some extra tricks up your sleeve. These days, I only raise six tomato plants each summer because I’m confident – thanks to my trial and error testing of all those hacks – that I can keep them producing bumper crops of toms for months on end. And just look how many tomatoes those few plants produce.

These are those expert tomato growing tips, so you too can harvest more than ever before.

1. Basil Supports Tomato Plant Health

You’ll hear all sorts of hype about companion plants when growing tomatoes, and mostly they’re used either to attract beneficial bugs or deter pesky ones. But there’s one companion plant that does things a little differently and it's an absolute must, because basil directly increases tomato yield by as much as 20%. Scientists have shown that basil releases volatile compounds that prime a tomato plant’s defense mechanisms. So, if a tomato plant is attacked by pests or disease, if it’s got a wingman basil plant growing next to it, it’ll react to that threat faster and more robustly.

Research proves that growing basil alongside a tomato plant helps it grow stronger roots, too, that allow it to cope better with drought and heat. Basil also helps to attract pollinators and deter pests, and even makes fruit taste sweeter.

There are around 150 types of basil and for the full benefit, it’s best to grow a few varieties. Greek basil (Ocimum minimum) is the variety used in the stress-reponse study and seeds are available from Amazon. Purple basil (Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens) has an intense aroma so is particularly effective at repelling pests, and seeds are available from Eden Brothers. Lemon basil (Ocimum x africanum) is the variety used in the study that found basil can improve tomato flavor perception, and seeds are available from Botanical Interests.

2. Banana Peel is Full of Potassium That Tomatoes Need

You’re likely feeding your tomato plants every 10-14 days with a liquid fertilizer that’s high in potassium, like this Espoma Organic Tomato Feed from Amazon. Plants need many nutrients for healthy growth but broadly speaking, nitrogen promotes leaf and stem growth, phosphorus aids root development, and potassium helps flowers and fruit form; these are collectively known as the NPK ratio.

And as luck would have it, banana peel is super-high in potassium, and you can use it to give plants an extra boost with a mild, slow release of nutrients. Some people mix chopped-up banana peel into the compost at the base of planting holes when moving tomatoes outdoors. I choose to make a supplementary banana peel tea whenever the opportunity arises, steeping a couple of chopped-up peels in a quart-jar of water for three or four days, then pouring the strained tonic onto the soil, diluting first if it looks strong.

Banana peel also contains a small amount of calcium, which helps prevent blossom end rot (which causes those leathery black patches on tomato bases), and trace elements that support photosynthesis. Importantly, it doesn’t have any nitrogen, so won’t fuel leafy growth.

3. An Electric Toothbrush Improves Pollination

Tomato flowers need to be pollinated before they can set fruit. Happily, each flower contains both male and female parts so all that needs to happen is a little movement to shake the pollen free from the male anther cone and onto the female stigma. If you’re growing tomatoes outside then buzzing insects and the wind will naturally ensure this little jiggle happens. But, if you’re raising your toms on a kitchen windowsill or in a greenhouse, your plants could probably do with a little pollinating help.

Flowers can increasingly fail to pollinate as summer temperatures heat up, too. Once daytime temperatures are above 90°F or if it's over 70°F at nighttime – and remember, greenhouses can be far hotter than the air outside – pollen can become too dry or sticky to easily be distributed. Those flowers that dry up and drop off your plants? They're likely to be the blooms that failed to pollinate and, as the season progresses, you’ll see an increasing number of these on each truss.

Unless, of course, you employ an electric toothbrush to deliver that essential buzz. Hold the back, non-bristly side of the toothbrush head gently against the stem directly above each flower for a couple of seconds, when conditions are dry. Tomato flowers only have a 50-hour window for pollination so, to get full trusses across all your plants, you’ll need to do this every two days. You can buy super-cheap rechargeable electric toothbrushes such as this from Amazon, so don’t even consider using your own!

Shading plants in a greenhouse from the midday sun will also help pollination rates. Opt for 40-50% sunblock so plants still get plenty of sun to photosynthesize, with a shade cloth like this from Amazon, and position it so it only blocks the strongest overhead midday rays.

4. DIY Drip Irrigation is a Game-Changer

Let’s be honest, how regularly do you water your tomato plants? Most toms are on a rollercoaster ride between saturated and dry soil, and one of the most important things you can give a tomato plant while it’s fruiting is consistent moisture. Any big swings in soil moisture stresses plants, leads to blossom end rot, and cracked, split fruit. A dehydrated plant may also drop its flowers.

Drip irrigation systems are great, but there are lots of other, cheaper ways you can stabilize soil moisture between waterings or rainfall. I’ve DIYed drip irrigation systems from upcycled pop bottles, and you can see how I made them here.

I now also use clay LECA balls such as these from Amazon as pot-toppers to regulate moisture, and I DIY sunken water reservoirs alongside my bigger tomato plants to mimic how ollas (like these from Amazon) work. Mixing coconut coir such as this from Amazon into the soil is another way to help it hold onto an excess of water then release it slowly.

Yes, I water just as often, but the soil is delivered to my plants far more evenly and that means they’re far less stressed. It also means that I can go away for the weekend without having to ask my nosy neighbor to water my precious toms, so I'm far less stressed, too.

5. Stopping Feeding is as Important as Starting Feeding

We all know we need to feed our tomato plants to produce lots more fruit, and to start as soon we spot the first flowers. But when do you stop feeding? Because if you carry on feeding too long, you encourage the plant to pointlessly keep on growing rather than directing its energy into ripening the existing fruit.

You should stop feeding around a month before your first expected frost, or once nighttime temperatures start to dip below 50°F. At this point, snip off the top of the main growing stem(s) too, known as ‘topping’. This stops the plant growing upwards and forces it to direct all its energy into ripening its existing trusses of tomatoes.

June is a big month for tomatoes. Right now they should be putting out tons of new branches and leaves, their stems should be thickening, and the first flowers and fruit should appear soon. But if your tomato leaves are turning yellow this early in the season, then it’s crucial to figure out the cause and treat the problem fast.

Yellow leaves on tomatoes can occur for a variety of reasons. Some of them are no big deal and easy to fix. But if others are left untreated, they could have serious implications on your plants for the rest of the season. Your harvest could be much smaller or even nonexistent, depending on the severity of the problem.

Whatever the issue, though, there is a solution. But the first step is identifying the problem. I’ll walk you through the three most common causes of yellow tomato leaves in June and how to deal with each of these complications.

1. Nutrient Deficiencies

The most likely cause for yellow leaves on tomatoes in June is a nutrient deficiency. Tomato seedlings often turn yellow before you even transplant them into the garden because they’ve used up all the nutrients built into the seeds from which they sprouted. That’s why it’s important to fertilize tomatoes in June, especially if you didn’t give them a dose of fertilizer when you transplanted them into the garden.

Often leaves turn yellow when there is a nitrogen deficiency in the soil – nitrogen is what stimulates lots of green, leafy growth. But phosphorus and potassium are also key for producing lots of fruit, so you don’t want to overdo it with the nitrogen in order to get green leaves at the expense of actual tomatoes. Though, a potassium deficiency can cause yellowing around the edges of your tomato leaves as well.

Iron and magnesium deficiencies can also cause yellowing leaves on tomatoes. But rather than the entire leaf turning yellow, these nutrition problems exhibit themselves in different ways. Iron chlorosis causes the leaves to yellow and the stems to remain green. A magnesium deficiency causes leaves to take on a yellow, splotchy appearance.

The best course of action is to first do a soil test – this quick and easy at-home soil test kit from Home Depot is a great option for immediate results – before choosing a fertilizer for your plants. A one-size-fits-all fertilizer is not ideal, especially if your plants are already turning yellow. A simple soil test will tell you exactly what nutrients your tomatoes are lacking and guide you to choose the proper plant food for your particular plants.

2. Diseases

A variety of different tomato diseases can cause leaves to turn yellow. In June, the most likely diseases to impact your plants are:

• Early Blight
• Late Blight
• Septoria Leaf Spot
• Leaf Mold
• Bacterial Spot
• Fusarium Wilt
• Tomato Pith Necrosis
• Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus

The best way to both prevent these diseases is to provide proper tomato care. Do a soil test before planting and amend your soil based on those results. Water plants at the base to prevent splashback onto leaves, which can spread diseases. Provide consistent irrigation so plants are not stressed and more vulnerable to disease. When pruning tomato plants, always clean your pruners between each plant to prevent disease spread.

As an extra precaution, especially if you’ve encountered any of these diseases in previous years, choose disease-resistant tomato varieties to grow in your garden. Botanical Interests is a great source for disease-resistant tomato seeds. Or you can shop disease-resistant tomato starter plants from Bonnie Plants.

3. Herbicide Drift

Another cause of yellow leaves on tomato plants is herbicide drift, however, this is much less common. Still herbicides can travel via the wind for up to a mile and harm your tomato plants, causing them to twist, turn yellow, and become stunted. This issue is more likely if you live near a commercial farm, but it can still occur in any neighborhood.

If you use herbicides in your landscape, never apply them on a windy day and try to stay as far away from your tomatoes as possible. Ideally, you should hand-pull weeds with a tool like Grampa’s Weeder from Walmart, which works wonders on the dandelions in my yard. You can also try a safer organic weed control method instead, so you don’t accidentally harm your own plants.

Herbicides are also sometimes present in low-quality soil mixes, composts, and mulches. That’s why you should sometimes be careful when using free mulch, free compost, or free garden soil. If possible, find out the source of the material to ensure it does not contain unwanted herbicides that can ruin your garden.

Planting tomatoes in spring is important, but don’t underestimate the importance of caring for your plants in June. If you start good tomato-care habits now, you’ll get better quality fruit more fruit, and a plant that lives longer.

When you are growing tomatoes, you can’t rest on your laurels in June. Early summer is a critical period for tomato plants as they develop from green leaves into summer fruits. Don’t worry – the tasks are not complex.

The top five things you need to do for tomatoes in June are simple actions like giving them water, fertilizer, a support system, mulch and a haircut.

What Tomatoes Need in June

For tomatoes to be happy campers, they need a proper growing location where they get at least 6 hours a day of direct sunlight each day and moist, well-draining soil. If you planted in May, upkeep starts in June. Here are the five most important tasks to keep those plants healthy and growing.

1. Provide Support for Tomato Plants

If you have young kids, you know that sense of shock when you see how fast they grow. One minute they are babes in arms; the next minute, it seems, they are riding a bike. The same is true for your tomato plants in June.

Tomato plants shoot up amazingly fast. In early June, it’s time to set up a support system for them. By late June, the plants are too heavy and tangled to move them around. What happens if you don’t support them? They can drag on the ground, bend, develop disease, and even snap. Great support options include modular tomato cages, stakes, and trellises.

This snap-together system, available from Amazon, is a personal favorite of Gardening Know How Senior Editor Liz Baessler. If you have waited too long to install a traditional cage, you can just build this modular system around your plants with no fuss!

2. Water Deeply and Regularly

Think of cutting into a big ripe tomato; it’s full of juice! That suggests that you can’t grow tomatoes without regular water. While all young tomato plants need moist soil, tomatoes require even more water in June as temperatures rise.

For June irrigation, regular deep watering is the rule. It encourages deeper, stronger root systems and better drought resistance. Water slowly and deeply, putting the water around the roots of the plants, never overhead. Installing a drip irrigation system like this Rain Bird watering kit from Amazon is easy to do and will keep your tomatoes perfectly watered, even while you're on vacation. Watering early in the morning is ideal so that the leaves will be dry well before nightfall. Wet foliage at night is a recipe for fungal issues.

How often should you water? You want to irrigate at least once a week, but you might need to water more frequently if the weather is hot and dry. The idea is to keep the soil consistently moist. Going from very dry to very wet will cause your fruits to crack.

3. Add Mulch Around the Base of Plants

One way to help tomatoes hold moisture in the soil is to apply mulch. This is particularly important as summer temperatures rise. Spreading a few inches of mulch around the base of each tomato plant will also suppress weeds and keep the roots cooler.

Mulching also prevents soil from “bouncing” up onto foliage when it rains, an event that results in soil-borne diseases to spread to the lower leaves.

When mulching in June, remember to keep the mulch an inch or so from the main stem. What to use for mulch? Some good choices are straw, pine needles, compost, and shredded leaves.

4. Clip Out Lower Leaves to Improve Airflow

It’s hard to imagine when you are planting your crops, but, by June, tomato plants often become thick and crowded. The lush leaves reduce airflow and increase the risk of fungal disease as the weather grows warmer. Fungal diseases spread fast when leaves remain wet for long periods, the air is stagnant, and plants are overcrowded.

So take your snippers and prune your tomatoes in June. Focus on leaves that touch the soil, and leaves that are yellowing. This will allow more air to circulate, reducing humidity around the plant. It also helps prevent soil-borne diseases from splashing into the lower tomato leaves.

5. Monitor for Early Pest and Disease Problems

What happens in June? People get married, we celebrate the summer solstice, and tomato pests and common tomato diseases first begin appearing. With careful monitoring, you can get out ahead of the problems and avoid severe infestations later in the summer.

What are you looking for? Any signs of bug damage, including yellowing or wilting foliage, spots on leaves, or chewed leaves. You should also note any and all bugs, including aphids, hornworms and whiteflies. Treat these critters ASAP with diatomaceous earth. Be sure to only use food-grade diatomaceous earth, which can be found on Amazon, so that you can enjoy your tomatoes safely.

When it comes to diseases, fungal diseases are on the top of the list. Think about early tomato blight and Septoria leaf spot. Treat diseases when spotted, and take steps to prevent diseases in the future, including watering early in the morning, trimming leaves that touch the ground, and spacing the tomatoes appropriately.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders and fast growers. During June, they enter a stage where they need proper support, balanced watering, airflow, and regular maintenance to continue growing strong through the hottest part of summer.

June is here and that means for most gardeners across the US, it’s time to transplant your tomatoes. Transplanting time is also the perfect moment to give your tomatoes a boost with their first dose of fertilizer for the season.

Maybe you live somewhere warm and you’ve already put your tomatoes in the ground or you live in the far north and you’re still waiting for that final frost date. Either way, whether you’ve already moved your plants into the garden or that’s on your to-do list for this weekend, now is the ideal time to fertilize tomatoes.

But before you start feeding your favorite vegetable, it’s important to understand exactly what kind of fertilizer your tomatoes need at this stage in their lifecycle. It’s also vital to apply fertilizer in the right way to ensure your plants get the biggest benefit and you don’t accidentally set back their growth.

I’ll walk you through how to fertilize tomatoes in June for a huge harvest this summer. Plus, I’ll reveal the biggest tomato feeding mistake that can potentially ruin your plants for the rest of the season.

Do You Have to Fertilize Tomatoes in June?

June is a great time to start fertilizing tomatoes. Most gardeners begin transplanting tomatoes outdoors between mid-May and mid-June. The exact date varies depending on your growing zone and last frost date in spring.

But by mid to late June, almost everywhere in the contiguous US should be free of frost, which means it’s safe to plant your tomatoes outdoors. When you transplant your tomatoes outdoors, you should also give them their first dose of fertilizer.

Benefits of Fertilizing Tomatoes in June

Fertilizing tomatoes in June at the time of transplanting or just after planting tomatoes outdoors gives them a head start that will benefit them for the rest of the summer. It helps them establish a healthy root system that will set them up for strong growth the rest of the summer. Fertilizing in June also provides them with a much-needed boost of nutrients that will help them transition from indoor growing to thriving outdoors in the garden.

If you started tomatoes from seed, by June, your seedlings have likely depleted all the nutrients that were stored in the original seed. Most seed starting mixes don’t include much fertilizer – if any at all – so by the time your seedlings are big enough to transplant, they are in need of more nutrients.

Fertilizing tomatoes in June, just after planting, replenishes your plants with necessary nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other micronutrients they need to thrive. If your tomato seedlings are turning yellow, that’s a clear sign that they need a dose of fertilizer when you transplant them.

How to Fertilize Tomatoes in June

The easiest way to fertilize tomatoes in June is when you transplant them into the garden. There are two ways you can do this. The first way is to amend the soil in each individual hole. After you dig the hole for each tomato plant, add a dose of a slow-release organic fertilizer. My favorite tomato fertilizer is this one from Jobe’s on Amazon. Follow the instructions on the package for the proper dosage. Then mix the fertilizer into the surrounding soil and plant your tomato.

The other way to fertilize tomatoes at planting is to amend the soil in the entire area where you plan on putting your tomatoes. Again, use an organic slow-release granular fertilizer that will gently feed your plants all season. Follow the recommended dosage on the package for the size area you need to cover. Then use a rake or one of my favorite gardening tools, the Garden Weasel from Amazon, to incorporate the fertilizer into the soil and plant.

Water plants after you finish transplanting your tomatoes to help spread the nutrients to your tomatoes’ roots. Always water plants after fertilizing and transplanting to help them settle into the soil and prevent transplant shock.

If you’ve already transplanted your tomatoes into the garden and forgot to fertilize, don’t worry – it’s not too late. You can apply a side dressing of an organic granular fertilizer to your plants now to give them a boost. Simply sprinkle the recommended amount around each plant and gently use your fingers to mix it into the soil. Don’t get too aggressive with this or you could damage some of the roots. Next, water in the fertilizer to help it seep down into the roots.

Alternatively, you can use a liquid tomato fertilizer like this organic option from Espoma. Mix the recommended dosage for your number of plants into a watering can and drench your plants at the soil line. After the first dose of fertilizer for the season, keep reapplying your organic fertilizer of choice every two to four weeks or follow the directions for the specific plant food you use.

Don’t Make This Feeding Mistake

Feeding tomatoes in June can give them a huge boost that will serve them well during the peak of the summer growing season, but there’s a common fertilizing mistake that can actually set back plants. You should never fertilize plants during the heat of the day.

Fertilizing tomatoes in the middle of a hot June afternoon is a recipe for disaster. It can cause fertilizer burn on plants and scorch the foliage they need to capture the sun for photosynthesis to grow. Young plants, especially newly transplanted ones, are most at risk of fertilizer burn and leaf scorch.

The best time to fertilize plants is in the morning. This allows time for any excess water that may get on foliage to dry before the end of the day. That’s important because wet leaves invite many common tomato diseases. So give your plants a dose of fertilizer in the morning some day this month for an even bigger harvest of tasty tomatoes later on in the summer.

Tomato Fertilizing Essentials

You’ve likely seen all the stories about sprinkling baking soda on compost to supposedly sweeten your homegrown tomatoes. But does it actually work? Well, we hate to bust a good myth, but the truth is that it could kill your plants. There is, however, a genius use for baking soda that will help your tomato plants grow strong and healthy. Ready for the facts? Let’s get into it!

Does Baking Soda Sweeten Tomatoes?

The idea behind using baking soda to grow sweeter tomatoes is that this pantry staple is naturally alkaline, so adding it to the compost will reduce the acidity of your crop. In real life, that simply doesn’t happen. Sprinkling bicarbonate of soda onto soil around tomato plants won't affect the taste of the fruit.

It could, however, do a lot of harm. Tomatoes naturally prefer to grow in slightly acidic soil and if conditions become too alkaline, plants are unable to take up some nutrients, and that can cause leaves to yellow. What’s more, baking soda is a salt so using too much of it can stunt plants, cause them to wilt, and even kill them.

So the answer is a resounding no. Don’t use baking soda on tomato plants in an attempt to grow sweeter fruit. It doesn’t affect the taste and you could kill your plants. If you have the slightest concern about the pH of your soil, use a Soil Test Kit such as this from Amazon, and find out exactly what you’re dealing with before you do anything to amend it.

What Does Sweeten Tomatoes?

The sweetness of tomatoes is mostly down to the variety, and how much sun the plants get. Super-sweet cultivars are usually cherry, grape or baby plum tomatoes, as these have a higher concentration of sugars. The amount of sunshine also has a say, as plants photosynthesize sunlight to produce carbohydrates that convert to natural sugars. It’s not so much that more sun grows sweeter tomatoes, but that an absence of sun results in a blander taste. If a tomato is to develop its optimal flavour, the plant needs to be basking in a minimum of six hours of sunshine a day.

Another factor that affects how tasty your tomatoes are is the overall health of your plants. The first step in growing flourishing tomato plants is to pick a variety that's well suited to the conditions you’re growing them. Choose the exact right cultivar for your situation, whether that's a windowsill pot, a patio container or a veggie patch, and you’re already halfway to the tastiest toms in town.

How Can I Use Baking Soda to Help My Tomatoes Thrive?

While baking soda doesn’t help a jot to sweeten tomatoes, it’s incredibly effective at preventing fungal diseases in tomato plants. So effective, in fact, that it’s recommended as a preventative by the US Department of Agriculture.

The magic formula is to mix a heaped tablespoon of baking soda with a level teaspoon of vegetable oil, stir in a squirt of liquid dish soap, then dilute with a gallon of water. Pour into a simple plastic spray bottle such as this from Amazon and spray onto leaves every 7-14 days. The solution works by increasing the pH of the leaf surfaces which makes it more difficult for fungal spores to survive.

Ensuring good airflow around your plants, watering the soil rather than the foliage, and being able to recognise common tomato diseases so you can take swift action before they spread, will also help.

Does Baking Soda Deter Pests as Well as Disease?

Baking soda irritates soft-bodied pests such as slugs, snails and ants so, if you’re growing tomatoes in pots or grow bags, you can sprinkle some on the ground around them to deter these critters.

However, ants are rarely a problem on tomato plants and their presence can actually be helpful, alerting you to an aphid infestation. If you spot ants crawling on the leaves or stems, they’re likely feeding on the sweet liquid that aphids secrete. And aphids do damage tomato plants. Have a close look at the undersides of the leaves and if you find aphids, apply neem oil such as this from Amazon.

Dilute the neem oil according to the instructions and only spray in the evening once plants are out of the sun to avoid scorching.

Ants may also bore into splitting and over-ripe tomatoes, but it’s far easier to simply water more consistently and pick your toms more regularly than it is to control the ants. And if you really don’t want ants on your tomato plants, then a good smear of petroleum jelly – yes, the basic stuff you smear on chapped lips that you can buy for less than $4 on Amazon – around the main stem is a much more effective barrier than baking soda.

While slugs and snails do love to snack on young tomato seedlings and will happily snaffle up fruit that sits on the soil, they don’t often trouble mature plants. If you find they’re a problem then there are better ways to deal with them than using baking soda. Sluggo, available from Amazon, is based on iron phosphate which occurs naturally in soil, and is safe to use around pets and other wildlife. Or simply use a natural treat that these critters adore even more as bait, then rehome the pests far away from your tomato plants. I find that using cucumber slices to deal with a slug problem is the most effective method of all.

What Works Way Better With Tomatoes Than Baking Soda?

If you want to grow tastier, healthier tomatoes and enjoy an abundant harvest, the single best thing you can do – after the basics of sunshine, consistent watering and weekly feeding with a liquid fertilizer such as Espoma Organic Tomato Food, available from Amazon – is to plant basil alongside.

Using basil as a companion plant for tomatoes has a number of proven benefits: it helps tomato plants grow stronger roots and respond faster to stress such as pests and disease; and it attracts pollinators and deters pests. That all combines to increase tomato yield by around 20%. And guess what? Planting basil makes tomatoes taste better, too. Yes, the holy grail of more delicious tomatoes – and that's a fact, backed up by research from the University of Florida.

While we all love a TikTok gardening hack, sometimes it's better to stick to science.

SUMMARY

• Baking soda doesn’t sweeten homegrown tomatoes.
• An excess of baking soda can harm and even kill tomato plants.
• A diluted solution of baking soda, vegetable oil and dish soap is effective at helping to prevent fungal disease on tomato plants.
• Baking soda can act as a deterrent to slugs, snails and ants, but there are more effective ways to deal with these pests.
• Planting basil alongside tomatoes is the best way to increase and improve your crop.

Summer is almost here, which means that your tomato plants are probably due for their first pruning. As May turns into June and temperatures climb, newly transplanted tomatoes start to make big leaps in terms of growth. They relish the longer days and warmer nights of late spring and early summer.

But as tomatoes grow, they can start to get a little bit out of control. They grow quickly and put out lots of suckers that direct energy away from fruit production. When this begins, it’s time to start pruning tomato plants. Making some simple cuts now will keep your tomatoes tidy – which helps prevent disease – and it will also increase your yields.

Before you pick up the pruners, there are a few basics you need to learn to ensure you make the right cuts. Not all tomatoes require pruning. Plus, cutting in the wrong spot can actually ruin your chances of a big harvest. Here’s how to start pruning tomatoes and why right now is the most important time to make the cut.

Do All Tomatoes Require Pruning?

Not all tomatoes are created equal. There are two main types of tomatoes: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes are bush-type tomatoes, which means they stop growing at a certain height. They are much shorter and more compact than indeterminate varieties and they don’t require pruning.

Indeterminate tomatoes can reach up to 6 feet (2 m) or higher, if you let them keep growing. They put out lots of suckers that divert energy and nutrients away from fruit production. These vining types of tomatoes produce best when you prune them. This directs the plant’s resources towards growing lots of big, juicy tomatoes. Pruning also makes fruit ripen faster, especially at the end of the season.

Benefits of Pruning Tomatoes

A bigger harvest isn’t the only benefit of pruning indeterminate tomatoes. Making smart cuts can also keep plants healthier.

Tomatoes can quickly produce lots of branches full of leaves that become crowded. Pruning away suckers and unnecessary branches improves airflow, which helps prevent common tomato diseases.

Keeping plants tidy by pruning them regularly also makes it easier to spot common tomato pests. There are less leaves where hungry tomato hornworms and annoying aphids can hide.

Best Time to Start Pruning Tomatoes

The best time to start pruning tomatoes is once plants are at least 12 inches (30 cm) tall. Depending on where you live and when you started your tomatoes, the exact date will vary. But many gardeners’ tomatoes pass this threshold in early June. So now is the perfect time to pick up your pruners – our team of gardening experts swear by these Felco pruners – or use your fingers to start pinching off suckers.

New sprouts show up fast, so you need to continue pruning away tomato suckers every week or two throughout the rest of the growing season. Luckily, pruning opens up the structure of your tomato plants and makes it easier to see suckers as they emerge. Snap or cut off suckers before they get too big. It’s best to remove them when they’re under 2 inches (5 cm) long. This handy thumb knife from Amazon makes plucking suckers easy – and kind of fun!

Prune tomato plants in the morning, but don’t make any cuts if plants are wet. This can invite disease. If your plants show any signs of disease, be sure to sterilize your pruners between each plant or else you risk spreading the problem to other plants.

Even if your tomato plants aren’t 12 inches (30 cm) tall yet, there may still be some pruning you need to do. Tomatoes that are producing flowers, but are under the 12-inch (30 cm) threshold require pruning as well.

Pluck off any tomato flowers that appear on plants under 1 foot (30 cm) tall. If you leave them, they may develop into normal fruits. But at this point in the growth cycle, letting a small plant bloom and produce a fruit is only going to sap your tomato of energy it will need later. Wait until your tomatoes hit the 1-foot (30 cm) mark before allowing flowers to progress into fruit.

Don’t Make This Pruning Mistake

Pruning tomatoes is quick, simple, and – honestly – kind of fun to do. It’s a great time to check on your plants’ health, look for any unwanted bugs, and train your tomatoes to grow big and strong. But it’s also easy to get carried away when pruning and end up making a cut you shouldn’t have. And there’s one tomato pruning mistake in particular that can ruin your harvest for the rest of the summer.

Do not cut off the top of the main stem. Only prune off the suckers that emerge in the joints between the side branches and the main stem. If you accidentally top your tomato plant at this point in the season, you will severely cut down on your yield of fruit for the rest of the summer. All of the other branches come off of this stem and that’s where your tomato fruits emerge and develop.

However, if you do accidentally top your tomato, you can allow a couple of suckers to develop and turn those into new main stems. They probably won’t be as strong as the original main stem, but they will still produce plenty of fruit.

Tomato Pruning Essentials

Indeterminate types of tomatoes can grow incredibly tall and flop over under their own weight. The traditional conical metal tomato cages are often too weak and too short to support the full weight of a productive tomato plant, especially, if it’s a larger variety like a beefsteak tomato.

Staking tomato plants with a support rod is another option that also leaves a lot to be desired. They are easier to store than the spiky metal cages, but require gardeners to tie the plants onto the stakes which can pinch off the stem of the plant leading to vine death.

Luckily, there are some really great modular tomato support systems on the market these days so you don’t have to compromise!

1. Snap-Together System

This snap-together system, available from Amazon, is a personal favorite of Gardening Know How Senior Editor Liz Baessler. Liz was tired of fussing with metal tomato cages that get tangled, rusted, and don’t quite fit in the shed, so she decided to give this adjustable trellis a try.

Sturdy stakes get pushed into the ground around your plant and you build the trellis with snap-in pieces as the plant grows. You can make the cage triangular or square and as tall as you want! It’s also really nice to not have to worry about trying to weave parts of the plant back within the cage. I can’t tell you how many times I have accidentally bent and snapped a healthy tomato-bearing branch trying to coax it inside the cage so it can get proper support. With this system, you can add a support bar wherever you need it. No more broken branches.

Possibly the best part of this tomato support makes itself known at the end of the season. All these pieces pop apart and you can store them in a fraction of the space that a traditional tomato cage takes up. Liz stores hers in a reusable grocery bag. Nothing better than a clean shed at the end of a busy growing season!

2. Flexible Growing

I am justifiably obsessed with the clever FlexGrow tomato cage system from Vego Garden. These strong, adjustable tomato cages can support up to 33 lbs of tomatoes and stack on top of each other to grow with your plants. Not only is the height adjustable, you can also form the pieces into an A-frame, a trellis, or a fence. Mind blown. This means you can grow perfect tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, or flowering vines with the same 4-pack of cages.

Vego Garden also designed these cages so they open wide and can be installed around a mature tomato plant without damaging it. I needed this a few years ago when I left town without caging my tomatoes and came back to plants that had doubled in size and couldn’t be shoved into the cages I had. I put on my problem-solving cap and built a strange string trellis system with leftover wood from refinishing my deck. It barely worked and my tomatoes were a messy jungle the whole season.

The modular panels are made from powder-coated galvanized steel that will resist rust and stay sturdy for years to come. This clever system grows and changes with you and your garden through the seasons and folds completely flat for easy storage.

3. Stacking Ladders

The stacking tomato ladder from Gardener’s Supply Company is another fabulous, modular tomato support system. Made of powder-coated steel, these adjustable supports can stack up to 6.5 feet tall and hold over 100 pounds of plant and produce! They are open on one side so they can be slipped around a mature tomato plant and their patented “plant cradle” design gently supports your tomato plants. No pinched stems here!

I think the red tomato plant ladders are absolutely adorable and they will look great for years to come. These ladders come in a set of 6 and you can use one for dwarf or bush tomato varieties or stack up to 3 for those big indeterminate plants. Last summer I had one indeterminate plant that grew up and over my traditional, conical tomato cage and continued to vine through the rest of the vegetable garden. It was a mess and the plant was so heavy that it eventually crushed its cage. All the fruit ended up on the ground and was eaten by animals and pests. This might just be the perfect solution for those jumbo indeterminates!

These tomato ladders have almost 900 5-star reviews, so clearly Gardener’s Supply Co. is doing something right! The ladders nest inside each other for clutter-free storage over the winter.

So go ahead and recycle those flimsy, rusty tomato cages that clog up your shed and try out a modular tomato support system. The flexibility, ease, and effectiveness of these modular systems will make your tomato garden happier year after year.

Companion planting when growing vegetables isn’t just based on folklore passed down through generations: recent studies show some classic combinations work in ways we never imagined possible. Take tomatoes and basil. They’re not only best friends in the kitchen, but incredible allies in the veggie patch, and studies now explain the science behind why growing basil alongside your tomatoes really does increase the yield by as much as 20%.

Intercropping and companion plant research is being led by the agricultural industry as a response to the increasingly problematic practice of growing single crops as monocultures, where abundant harvests rely on the use of pesticides and fertilizers. About 200 million metric tonnes of tomatoes are commercially produced around the world every year, so you can understand why this crop has attracted plenty of attention from the scientific world. One of the most significant findings is that superhero basil is one of the best companion plants for tomatoes – and we gardeners growing crops at home can enjoy the benefits, too.

So, once you've decided the best tomatoes for you to grow this summer, it’s now a given that you should plant basil alongside. Here’s why.

1. Basil Makes Tomato Plants Respond Faster to Stress

Recent studies show that basil releases volatile compounds that prime a tomato plant’s defense mechanisms. So, if a tomato plant is attacked and damaged by pests or disease, one that's growing alongside basil will react more quickly and robustly than one that isn't. Tomato plants are vulnerable to all sorts of pests and diseases, so strengthening the stress response is an across-the-board benefit, because healthy plants grow more fruit.

If you're wondering how to increase tomato yield, you should sow basil as a companion plant for this reason alone.

2. Basil Helps Tomato Plants Grow Stronger Roots

The preliminary findings of a 2024 study showed that planting basil significantly increased the symbiosis of mycorrhizal fungi in tomato plant roots. Mycorrhizal fungi are beneficial microorganisms that form a symbiotic relationship with roots and improve their ability to absorb water and nutrients.

This doesn’t just make for stronger, healthier plants, but ones that can tolerate drought and extreme environmental conditions better. In the face of this year's predicted super El Niño event, it makes more sense than ever to grow resilient plants.

3. Basil Blooms Attract Pollinators

A tomato flower needs to be pollinated before a fruit can form. Pollination can be done naturally by bees or the wind, or by us gardeners giving the plants a gentle shake; some folk hold an electric toothbrush to a flower stem for a few seconds to mimic the buzzing of bees and trigger pollen release!

Plant some basil and let it bloom, however, and it will attract plenty of bees to ensure thorough pollination. It's a common issue with homegrown tomatoes that only the lower half of a truss fruits while the later flowers don’t set, and this will solve that problem. One study found that the average number of fruits per cluster on tomatoes grown by themselves was 5.88, compared to 7.2 fruits per cluster on plants grown with basil.

We normally pinch off the flowerbuds to prevent basil leaves becoming bitter and tough, but leaving some to bloom will also give you edible flowers and seed to save for next year’s sowings.

4. Basil Helps Control Tomato Pests

Leaving basil to flower will also attract ladybugs, which will help to control aphids. Basil’s strong fragrance will also help general pest control, masking the scent of the tomato plants so fewer aphids arrive in the first place. The powerful smell of basil’s aromatic oils also confuses whiteflies and tomato hornworms.

And the less energy your tomato plant has to put into dealing with these stressors, the more energy it has to grow fruit.

5. Tomatoes Grown With Basil Taste Better

This supposition has long been bandied about in the gardening world, but a study by the University of Florida concluded that tomatoes grown with lemon basil were indeed tastier than ones grown without. We know that aroma contributes significantly to flavor perception, but whether the tomatoes actually tasted better or the research volunteers simply perceived them as more flavorful as a result of the basil’s scent is a moot point. Delicious tomatoes are delicious tomatoes!

How to Grow Basil With Tomatoes

Because basil plants have shallow roots, they won’t negatively impact the growing conditions of your tomatoes. Both need similar conditions of consistent moisture, well-drained soil and 6–8 hours of sunlight a day, so they’ll thrive together. Space basil 10–20 inches from the tomato plant for optimum protection without congestion.

Leave a few basil plants to flower, but keep picking leaves and pinching off flowerbuds and stem tips from the rest to encourage strong, bushy, fresh and aromatic growth. Harvest no more than a third of a plant’s leaves at a time.

Most types of basil are short-lived perennials but won’t survive temperatures below freezing, so are best treated as annuals in all zones. Collect seed in late summer to re-sow the following year once soil temperatures have reached 70°F.

The Best Basil Varieties to Grow With Tomatoes

The latest estimates suggest there are as many as 150 types of basil but as this species cross-breeds so easily, it’s impossible to know for sure! These are the types considered most effective as companion plants for tomatoes. It’s likely that different varieties may each work more efficiently in the many ways basil supports a heavy yield so, until we know more, it’s probably best to plant a few different varieties with your tomatoes.

Sweet Basil

Ocimum basilicum is the basil most often used as a companion plant for tomatoes. Also often referred to as common basil, it’s grown as an annual in zones 3–10, inside and out. It’s fast-growing and has a sweet and slightly peppery flavor. Seeds are available from Eden Brothers, and seeds and plants are stocked by Burpee.

Genovese Basil

A variety of sweet basil Ocimum basilicum, Genovese has a similar sweet anise flavor but larger leaves, and is considered the go-to for making pesto. It’s also fast-growing, raised as an annual in zones 3–10, inside and out. Seeds are available from Eden Brothers, Burpee and Botanical Interests.

Italian Large Leaf Basil

Also a sweet Ocimum basilicum variety and similar to Genovese, this has even bigger leaves, up to four inches long. Fast-growing, it's easily raised as an annual in zones 3–10, inside and out. Seeds are available from Burpee and Eden Brothers.

Purple Basil

The aroma of purple basil is more intense than regular sweet basil, so this is particularly effective at repelling pests. Its flavor is equally strong and fast-growing Ocimum basilicum var. purpurascens can be grown as an annual in zones 3–10, inside and out. Those purple leaves are pretty, too. Seeds are available from Eden Brothers.

Greek Basil

With tiny-leaved plants growing into a tidy 8-inch-high mound, Greek basil is handy for container-grown tomatoes. Ocimum minimum is the variety used in the study that found basil strengthens a tomato plant’s stress-response, too. Despite its compact size, this variety has a strong clove-anise aroma for pest-repelling purposes, and a robust flavor. This is a fast-grower raised as an annual in zones 3–10, inside and out, and seeds are available from Burpee.

Lemon Basil

While lemon basil doesn’t have the eugenol content of sweet basil that works so effectively as a pest repellent, this is the basil used in the tasty tomatoes study. As its common name suggests, Ocimum x africanum has an intense citrus aroma and taste, with just a hint of anise. Grown as an annual in zones 3–10, inside and out, seeds of this fast-growing basil are available from Botanical Interests.

And the best thing about growing basil alongside your tomatoes? You’ll be able to harvest plenty of tasty leaves to add to your bumper crop of tomatoes, for all sorts of delicious dishes.

May is graduation month for most tomato plants. If you're growing in a temperate climate, this is probably when you're moving your seedlings from their coddled life indoors to the rugged reality of the garden. It can be a little daunting.

But don't worry! As long as you follow a few simple rules, you can send your tomatoes out into the world with confidence. Here are six absolute must-do's for tomato care in May if you want a bumper crop come August.

1. Harden Off Seedlings

This one comes first, no matter what. Whether you've started seeds indoors yourself or you've bought seedlings at a nursery, your little plants are likely used to the cushy indoor life. That means no wind, no bright sun, and especially no cold. If you plant them straight in the ground, all that sudden change is going to give them a rude awakening.

Will it kill them? Unless it frosts, probably not. But it will shock them, and they'll spend the next several weeks struggling to recover when they could be putting down roots and shooting out leaves. It's best to avoid it.

Here's how to harden off seedlings:

1. Place seedlings outdoors in a shaded, sheltered spot for 2 hours during the day.
2. Bring them back indoors.
3. Repeat, increasing outdoor time by 1-2 hours each day, gradually exposing them to dappled sunlight and then direct morning sun.
4. Keep up the process for 7-10 days.
5. As long as temperatures are consistently above 50 F (10 C), you can move them outside permanently.

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2. Dig Deep and Transplant

Once your tomato seedlings are hardened off, they're ready to transplant... as long as the soil has warmed to at least 60 F (16 C). Don't try to sneak them in early! Just like with hardening off, cool soil won't kill them, but it will set them back.

When you do transplant tomato plants, dig deep! Tomatoes and other nightshades have a unique ability that lets them develop roots anywhere along their stems. That means that whatever part of the seedling you bury, it will sprout roots.

If your seedlings are a bit leggy, that's totally fine. Just snap of the leaves on the bottom two thirds of the plant, and bury it so the remaining leaves are a few inches above the soil line. If the stem is extra long, you can try trench planting. Dig a long angled trench, and lay the seedling along it so its leaves are poking up above the soil line, then fill in the trench. The plant will benefit from having more roots close to the surface, where the soil is warmer and water is more readily available.

3. Add Support

It happens to the best of us. We plant our tomatoes, and we swear we'll add a cage as soon as we get to it. Then life happens, and weeks go by, and by the time we finally get to it, the plant is huge and it's impossible to fit a tomato cage around it without breaking some branches and dislodging some fruit. Or we stab part of the now-expansive root system and damage the plant. I know I've done it.

Learn from my mistake: add support to your tomato plants the day you put them in the ground!

4. Mulch Mulch Mulch!

Tomatoes are notoriously susceptible to soil-borne diseases like early blight and Septoria leaf spot. These spores live in the soil and ride up to your tomato's leaves in drops of water that splash onto them. If a seedling is surrounded by bare soil, every rain or watering is going to be an opportunity for splashback.

Keep spores from splashing by laying down 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) of mulch. I like to use straw mulch for all my vegetables.

5. Fertilize, and Keep It Balanced

Tomatoes benefit from an application of fertilizer when they're first planted, but it's important to keep it balanced. Too much nitrogen now, and they'll have a growth spurt much too fast. Too much phosphorous and they'll focus on making flowers when they should be growing leaves. A balanced fertilizer like this from Amazon will give them a good start.

Though it's tempting, don't put fertilizer in the hole with the seedling – it'll burn any roots it comes into direct contact with. Side dress them, or dilute it in water and drench them with liquid feed.

6. Prune, and Be Ruthless

If you're growing indeterminate tomatoes, you'll probably notice suckers – these are the small shoots that develop between the main stem and a branch. Pinch these suckers off to improve airflow.

If your plant is less than 12 inches (30 cm) tall and it starts to produce flowers, you should pinch them off, too. It feels like a crime, but it forces the plant to invest that energy into its root system, leading to a much higher yield later in the summer.

Finding yellow leaves on plants is very common. The scientific term for the phenomenon is chlorosis. For mature plants, it might just mean you’re at the end of the growing season. For tomato seedlings, yellow leaves mean something is wrong – but don’t panic yet.

From nutrient deficiencies to incorrect watering, many of the factors that lead to tomato seedlings turning yellow are easy to reverse. This is one of the most common tomato seedling problems and once you determine the cause, you can resolve the issue.

I’ll share the top reasons why tomato seedlings yellow and how to fix them. Just avoid the care mistakes below that cause this problem. Then start working towards a solution so you can grow strong, healthy, green plants that produce tons of tasty tomatoes.

Why Are My Tomato Seedlings Turning Yellow?

Yellowing is very common among the possible problems when growing tomatoes and it's often fixable, so there's no need to stress. The list of care mistakes below will help you identify the cause of tomato seedlings turning yellow and provide solutions help plants regain their green color.

1. You're Overwatering

Overwatering seedlings is probably the most common underlying cause of yellowing leaves. It can be tricky to strike the right balance with water. Seedlings need consistent moisture, but too much water can cause roots to suffocate and ultimately rot. This leads to tomato seedlings turning yellow because they can’t absorb adequate nutrients.

When watering seedlings, aim for soil that never dries out entirely but is also never soggy or waterlogged. Your seedlings should be in trays or small pots with a light, well-draining potting mix like this one from Miracle-Gro and drainage holes, so water can’t get trapped.

If your seed trays have become waterlogged and the seedlings are yellowing, let them dry out a bit before watering again. If the container isn’t draining, repot your seedlings in a container that will drain excess water.

2. You're Underwatering

Tomato seedlings can also yellow if the watering balance tips in the other direction towards too dry. As with overwatering, underwatering prevents the roots from taking up enough nutrients to promote healthy, green growth.

If you catch this issue early, it’s very easy to fix. Aim to water your seed trays regularly, keeping the soil consistently moist but not soggy or drenched. When dryness is a problem, it’s important to check on seedlings daily. If you see any dry soil on top, give them some water.

A watering can that can direct water towards the roots and produces a fine spray, like this seedling watering can from Amazon, is good for delicate young tomato plants.

3. You're Not Fertilizing

Watering issues are common and easy to fix, but if you’ve mastered it and still have yellowing, it’s time to consider nutrient deficiencies. The deficiency most likely to cause yellow leaves is nitrogen.

Look at how the leaves have become yellow. If they started yellowing from the leaves at the bottom, followed by the upper leaves, then nitrogen is the likely culprit. Less commonly, a lack of iron or potassium can cause yellowing on the newest leaves.

To prevent nutrient deficiencies, you can use compost in your potting mix when starting seeds. This will provide them with a rich substrate to promote healthy growth.

Alternatively, you can fertilize seedlings with a balanced but diluted liquid fertilizer after the first true leaves emerge. This organic liquid fertilizer from Amazon is a good choice. Apply the diluted solution every two to three weeks as seedlings grow.

4. You're Not Providing Enough Light

Bright light is essential for healthy seedling growth. Are your tomato plants getting enough light? If not, they can definitely turn yellow from the reduced photosynthesis.

Another sign of inadequate light is leggy growth. This means the stems are growing tall yet thin as they stretch to reach any available light.

Be sure your seedlings are getting 12 to 16 hours of direct, bright light per day. If sunny windows are scarce, use artificial lights, like this affordable grow light from Amazon, to give tomatoes a boost.

Situate lights a few inches from the tops of the seedlings. If you are using light from a window, rotate the seed trays regularly so they get even sunlight.

5. Your Plants Have a Disease

Hopefully, you’ve found the cause of your yellowing seedlings in one of the above issues. Tomato diseases are much more serious and more difficult to manage. They're also less likely to be the problem compared to the typical issues of lighting, water, and nutrients.

Fungal infections are most common, but you might also have a bacterial issue. Less common are viral diseases in tomato seedlings. Diseases in tomato seedlings often begin with yellowing from the top of the plant down. They are also associated with other signs, like spots on leaves or wilting.

If you see signs of a fungal disease, like fusarium wilt or early blight, remove the affected leaves or entire seedlings. You can try a fungicide, like this one from Bonide, if the infection hasn’t spread too far.

Bacterial diseases, like bacterial leaf spot, often come from the seed. That's why it’s so important to buy from reputable sources. Burpee has tons of high-quality tomato seeds, including many disease-resistant varieties. If your seeds were infected, all your seedlings are likely impacted and you may need to start over.

To prevent diseases in tomato seedlings, start with good seeds. Use clean, sterile seed starting mix and seed trays. Avoid overcrowding your seedlings, which can lead to disease spread. Good air flow between plants is important, too. Water only at the soil level and remove any seedlings that look diseased as soon as you spot the signs of illness.

For tomato seedlings, yellow leaves can mean many things. It’s a common phenomenon and shouldn't be too worrying as long as you determine the cause. The most important thing you can do when growing tomatoes from seeds is to keep a close eye on the seedlings as they develop.

Check them at least once a day for signs of watering issues, nutrient deficiencies, diseases, and other problems. The earlier you catch these issues, the easier they are to fix and the more likely it is you’ll be able to save your little seedlings.

If you're growing a garden, there's a decent chance you're growing tomatoes. They're the most popular crop, and one that has a massive payoff in flavor.

Of course gardening is rarely as easy as tossing some seeds in the ground and walking away. Tomatoes, in particular, need a little extra TLC and a little extra gear, especially if you want to get the most out of your plant.

But how much is too much? Once you dip your toe into the world of tomato growing accoutrements, you'll discover that the sky's the limit on what people will sell you. They'll insist, naturally, that you need all of it.

You probably don't, though. And you especially don't need the most expensive tomato fertilizers or slings specially designed to support ripening fruit.

To help you out, here's a breakdown of the tomato garden products it's worth splurging on a little bit, and the ones you can feel fine saving on.

Where to Splurge

I've tried my best to find a "cheap" splurge for each one of these, because we're growing tomatoes here, not buying an engagement ring.

Strong Plants

This is possibly the most important one. No matter how much you coddle your tomato plants, you're going to be fighting an uphill battle if you don't start strong. Starting strong means buying disease-resistant, healthy seeds or seedlings from a reputable seller. (Burpee is great!) You can buy all of these as seeds or live seedlings.

High Quality Soil

Not all soil is created equal, and even good soil isn't necessarily right for the job you have in mind. If you're growing in a container, you really need potting soil, which drains better and will keep your potted container from getting waterlogged. Grow outdoors in a bed, and you can get that cheaper garden soil.

No matter what, don't just dig up dirt from outside to fill a container – that's a sure way to rot your roots. And if you want to grow tomatoes in the ground, get your soil tested first. A lot of soil contains lead and other heavy metals and shouldn't be used to grow edibles.

Proper Fertilizer

Tomatoes are heavy feeders, and while they will probably survive fine without it, regular feeding may be the difference between an okay harvest and a bumper crop. Opt for a vegetable or tomato fertilizer. This will ensure you get lots of fruit and not just endless green vines.

Rich Compost

Just like with the fertilizer, high-quality compost can be the thing that makes a good tomato crop. You don't have to break the bank, but opt for something a little richer and you'll notice a difference.

Sturdy Support

If you've read my other writing about tomatoes, you know that I have a long-standing beef with cheap wire tomato cages. Tomatoes spend all summer growing heavier and more unwieldy – you don't want them collapsing under their own weight at the height of production.

My personal favorite is the modular cage below. It's sturdy, it's adjustable, and it collapses down to fit in your shed at the end of the year. Plus it's cheap!

Where to Save

Now we get into the nice part of the article, where you can breathe a sigh of relief and actually save a little money.

Seed Starting Trays

Seed starting trays like this one from Amazon are super convenient, and they're really not that expensive. But you don't need one to have success starting tomatoes from seed indoors. You can start seeds in an egg carton, or you can make a seed snail from bubble wrap. Heck, you can even start seeds in an ice cream cone! Your tomatoes will probably come out the same.

Containers

You don't even need to diy this one. Want to grow tomatoes in containers? Have a container? You're good to go!

Just make sure your container is big – tomato plants can get massive. And make sure there's at least one drainage hole. If you want, you can buy special tomato containers with a built-in trellis, but it's really not necessary.

Mulch

Anything can be mulch! Wood chips, grass clippings, straw. You can always buy mulch, but it's not a necessity.

Ties

Ties are something you might not think you need when you first plant a tomato. After all, it looks so small. But as the tomato plant grows, you'll probably need to attach it to its cage or trellis, just to keep it moving in the right direction. Commercial ties like this one from Amazon are super cheap. But if that's still too much for you, try using pantyhose or ribbon. As long as it's flat, so it doesn't cut into the soft flesh of the plant.

Tomatoes are the plant that pretty much every gardener wants to grow. They're great for salads, sandwiches, or just popping in your mouth, and they're one vegetable that definitely taste better home grown than from the grocery store. Once you've grown your own tomatoes, it's hard to go back.

But not everyone has the space for a big garden full of tomato plants. Not everyone has space for a garden at all! Luckily, it's totally possible to grow tomatoes in containers. And the cheapest, most convenient container to grow them in is also the best one.

Meet the grow bag!

The Benefits of Grow Bags

Fabric grow bags are ideal for container gardening because there's virtually no way to overwater them. Since the entire thing is permeable, water can evaporate out easily, even without a drainage hole. The fabric is also breathable and less likely than plastic to be baked by the summer heat, so roots stay nice and cool.

They also take up next to no space. Once you're done growing for the season, they collapse down flat and can be tucked away in the corner of a shed.

Root Pruning

But maybe the best benefit of fabric grow bags is the way they help plants adjust to container life.

A constant hazard of container gardening is the plant becoming root bound. When a plant's roots hit the wall of a pot, they turn and start growing along it. Unless something is done those roots will just grow around and around, choking themselves and getting less and less capable of taking up water and nutrients. You could pot the plant up into an even bigger container, but when space is of the essence that might just not be possible.

Instead, grow bags perform a natural process called "air pruning." As roots reach the edge of the container, they're exposed to the air that flows freely through the fabric. Roots don't like to grow into air, so this signals to them that it's time to stop growing in that direction, opting to sprout new, healthy feeder roots from the center.

This is a game changer for growing tomatoes, because they put out lots and lots of roots, and over the course of the summer they just get bigger and bigger. You can't go repotting a huge tomato plant in the middle of July. You'll lose all the fruit, and maybe even lose the plant.

With root pruning, though, the plant focuses its root production on the soil it has, staying a manageable size while taking up extra water and nutrients. It's a win-win!

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From beefsteak to baby cherry, heirlooms to hybrids, there are over 10,000 known tomato varieties, so we can be forgiven for finding it difficult to decide which is best tomato to grow in our gardens. But that incredible assortment does mean that, however big or small your backyard is, and whatever your USDA zone or growing conditions, there’s a variety that’s perfect for you. Not too big, not too small, but Goldilocks-just-right for an abundant harvest of flavorful fruits that makes the most of whatever outdoor space you’ve got.

I’ve been growing tomatoes for 20 years, starting off with a single small plant in a patio pot and gradually scaling my harvest up to match my garden size, and now I have a veggie patch heaving with ginormous vines. I like to experiment with different varieties every year, only regrowing those that really earn their garden space with lots of tasty toms, and zero hassle. So I can promise that, even if you’ve only got a windowsill to spare, you can enjoy flavorful, easy-to-grow tomatoes all summer long. The secret is simply to find the best tomato variety for your growing conditions.

Get that match right and rest is simple. All these varieties are straightforward to grow (I've included links so you can see exactly what products I'm talking about, but do support your local retailers, too). Start seeds in seed starter mix such as this from Gardenera via Amazon, or get a head start with a young plant that can go straight into a container of a nutritious all-purpose potting mix such as this from Amazon. Stake unless it’s a bush variety – using a cage is the easiest option, but make sure it’s strong like this one from Amazon as tomatoes are heavy!

If you’re growing tomatoes in the ground, then enrich your soil first with organic matter such as worm castings like these from Amazon. Adding coir like this from Amazon, too, will improve the soil’s drainage and ability to hold water – and consistent moisture is key to growing great tomatoes. Enriched soil or potting mix will have enough nutrients for strong growth but, once you spot flowers and the first fruit beginning to set, you can fuel an abundant harvest with a tomato feed such as Espoma Organic Tomato! from Amazon. Plants in pots will need more regular feeding than those growing in the ground.

Here are my top 10 tomato varieties to grow for maximum flavor in whatever garden space you’ve got. Which one is just right for you?

1. Best Tomato For a Windowbox or Balcony: Verandah Red

This little powerhouse of a plant means everyone can grow tomatoes as it only reaches just over a foot tall and wide. It’s been bred to thrive in a container so pop it in a windowbox or a balcony pot for abundant cherry tomatoes in the tiniest of spaces. You could grow it as a centrepiece for your outdoor dining table for the freshest of pickings for summer meals. Or it can even be grown on a sunny windowsill indoors: just gently shake the plant to pollinate flowers in the absence of bees.

As it’s a determinate variety, ‘Verandah Red’ naturally grows into a bushy shape that doesn’t need staking. Incredibly versatile and quick to mature in around 60 days, it can be grown in all zones.

2. Best Tomato For a Veggie Patch: Rain Drops

If you’ve got the room to stake 8-foot-high and 2–3-foot-wide ‘Rain Drops’ in a veggie patch, then you’ll enjoy flavorful cherry tomatoes right up to the first frost. This indeterminate hybrid has been bred to be direct-sown straight into the soil and it’s very straightforward to grow, even for beginner gardeners. And, as its name suggests, it’s pretty weatherproof with good resistance to cracking should a heatwave hit.

It takes 70 days to mature, so get seeds into the ground as soon as possible after your last frost date.

3. Best Tomato For a Huge Backyard: SteakHouse

One of the world’s largest beefsteak tomatoes, just one ‘SteakHouse’ tom can weigh up to 3lbs and a single slice is enough for a whole sandwich! Also known as ‘Gigantomo’, this variety is incredibly flavorful for its size, with a wonderful fragrance. This is an indeterminate variety so it needs strong support, and can grow up to 6 feet tall and wide. It takes around 80 days to mature so needs a long growing season in a warm, sunny climate, so it’s best suited to zones 7–9 but will be fine in zones 5–6 as long as it has a sunny, sheltered spot.

4. Best Tomato For a Hanging Basket: Sunpeach

Pop ‘Sunpeach’ in a sturdy hanging basket and you’ll have cascading stems studded with pretty pink-tinged cherry tomatoes all summer long. Give it the biggest basket you can and hang it high on a strong chain, though, because this is a highly productive variety and stems can grow to 8 feet long!

Choose a solid-sided hanging basket to conserve moisture, but you’ll still need to water extra regularly as compost will dry out more quickly in an exposed spot. Unlike many similar cultivars, this indeterminate variety is highly resistant to cracking and, as long as you look after it, it’ll reward you with toms till the first frost. It does best in a hanging basket in zones 5–8; while it will cope in zones 3 and 4, and 9, it's better to give it an easier life growing vertically in a trellised container.

5. Best Tomato For a Trellis or Fence: Super Sweet 100

‘Super Sweet 100’ is incredibly abundant with pendulous clusters of bright red cherry tomatoes, making it as attractive as it is productive. Plants can grow to 6 feet high – and even taller in the right conditions – but only spread to around 1½ feet, making it the perfect shape to grow up a trellis fixed to a fence. The tomatoes are beautifully sweet, so this variety will provide you with plenty of gardening snacks, too.

This is an indeterminate variety so it will produce tomatoes all summer long and, if you look after it, into fall. It prefers a warmer climate so zones 5–9 give optimal conditions.

6. Best Cherry Tomato For a Patio Pot: Baby Boomer

The competition for this category was tough, as plenty of cherry tomato varieties have been bred especially for patio pots. But ‘Baby Boomer’ earns my top spot on account of its incredible abundance in the smallest of spaces. One plant measuring just 2 feet high and wide can produce around 300 tomatoes, and each is a 1oz gem bursting with sweet flavor. It’s fabulously quick to mature, too, taking just 50–55 days to fruit.

‘Baby Boomer’s only downfall is that it tends to produce its fruit all at once so, if you want patio pickings that keep coming all summer, ‘Sweetheart of the Patio’ is a better choice. Or, even better, grow both! 'Baby Boomer' and 'Sweetheart of the Patio' are both suitable for zones 3–11.

7. Best Beefsteak Tomato For a Patio Pot: BushSteak

Years ago, you needed to have plenty of garden space to grow beefsteak tomatoes, but not any more! ‘BushSteak’ brings big 8–12oz tomatoes on compact plants less than 2 feet tall. The flavour is rich and the texture meaty, so don’t worry that this dwarf plant doesn’t pack just as tasty a punch as taller varieties.

Despite being determinate variety, it’s a good idea to support ‘BushSteak’ on account of the weight of those standout beefsteaks. Because it’s so versatile, and an early producer with toms in as little as 65 days, this variety can be grown in zones 2–11.

8. Best Tomato For Southern States: Heatmaster

Bred to excel in hot, humid climates where many other varieties struggle, ‘Heatmaster’ is the perfect choice if you live in zones 8–11. As it’s a bushy determinate variety, it’ll cope fine with life in a container as well as in the ground, though it’ll still need a cage as it grows to 3 feet high and wide.

This slicer produces 7–8oz toms with an excellent flavor, and though it’s a little slower to mature than others, taking 75 days, that’s not a problem with the long growing season of southern states.

9. Best Tomato For Northern States: Early Girl

This variety matures incredibly quickly, growing from a seedling to a fruiting plant in around 59 days, making an excellent choice for the shorter growing season of northern states. ‘Early Girl’ is an indeterminate variety with 5oz toms, growing to around 4½ feet high and wide, that carries on fruiting all summer.

If you want to stick seeds straight in the ground – yes, even in the North! – then this Garden Sown Early Bird determinate variety is cold tolerant so grows well from an early direct sowing. It grows smaller cherry toms and takes 75 days to mature.

10. Best Tomato For High Rainfall Areas: Mountain Magic

Think it’s not worth growing toms because your high rainfall and humidity invite every tomato disease going? Think again! ‘Mountain Magic’ has been bred for incredible disease resistance to blight and wilt so, even if you’re an organic gardener, this variety will treat you to a plentiful crop of red cherry tomatoes.

This indeterminate hybrid grows to around 4 feet high and wide, producing 2–3oz fruit all the way to the first frost. Because of its robust nature, ‘Mountain Magic’ can be grown in zones 3–11 but, as it’s a little slow to mature, taking up to 80 days to fruit, it’s best to start with a young plant rather than seed at this point in the year, if you have a shorter growing season.

A tomato harvest in summer and early fall is one of the joys of gardening for many. Tasty, ripe tomatoes are delicious raw and cooked, and with so many varieties to choose from, you can enjoy everything from tiny, sweet grapes to big slicers if you know what you’re doing.

Growing tomatoes isn’t difficult, but getting healthy plants and a good harvest depends a lot on what you do early in the growing season. April is a critical time for tomatoes to establish strong roots, grow strong stems, and transition to the outdoor environment. Patience pays with tomatoes, so take time now to do these critical April tasks and reap the benefits later.

1. Nurture Your Seedlings

In most growing zones, you will have started tomato seeds indoors before April. If you're in a colder zone, like 3 or 4, you might just be starting seeds in early April, but they should be taking off with steady growth by the end of the month.

Don’t make the mistake of being totally hands-off with your seedlings. They need care and nurturing now during this crucial growth period to ensure they develop strong stems and roots. First, make sure the soil stays consistently moist but not soggy. While still small, you can cover seedlings with plastic wrap to keep more moisture in.

Sunlight is also critical for strong growth. Make sure your seedlings get at least 12 hours of light per day. Even more is better. If using a window, rotate seed trays for even light distribution. The best way to get your indoor tomato seedlings enough light is to position them directly under a grow light, like this one from Amazon.

Brush your fingers lightly over the seedlings a few times a day. This mimics wind, which, when grown outdoors, helps seedlings develop stronger stems. Alternatively, you can place a gentle oscillating fan near the seedlings throughout the day.

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2. Pot Up and Feed Larger Seedlings

Another important step in growing tomato seedlings into healthy plants is transitioning them into pots. Keeping them crowded in small seedling trays can lead to plants becoming rootbound, resulting in thin, weak root growth that won’t support plants well later.

Once you see the first set of true leaves and the seedlings are sturdy enough to be handled carefully, move them to larger accommodations. Use one small pot per plant to give them room to grow and to avoid the overcrowding that can lead to poor airflow and fungal infections.

This is also a good time to start fertilizing tomatoes. Use a balanced (10-10-10 is good) fertilizer like this one from Amazon, diluted to half strength, every two to three weeks.

3. Start Hardening Off

Tomatoes are hot-weather plants. They thrive in summer but struggle in the cooler shoulder seasons. Your growing zone and the year’s weather determine when you’ll transplant seedlings outdoors. Only if you live in zone 7 or warmer are you likely to be able to transplant in April. Soil temperatures need to be at least 60 F (15.5 C).

If the time is approaching, you can start hardening off your small tomato plants before making the final transplant. Hardening off is the process of gradually exposing plants to outdoor conditions, so they're not shocked and then damaged when moved out full-time.

Place your small pots of tomato plants in a protected area outdoors with dappled shade for a couple of days (bringing them back inside at night). Over the next few days, increase the amount of time they spend in direct sunlight outdoors by an hour or two. Finally, leave them outside all day in the sun for a few days and overnight if the temperatures are above 50 F (10 C).

4. Prepare the Soil

When it’s warm enough outside and the plants have been hardened off, they’re ready for transplanting, but is the soil? Take time to get the soil right, either in beds or large containers, to give your plants the best start in the great outdoors.

First, if you’re not certain about the temperature, check it. The soil needs to be at least 60 degrees. It is possible to warm cold soil. If air temperatures feel right but the soil is still cool, place black sheeting over it for a few days. The soil under it will absorb heat from the sun and warm faster.

If planting tomatoes in beds, dig down deep and mix some compost into the soil to improve drainage and add nutrients. If you’re growing tomatoes in containers, get your mix or ready-made potting soil prepared and ready for planting.

5. Transplant (If It's Warm Enough!)

When the time is right, and you’ve done all the preparatory work, you can transplant your tomatoes from their small pots to their permanent outdoor locations. Tomatoes can be planted deep. Dig deep holes for tomato plants and bury them up to the first set of leaves on the stem. Tomato plants grow extra roots from the stem, so this will stimulate more roots to help feed and stabilize the plants. If they're extra leggy, try trench planting.

Tomato plants should be spaced two to three feet (0.6 to 0.9 m) apart for good airflow. Provide some type of support for the vines, either stakes or tomato cages. Finally, add some mulch to the soil to help keep moisture in the soil and to prevent dirt from splashing onto leaves during rain or when watering.

April is a time of patient effort when it comes to growing tomatoes. Take time now to do the work, and you’ll be pleased with the results come August.

Nothing says summer like a nice, juicy tomato, but pests can ruin all the tasty fun. Your crop of delicious tomatoes can perish from pest infestations if not treated quickly and efficiently.

You don’t have to let tomato plant pests destroy your harvest. Take control with the help of an organic, non-chemical pest solution: diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a physical method of insect control that is cheap and incredibly effective. A little sprinkle of DE when pests pop up will keep your tomatoes from becoming a bug buffet. You can find food-grade diatomaceous earth on Amazon or your local garden center.

Let’s dig in and explore how to use diatomaceous earth to control insects on your tomato plants.

Common Tomato Pests

First, we need to explore what types of pests are most likely to affect your tomato harvest. Common tomato plant pests include: aphids, cutworms, hornworms, flea beetles, and root-knot nematodes. These pests can wreak havoc on your tomato plants and it is best practice to inspect your plants every day so you can jump on any infestations that may pop up.

Grab a cup of coffee in the morning and go check on your plants as you get your day started! Keeping on top of pest problems is important to the survival of your plants.

In addition to daily monitoring, a sprinkle of diatomaceous earth around the base of your plants can help keep pest problems from cropping up. Pests like root-knot nematodes and cutworms are at the soil level and can be stopped before they even get started.

What is Diatomaceous Earth?

Diatomaceous earth, or DE, is a powder made from fossilized microscopic sea creatures called diatoms. DE is a physical pest control method. All the tiny fossils in the powder are jagged and scratch the bodies of insects as they crawl over it. This causes the insects to dry out and die. It works on common tomato pests, slugs, snails, and any other insect with an exoskeleton. It is a very effective method of pest control, but it needs to be used wisely.

DE doesn’t discriminate between pests and beneficial insects. You don’t want to hurt bees, butterflies, moths, and other beneficial pollinators so you should use DE sparingly. As a general rule, don’t use DE on the leaves or upper stems of plants when they are in bloom. If bees and flies come into contact with it while they are pollinating your plants, they will die.

It is important that you purchase “food-grade” DE so that it is safe to use on plants you are going to eat.

How to Use DE

Before you use diatomaceous earth in your garden, you do need to take some safety precautions. DE is not toxic to humans or pets, but the tiny fossils that scratch up bug bodies can also irritate our eyes, noses, and lungs. It is important to use a mask, goggles, and gloves when handling DE so you don’t develop any irritation.

Sprinkle DE around the base of your tomato plants to prevent insects from crawling along the ground and up tomato stems. Nematodes and cutworms won’t stand a chance.

If you have aphids or flea beetles, use a puffer to delicately coat leaves that have an active infestation. Again, don’t use DE when your tomato plants are in bloom or you risk killing your pollinators. Reapply after rain.

Now, that you have your tomato pests under control, you can put the DE away until you need it again. It is a remarkably effective pest solution and easy on the wallet. Sit back and enjoy those wonderful tomatoes!

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Looking for additional tips on growing perfect tomatoes? Download our FREE Tomato Growing Guide and learn how to grow delicious tomatoes.

No garden bed, no problem. A standard 5-gallon bucket and the right setup is enough to grow productive tomatoes through the full season—on a patio, a balcony, or anywhere with a few hours of sun.

Container tomatoes have a reputation for being a compromise—something people do when they don’t have a real garden, and settle for accordingly. That reputation is mostly undeserved. A 5-gallon bucket is tight, but the right variety in the right mix, watered consistently, can produce well through a full season. The mistakes that actually sink a container tomato aren’t really about the bucket at all.

The approach to growing tomatoes in a bucket follows the same logic as in-ground growing, with a few adjustments that matter more in a confined space. Variety selection, mix quality, watering frequency, and feeding all work a bit differently here. Here’s how to set it up right.

Pick the Right Variety

Variety selection is where most container tomato attempts go wrong before they even start. A full-size indeterminate variety—the kind that keeps growing and producing until frost—will technically survive in a 5-gallon bucket, but it’ll spend the whole season root-bound and stressed, and the harvest will reflect it. Compact determinate varieties and those specifically bred for containers are a much better match for the space. Look for terms like "dwarf," "patio," "bush," or "compact" on the label. 'Tumbling Tom,' 'Bush Early Girl,' 'Patio,' 'Tiny Tim,' and 'Celebrity' are all reliable performers in buckets. Anything labeled as a ‘dwarf’ indeterminate—varieties that produce continuously but stay small—are another solid option.

Cherry and grape types tend to do better in buckets than larger fruiting varieties—they set fruit faster, don’t stress the plant as much, and bounce back from drying out quicker than a beefsteak tomato would. A big slicing tomato is doable, but expect fewer of them and plan to stay on top of watering more carefully.

Prepare the Bucket

Five gallons (about 19 liters) is the practical minimum for a tomato plant—don’t go smaller. If the bucket doesn’t already have drainage holes, drill four to six in the bottom at about 1/2 inch (12mm) each. Waterlogged roots go fast in a container, and without drainage there’s no recovering from it no matter how well everything else goes. Set the bucket on something that lifts it off the ground so those holes stay clear. It is important to use a food-grade bucket so that harmful chemicals don’t leech into your plants and then the tomatoes you are eating. Don’t just use a regular hardware store bucket. You can find white food-grade buckets from Lowe’s.

Dark buckets get hot in direct sun and that heat transfers straight to the roots, which can stress the plant badly by midsummer. A light-colored bucket stays cooler. If the bucket is dark, slip it inside a slightly larger container or wrap it to buffer the heat a bit—especially on a concrete patio that bakes in the afternoon. A basic pot saucer like this one from Amazon underneath catches drainage and makes the whole thing easier to move around.

Get the Mix Right

Garden soil doesn’t work in containers—it compacts down, drains badly, and turns into something that resembles concrete in a bucket after a few weeks. Use a proper potting mix, ideally one made for vegetables or containers. Fill it to about 2 inches (5cm) from the top. If the mix doesn’t already have slow-release fertilizer in it, work a handful of granules into the top layer at planting time.

Mixing in perlite at around 20 to 25% by volume helps drainage and keeps the mix from compacting with repeated watering. A bag of premium potting mix, like this one from Coast of Maine Organic Products on Amazon, typically fills a bucket. Don’t reuse last season’s mix—it’s compacted, depleted, and a potential disease vector for the new plant.

Plant and Support

Plant tomatoes deep—strip the lower leaves and bury the stem up to the lowest remaining set. Roots form all along the buried stem, which means a stronger plant with better water access from the start. Water in well after planting, and get the support structure in at the same time rather than waiting. Pushing a stake into an established root ball later on can do more damage than it’s worth.

A bamboo stake and some soft ties handles most compact varieties just fine. Bamboo stakes and Velcro plant ties can be found at Amazon. For anything bigger, a cage with a narrow base that fits inside the bucket rim works better than one that wraps around the outside. Guide the plant into it as it grows—don’t leave it to sort itself out.

Water and Feed Consistently

Watering is the thing that takes the most attention with a bucket setup. A 5-gallon container in full sun can get dry enough to stress a plant within a day. Check it daily—finger two inches (5cm) into the mix, dry means water. Water until it runs from the drainage holes, not just until the surface looks damp. Blossom end rot and cracking come from irregular watering, not from the container itself. Wet, dry, wet, dry is what causes both.

Nutrients wash out of a container with every watering, so feeding matters more here than in the ground. A liquid tomato fertilizer every two weeks or so once the plant is flowering keeps things going. A good fertilizer like this Miracle-Gro from Amazon is all it needs. Back off on nitrogen a bit once fruit is setting—too much at that stage pushes leaves over tomatoes.

Shop Tomato Growing Essentials

Looking for additional tips on growing perfect tomatoes? Download our FREE Tomato Growing Guide and learn how to grow delicious tomatoes.

You say to-may-toe, I say to-mah-toe – but can we at least agree that there's one April date that's long been lauded the Goldilocks zone for starting tomato seeds?

Oh yes, if you’ve ever hovered over a packet of tomato seeds wondering 'is it too soon?' or 'have I already missed my chance?', you’re not alone. Tomatoes might be one of the most rewarding crops to grow, but they’re also one of the easiest to mistime.

Start too early and you risk cold, sluggish growth. Leave it too late and you could miss out on weeks of ripe, homegrown fruit. So, where's the sweet spot? How do we make sure we do our tomatoes (one of Zach Galifianakis's favorite crops to grow) look and taste their absolute best?

By circling one specific date in our calendars, of course!

The Goldilocks Zone for Planting Tomato Seeds

Look, April 25th might be the perfect date for Miss Congeniality fans, but April 15th (for much of the US, at least) represents a kind of Goldilocks zone – a moment when conditions are starting to align in just the right way for tomato seedlings to thrive.

Of course, every garden is different – and USDA Planting Zones must be considered –but there’s good reason mid-April comes up again and again. In fact, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, tomatoes should only be planted once the danger of frost has passed and the soil has had a chance to warm.

For many regions, those two factors begin to converge right around this time, making it a reliable guidepost for getting started.

Tomatoes, if you hadn't guessed from their prominence in Mediterranean dishes, are true sun-lovers. Unlike cool-season crops, they simply won’t thrive in cold soil or chilly nights.

In fact, for seeds to germinate well and seedlings to grow strongly, soil temperatures need to be consistently above 55–60°F (13–16°C), while nighttime temperatures should stay above 50°F (10°C).

Plant too early, and seeds can sit in cold, damp soil, which leads to poor germination or weak, leggy plants. Wait until mid-April, and in many parts of the country, the soil has absorbed enough warmth from longer, brighter days to support steady, healthy growth.

Enter stage left, then, April 15th.

For most, April 15th is just after the average last frost date in many parts of the US, but still early enough to give plants a long, productive season. It’s that “just right” moment – where risk is lower, but opportunity is still high.

Another reason this timing works so well is light, as daylight hours will have increased significantly by April 15th compared to early spring, thus giving young plants more energy to grow sturdy stems and healthy leaves.

Still, while April 15th is a helpful benchmark, it’s not a one-size-fits-all rule. Gardeners in warmer southern zones may find their own “Goldilocks moment” arrives slightly earlier, while those in cooler northern regions might use this date as a cue to begin hardening off seedlings rather than planting out straight away.

Shop Indoor Seed Sowing Essentials:

If you want to take full advantage of this glorious April 15th sweet spot, a little preparation goes a long way – particularly when it involves gradually hardening off seedlings started indoors to avoid shock. (You could also warm the soil in advance with cloches or mulch if needed).

The key is to treat it as a guide, not a deadline. Because, while April 15th comes remarkably close for many growers across the US, no single date will ever be perfect for every garden; that's why you should keep an eye on your local forecast, check soil temperatures if you can, and wait until nights are reliably mild before planting outdoors.

We guess what we're saying is this: try to think of this Goldilocks date as your cue for planting tomatoes not too early, not too late, but just right. Because, once you get it right, you’ll set the stage for a summer filled with strong plants, abundant harvests, and that unbeatable taste of homegrown tomatoes picked straight from the vine.

Now, if you'll excuse us, we suddenly find ourselves with a hankering for tomato salad...

The advice sounds almost too simple. Wait until the dogwood blooms, then plant your tomatoes in the garden. No thermometer, no calendar, just a glance outside every few days hoping this is finally the week. When you look out the window and see those white and pink bracts are fully open, that means the soil is warm enough and any serious risk of frost has passed.

Tomatoes can't tolerate any cold, especially tender seedlings. So knowing exactly when to transplant them outdoors after frost is gone is essential to their success. Dogwoods don’t bloom on a schedule – they bloom when the conditions are actually right. So during a spring that is running a few weeks later or earlier than normal, watching for these blooms is exactly the kind of signal about when to plant tomatoes that a calendar can’t give you.

Knowing when to plant is half the battle when it comes to growing tomatoes successfully, so this dogwood trick is a boon for home gardeners. It uses a practice called phenology, which is the study of natural seasonal events as signals for certain gardening tasks. Farmers and gardeners have been using this phenology for centuries. Once you know what it is, you will start noticing these signs everywhere. They can help you read the changes of the seasons and grow a better garden, including tomatoes. Here's how to try it yourself.

What Is Phenology?

Phenology is the reasoning behind all those old planting adages like, "Plant corn when oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear," or, "Sow peas when forsythia blooms." These were observations accumulated over generations of watching what happened in nature and what happened in the garden at the same time. For years, gardeners have been following the cues they notice in the natural world as a guide when to do certain tasks in their gardens.

The common denominator is often temperature. But plants and animals respond to both heat and day length as the seasons change. Those responses are often synchronized in ways that turn out to be very useful signals for planting and other gardening chores. Watching for these phenological signals are can be very helpful in years when the weather doesn't follow the normal pattern.

The reason phenology is more reliable than last frost dates in a lot of cases is that frost dates are historical averages. They tell you what typically happens around a given date, not what’s happening this spring with this year’s particular weather pattern. Phenology works off of real-time information, and in a year where spring is running significantly early or late, it’s more useful than a general date printed on a seed packet.

How to Try Phenology for Yourself

The most useful thing to do is keep a garden journal with notes about when specific plants bloom or leaf out and what the conditions are like at the time. You can use any notebook or get a special phenology journal like this one from Amazon to easily note the changes you see in your garden. After a few seasons of logging notes, patterns will start to emerge that are specific to your garden and microclimate, which is more valuable than any general guidelines.

The broader point is that the garden doesn’t operate on a human-imposed schedule. It’s operating on an environmental one and the plants and animals around it are reading that schedule in real time. Phenology is just the practice of paying attention to that.

Watch the dogwoods in your neighborhood, note when the forsythia peaks, check whether the lilacs are in first leaf or full bloom. The calendar is a rough tool. If you want more specific and accurate data, a soil thermometer like this one from Amazon used alongside these visual cues gives the most complete picture of weather conditions, which is ultimately the only question that matters when it’s time to plant.

When Dogwoods Bloom, Plant Tomatoes

When the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is at peak bloom, that is one of the most consistent phenological indicators for tomato transplanting in the eastern United States. By the time dogwoods reach full flower, nighttime temperatures are consistently above 50°F (10°C) and soil temperatures at planting depth are warm enough to support good root establishment.

Planting tomatoes into cold soil stalls growth. It leaves them sitting there looking fine above ground while the roots fail to develop. Often just waiting a couple weeks later for better conditions helps tomatoes grow much faster. Watch for blooms on dogwood trees to tell you when the ideal conditions have arrived.

Dogwoods aren’t the only tomato indicators, though. Daylilies starting to flower, lily of the valley in full bloom, and peony buds beginning to open all signal roughly the same window for planting. For the best results, cross-reference what’s happening around you rather than picking one signal and treating it as an absolute.

Other Signs to Look For

The list of reliable phenological plant pairings built up over centuries of observation is pretty extensive. Forsythia blooming is the classic cue to plant peas, sow lettuce seeds, and start onion sets. These are all cool-season crops that can handle a light frost, but need soil that’s just beginning to warm.

When lilacs leaf out, beets, carrots, and spinach can go in the garden. When lilacs reach full bloom – a later and more dramatic event than the first leaf – beans, squash, and cucumbers are ready for planting. Dandelions in full flower signal potato planting time in many regions as well.

On the pest and disease management side, phenology is equally useful. Forsythia in bloom signals when crabgrass starts germinating, which is the window to apply pre-emergent herbicides. Star magnolia bloom coincides with eastern tent caterpillar egg hatch, which tells you when to start checking susceptible trees. False blue indigo flowering aligns with emerald ash borer adult emergence.

Tomato Planting Essentials

Nature really is incredible, but what definitely wasn’t on my bingo card was learning that century-old seeds can still be grown. The moment I found out, my mind flooded with questions – how didn’t they die ten times over? Wouldn’t they have dried out completely? Surely by now they’d have rotted from the inside?

Instead of spiralling in disbelief, though, I sat back and watched a video from Hand Tool Rescue’s YouTube channel, where they managed to successfully grow tomatoes from century-old seeds. It’s safe to say I’m still well and truly shocked – and more than a little curious.

To help pass this amazing discovery on to you, I’ve broken down what the tomato seed video explores and asked a gardening pro to share some insight into the appeal of growing old seeds. Technically, it would mean the origins of your plants are older than you, which is pretty wild when you think about it. Let’s get into it.

Why Grow Old Seeds?

You might be wondering, “Why would someone go to the effort of reviving old seeds when they could just hop online or head to the store and buy new ones?”

Fair question. But there are actually plenty of reasons why people get excited about germinating old seeds – whether they’ve come from a decades-old packet or were saved from a past harvest.

Shane Pliska of Planterra explained the vital importance of “heritage seeds” to me, and why they matter more than we might think.

“Heirloom and heritage seeds are very important for biodiversity in our food systems,” says Shane. “As the agriculture industry continues to optimize for yield and desired commercial traits, genetic diversity is becoming narrower.”

Planting older seeds can mean growing something truly different – a rare variety, the flavor of a crop you loved years ago, or the continuation of the best-yielding tomatoes your grandma grew summer after summer. It’s personal. It’s special. And it’s not always something you can simply buy off a shelf.

For others, it’s just a fun experiment in seed science – a way to test whether an old seed can still spring back to life.

The Tale of the Century-Old Tomato Seeds

Once upon a time, Eric from Hand Tool Rescue came across a free packet of tomato seeds tucked inside a vintage Stark Bro’s Seeds catalog dated 1926 – making the seeds sealed inside a full century old.

Eric didn’t take the discovery lightly. The seeds were a variety called Starks Blight Resister, bred to resist wilt, and there was barely any information about them online. On the off chance they were the last viable seeds of their kind on the planet, Eric rose to the challenge and set out to grow healthy, thriving tomato plants.

After consulting plant scientists, Eric learned that tomato seeds typically remain viable for up to about a decade. Still, under the right conditions, almost anything is possible – and there’s always the occasional seed that beats the odds.

With that in mind, Eric got to work. Through plenty of patience, trial and error, and careful testing, he managed to successfully grow the century-old seeds.

Reviving the Tomato Seeds

If 100-year-old tomato seeds were tossed straight into the ground, chances are nothing would happen – aside from them becoming a snack for a passing bird. But soaking seeds in certain solutions can help rejuvenate their cells, essentially waking them up so they’re able to germinate and grow again.

In the video, Eric carefully selected the largest seeds from the packet using tweezers, then tested a range of different soaking solutions in petri dishes, like these from Amazon. Larger seeds tend to have a better shot at viability and are more likely to respond during the soaking process.

He experimented with all of the following methods – but only one delivered real success:

• All of the seeds were gently bleached before the experiment began to remove any potential residue, bacteria, or fungi.
• Four petri dishes were prepared with agar gel – a substance designed to support germination – and gibberellic acid, a growth-stimulating hormone. In each of these dishes, Eric placed one seed that had been pre-soaked in either tea, nitrogen, gibberellic acid, or nothing at all.
• Another four petri dishes contained only agar gel. Again, one seed was added to each dish – soaked in tea, gibberellic acid, nitrogen, or left unsoaked.
• Beyond that, one dish contained just a paper towel and water, while a final dish held soil and a seed that had been soaked in gibberellic acid.

The Outcome

After leaving the seeds to sit for three weeks, Eric checked in on their progress. Most of the dishes had started growing bacteria and fungi, but the dish containing gibberellic acid – with a seed soaked in agar gel – showed a tiny sprout of new growth.

You can find gibberellic acid and agar gel on Amazon.

Using tweezers, the team carefully transferred the delicate sprout into soil and nurtured it with gentle watering and plenty of patience.

And here’s the really encouraging part: if this method can coax a 100-year-old seed back to life, there’s every chance it could help revive seeds that are simply past their expiration date. So before you toss that half-used packet from the back of your drawer, it might be worth trying a little seed science of your own.

If you’ve got some seriously old seeds tucked away somewhere, there may still be a little life left in them yet.

Shop Historic Tomato Varieties

If you don't have any 100-year-old tomato seeds, but still want a taste of history, try these heirloom tomato varieties that date back a century or more.

Knowing how to propagate tomatoes saves money and keeps a garden stocked with top-notch plants. This year’s best performers can turn into next year’s crop without spending a cent. It’s a practical way to grow the same juicy varieties that thrived this summer.

Propagating new plants is an important part of learning how to grow tomatoes. The practice allows you to replicate favorites – whether it’s a sweet cherry tomato or a hefty beefsteak. There's no need to gamble on new seeds or nursery stock. Plus, you already know these tomato varieties will handle local soil and weather like champs.

Three solid methods make propagating tomatoes straightforward. And, if you're not ready to let go of your existing plants, then it's worth knowing that you can actually overwinter tomatoes indoors. Years of messing around in the dirt have honed these steps, with a few oddball tips thrown in to boost results. Here’s the rundown for getting free plants ready for next spring.

1. Saving Tomato Seeds

Saving tomato seeds is a dead-easy way to propagate plants for any heirloom tomato variety. No more crossing fingers on seed packets that might not deliver the same punch as last season’s tomatoes! One of my favorite heirloom tomatoes is the black cherry, which has such a unique, complex flavor. Every year, I save seeds and start a new crop the following spring. You can try growing it yourself with these seeds from Burpee.

However, if you are growing hybrid tomatoes, then this method will not recreate the same plant – and may not work at all. It's possible you will cultivate a new delicious variety, or it may be a total flop. So, unless you love experimenting, it's best to use other methods for hybrids.

To save seeds from heirlooms, pick a ripe tomato from a strong plant, slice it open, and scrape the seeds and goo into a jar. Add a bit of water, cover it loosely, and let it sit for a few days. That fermentation kills off diseases.

A trick not everyone mentions is to scoop off the moldy top layer after fermenting. Miss that step, and seeds might not sprout well. Rinse them clean, spread them on a paper towel to dry, and tuck them in an envelope, like these Joyberg Kraft Seed Saving Storage Envelopes from Amazon. Keep them somewhere cool and dry for spring.

2. Take Cuttings

Rooting tomato cuttings works great for propagating plants from healthy growers. Late in summer, grab clean, sharp pruning shears – Fiskar's Bypass Pruning Shears, available on Amazon, are perfect for the task – and snip a 6-inch stem from a side shoot, right below a leaf node. Strip off the lower leaves, pop it in a glass of water, and set it on a sunny windowsill. Roots show up in about a week.

Remember to swap out the water every couple of days. Stagnant water can stall cuttings, especially for chunkier varieties like beefsteak. When roots hit an inch, plant them in a pot with damp soil and keep them indoors, ready for spring transplanting. If your new plants get too big too soon, then repeat the process.

3. Layering Side Shoots

Layering side shoots is a low-fuss way to propagate tomatoes. Find a bendy side shoot low on a healthy plant and ease it down to the dirt. Bury a few inches of the stem, leaving the tip poking out, and pin it with a small rock or wire. Roots form in a couple of weeks.

Lightly scrape the buried stem with a clean knife beforehand. That little nick speeds up rooting for stubborn plants. Once roots take hold, cut the shoot free and pot it up for next season’s garden. Soil Sunrise's Plant Propagation Potting Mix, available on Amazon, is perfect for cuttings.

4. How to Overwinter Tomato Plants in Pots

To save a favorite tomato plant for next year, bring it indoors for winter. Pick a smaller type, like a cherry tomato, dig it up, and settle it into a pot with fresh soil. Snip it back to about a foot (30 cm) tall and tuck it by a south-facing window where sunlight pours in.

Alternatively, set plants up for a long harvest by investing in a planter on wheels, such as the Vego garden tomato planter box with trellis, available on Amazon – it can be easily rolled indoors when temperatures drop and is self-watering for minimal maintenance.

A trick many gardeners miss is to water sparingly. Drenching the soil indoors spells disaster with mushy roots. Keep it just damp and give the leaves a quick mist now and then to fake that summer breeze. Another tip is to turn the pot every few days for even light. This keeps the plant from leaning like it’s chasing the sun. Alternatively, invest in a grow light, like this GooingTop LED light from Amazon.

Tips for Successful Tomato Propagation

Pick robust, bug-free tomato plants to steer clear of future headaches. Clean tools with a splash of rubbing alcohol (available on Amazon) for a spotless start. Write down the variety and date on seed envelopes. Jumbling up your beefsteak and Roma isn’t fun when you are expecting one or the other.

Warm soil, near 70°F (21°C), gets cuttings and layering going quicker. You can also set pots on a sunny stone path for a day to soak up extra heat. A heat mat, like this Vivosun design from Amazon, can make a difference in chilly houses. For overwintered plants, watch for pests like aphids on tomato plants and give them at least 6 hours of good light. These steps set up next year’s tomatoes for a strong start in spring.

I remember back in the days when I was part of a community garden, we’d have a yearly cleanup every spring. Volunteers would turn the compost heap, spread wood chips, pull weeds, that sort of thing. The worst job, by far, was organizing the shed, because it was absolutely chock full of tomato cages.

Tomato cages are the worst part of growing tomatoes. They get rusty. They get bent. They never stacked well to begin with, but have you ever tried to fit one slightly misshapen tomato cage into another? I'm sure you have, and I'm sure it wasn't fun.

Storing them for winter in a shed? Especially a little shed like this one from Home Depot? My garden’s shed was huge, and had a whole second floor devoted to the mangled, barbed wiry mess that was over 100 gardeners’ worth of tomato cages put away for the season.

You were much better off pulling weeds.

Snap-Together Tomato Cages

I have my own garden now, and my own shed, and I’ll be darned if I’m going to spend a day every spring wrestling tomato cages.

The first time I planted tomatoes in my garden, I went looking for a better solution, and I found these incredible modular tomato cages on Amazon. I bought one 4 pack, then loved it so much (and had so many plants) I went right back and bought a second 4 pack. But you could just save yourself the trouble and buy an 8 pack.

I promise these are actually what I use in my own garden. The ones I bought are from Halatool, but you can also get them from Legigo, Sidefusi, Gardzen… I'm sure they're just as good. The only important thing is that they break down into pieces.

How Do They Work?

I store my tomato cages in a plastic shopping bag, tucked away into the corner of my shed. When spring comes, I dig them out and start assembling. There are three parts to these tomato cages – long pole segments, little tubes to connect them, and plastic arms with a hook on either end. And with those materials, you essentially have a garden Erector Set. Any number of poles can be linked together to achieve any height. Any number of arms can hook onto the poles anywhere along their length.

You can build a three sided cage, or a four sided one. I’ve built a little wall to support a row of sweet corn that I thought might blow over in a storm. I once built a series of tiny shelves to prop up an errant summer squash plant that took off out of its bed.

They’re also adjustable! Have you found yourself trying, eeeever so carefully, to bend the branch of a tomato plant so it fits back inside its wire cage? It rarely ends well. With these things, all you have to do is unsnap one of the arms, swing it out, manhandle your tomato into place, and snap it back in. No bending (and inevitable breaking) required!

Have you ever misjudged the size of your tomato plant? They’re so small as seedlings, it’s hard to imagine them needing a big giant cage. So you choose the smaller one. And your tomato plant grows. And keeps growing. And by July it’s spilling over the top of the cage and taking it down with it. With one of these modular cages, you can just add on to the top, and keep on adding. You can even add buttresses if the whole thing starts getting unwieldy. Gravity might catch up to you eventually, but it’ll probably be time for a frost by then, anyway.

Go Get Your Own

Once fall comes, these tomato cages break apart beautifully. No tightly wound vines are a match for them. Just snap it apart and let the dead plants fall away. Then gather up your pieces and tuck them away. I keep mine in an old shopping bag, but I bet they'd fit perfectly in something like this sports duffel from Amazon. Hide your bag somewhere in the back of your shed or a corner of your basement, and never think about it again until spring.

You'll be so glad you did.

Want fresh tomatoes past summer? Try these tips to keep your harvest rolling into fall. You’ll want to pick smart varieties, tweak your routine, and do your best to guard against cold. This will keep your plants putting out tasty fruit into the cooler months.

Nothing beats a ripe tomato plucked straight off the vine, and nailing down ways to extend your tomato harvest into fall keeps that going way past summer. Cold snaps can zap plants fast, but a few tricks let you pick juicy fruit into October or November.

Picking the right types of tomatoes and timing your crops can bump up your yield. Harvesting tomatoes properly means grabbing fruit at peak ripeness, so plants keep pushing out more. It’s about keeping your garden game strong as the weather cools.

1. Planning Your Planting

Pick tomato types built for cooler weather. Varieties like ‘Glacier’ or ‘Stupice’ are great early tomato varieties and push out fruit fast, in 60 to 70 days, even when nights hit 50F (10C). Check seed packets for “days to maturity” to match your fall season. These keep your plants going when others quit.

It’s recommended to sow seeds in late spring or early summer, around June or July, about 6 to 8 weeks before your first frost. Want more? Plant every couple of weeks through July by succession planting. This spreads out your crop, so you’re picking tomatoes for months. Start seeds indoors with a basic LED grow light like this one from Amazon, then move them outside when they’re tough enough. Not sure on frost dates? Your local extension service has the details.

2. Tweak Your Care for Fall

Switch up your routine when summer starts fading. By late August, snip off new blooms and tiny fruit. That pushes plants to ripen what’s already growing. You can clip tomato plant suckers. These are those pesky shoots between branches, to let in sun and air, but make sure that you use clean pruning shears so you don’t spread any diseases between plants.

Ease off watering as nights cool to 50F (10C). Too much water splits fruit or weakens roots. Aim for an inch (2.5 cm) a week, less if it rains. Pests like aphids can still show up, so hit them with one of my favorites, which is Bonide Neem Oil that you can find at Amazon. Feed plants once in early fall with a low-nitrogen mix like 5-10-10 to focus on fruit, not leaves. Find 5-10-10 tomato and vegetable fertilizer on Amazon.

Watch your plants closely and adjust to the weather. This will keep things balanced to keep fruit coming.

3. Pile on the Mulch

Mulch for tomatoes is a big help for fall production. It’s a really good idea to spread roughly 3 inches (7.5 cm) of straw or bark mulch around your plants when it gets into late summer. Doing this will help to keep your soil warm when the nights start to fall to 50F (10C) and holds moisture steady. It also blocks weeds from stealing the nutrients that your tomatoes rely on.

Use a high quality mulch like Back to the Roots natural wood mulch, which can be found on Amazon, for good coverage. Spread it thick but leave a gap by the stems to avoid rot. Check it weekly, fluffing it if it packs down. Warm soil keeps roots happy, pushing out tomatoes longer.

4. Shield Plants with Row Covers

Row covers save your tomatoes from early frosts. Floating row covers like Agribon AG-19 from Amazon let light and water through but block cold down to 35F (2C). Set them up with hoops or stakes in early fall. Secure the edges with bricks or clips.

Smaller seedlings will thrive under DIY plant cloches, like old plastic jugs with the bottoms sliced off. Pull the covers off on warmer days above 60F (16C) to stop plants from roasting. Check underneath every week for sneaky pests or mold buildup. Covers stretch when to harvest tomatoes in fall, adding weeks to your season.

5. Bring Potted Plants Inside

Got tomatoes in pots? Move them indoors when nights hit 45F (7C). A rolling tomato planter with built-in trellis makes hauling heavy pots easy. Find a self-watering, rolling, trellised tomato planter from Vego on Amazon. Place your tomatoes by a sunny window or next to a vertical LED grow light, this one from Amazon is a favorite, for around 6 to 8 hours of light per day.

Keep indoor temps above 50F (10C), ideally 60 to 70F (16 to 21C). Water light, letting soil dry a bit between pours. Check for pests like spider mites every day. Compact varieties like cherry tomatoes shine here, pumping out fruit into late fall.

Getting tomatoes to keep pushing into fall isn’t some wizard trick, but it takes sharp timing and a couple clever moves. Pick types that shrug off cold, plant in waves to keep fresh ones coming, and pile on mulch or covers when nights turn chilly. The big part is nailing when to plant for fall and when to grab ripe fruit so they don’t just sit there. Pull it off, and you’ll be munching homegrown tomatoes while others grab sad grocery ones.

When I first started growing tomatoes, I believed that leaving the fruit on the vine until it was perfectly ripe was key to the best flavor. I have since learned that not only is this untrue, but it can result in a stingy crop and more spoiled fruit, leaving tomatoes vulnerable to bad weather, pests, disease, and cracking. So, if your tomatoes are not turning red yet, then don’t panic – there’s still time to hurry them along for the most delectable harvest.

Of course, there’s nothing more heavenly than eating a sweet, perfectly ripe tomato fresh off the vine, but unless you’re just picking a few here and there for a salad or sandwich, then you need to be more proactive about ripening. Learning how to ripen green tomatoes properly makes all the difference between a crop that tastes like it was nourished by the sun and one that is bland and joyless.

Farmers have been dealing with these issues for centuries and have developed several tried-and-trusted techniques for speeding things up while protecting their crops. So, if you’re counting down the last days of summer and your tomatoes are still fully green – or you’re facing tomato pests and other problems and want to save as much fruit as possible – then you need to act fast to get them ripened without losing flavor. Try these clever farmer-inspired tricks to help tomatoes ripen both on and off the vine.

1. Pick Tomatoes at Breaker Stage

Knowing when to pick tomatoes is an art. Tomatoes are one of those rare crops that can be harvested green without impacting flavor – but never before they hit “breaker stage”. This means the fruit is just beginning to blush, usually at the bottom. Tomatoes begin producing ethylene gas (the key to ripening) once they have just begun to change color, and as most of the sugars and acids are already set at this stage, they’ll taste closer to vine-ripened fruit even if they are picked and ripened indoors.

Often, large-scale farms pick fruit at “mature green stage” which is the pre-breaker stage, then place the fruits in cool rooms and pump in ethylene, but this is what results in tasteless tomatoes. Smaller-scale farms will wait until the breaker stage to harvest.

This is a great option if you see an upcoming bad weather forecast or if you have spotted the early signs of a tomato disease, such as blight. Earlier in the season, harvesting tomatoes at breaker stage will encourage the formation of new flowers on indeterminate tomato varieties, which continue to vine and fruit throughout the season.

So, if your tomatoes are already at breaker stage and you feel they are at risk on the plant, then go ahead and pick them and get them indoors to safety. Fiskars’ Micro-Tip Pruning Snips, available on Amazon, will help you to get the job done quickly and precisely without damaging your crop.

2. Stress the Plant

What if your plants haven’t quite reached breaker stage? If it’s not urgent, then you can speed things up by placing stress on the plant and encouraging it to redirect energy from vegetative growth to ripening the existing fruit. There are several ways to do this:

• Stressing roots – Gently slice into the soil with a spade about 8-10 inches from the stem, severing a few roots. Old-school farmers will twist the plant slightly at the base or lift it a little to break fine roots. You’ll need to use a narrow spade that won’t damage your tomatoes or nearby plants, like this Vnimti spade from Amazon.
• Reduce watering – cut back on watering once the fruit is well-formed, as a mild drought will signal to the plant to finish ripening.
• Remove excess foliage – Pruning tomatoes is good practice in general, but if they are slow to ripen, then “top” indeterminate tomatoes by cutting off the top of the stem and also remove lower leaves to increase sun exposure.
• Remove new flowers and tiny fruit – These are taking energy away from more mature fruit developing, but they won’t mature so late in the season.

If you want to learn how to grow tomatoes like a pro, then advanced knowledge like this will take your home garden to the next level.

3. Uproot the Plant

If the weather is turning and you really can’t wait any longer for green tomatoes to mature to breaker stage, then your remaining option is to pull up the whole plant, with roots and some soil still attached.

There are two traditional farmers’ methods for what to do next. You can either hang the plant upside down and store it in a shed or garage, or you can make sure you get the whole root ball, then bury it in a pile of straw or dry soil in a cellar or cool shed.

Both methods keep plants safe from bad weather and allow the tomatoes to continue to draw from the roots and ripen slowly.

Bear in mind that if done too early, this method can impact flavor. Ideally, the earliest plants should be uprooted to preserve as much flavor as possible just before the breaker stage. Uproot plants with very green fruit only as a last resort.

Indoor Ripening Tips

Once you have picked your tomatoes, you have the option of either storing them to encourage slower ripening and a longer shelf life, or you can hasten ripening. Even before we knew the science of ethylene gas, farmers used to toss a ripe apple or banana into a crate of green tomatoes to help them ripen more quickly. You can recreate this by putting them together in a paper bag. However, don’t leave them in too long, as prolonged ethylene exposure can lead to ripening too quickly and a reduced flavor.

Once they’re showing good color, place nearly ripe tomatoes on a sunny windowsill, or in bright, indirect sunlight, and let them finish off. Light exposure boosts carotenoid pigments like lycopene and beta-carotene, making tomatoes redder and slightly sweeter. Not hot direct sun, though, as fruits could scald. This presents as yellow, white, or light brown patches on the fruit's surface that become papery, wrinkled, or even sunken.

If you want tomatoes to ripen more slowly, then store tomatoes in crates lined with straw or newspaper, and place them in single layers in a cool room. These Hudson Exchange Agricultural Nest and Stack Crates, available from Amazon, are perfect for tomatoes and other crops. Old-school growers sometimes wrap the tomatoes individually in newspaper to slow things down and minimize the risk of rot. Check the tomatoes every few days.

Refrigerating tomatoes makes them taste more bland, but you can extend their shelf life on the countertop with Debbie Mayer Green Bags, available from Amazon.

And, if your tomatoes are ripening more quickly than you can eat them, there are many fantastic ways to preserve tomatoes, including canning, freezing, and drying. Happy harvesting!

Quick Poll

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Tomatoes are a summer garden staple. We grow them for the juicy, tasty fruits that are the essence of late summer flavor, but what about the rest of the plant? When you trim off leaves in summer to improve ripening or remove the plants at the end of the season, do you just toss them in the compost pile?

While there’s nothing wrong with that solution to disposing of your tomato greens, consider other uses. Tomato leaves are edible. They’re rich in nutrients that can be used as fertilizer. They even contain compounds that can help you manage garden pests.

So, the next time you're pruning tomato plants, save the leaves and use these tips to maximize their benefits. However, be sure to select only healthy leaves that are free from signs of disease or pests. If any issues are present, read up on how to grow tomatoes like a pro.

1. Make Tomato Leaf Fertilizer

If you make your own compost, adding tomato leaves to the mix is a simple way to recycle the plant’s nutrients. But, you can also make a fertilizer tea out of tomato leaves and get those nutrients back more quickly and directly to benefit other plants.

Fertilizer tea is a really simple and easy way to extract and reuse nutrients from garden waste. It's the same process as making weed tea:

1. Start with a pile of healthy tomato leaves chopped into smaller pieces. Place them in a bucket and add plenty of water. The leaves should be covered. Put a screen or cloth on top of the bucket to keep mosquitoes out
2. Let the tea steep for a few days or up to two weeks. Stir the tea daily.
3. Once the leaves have steeped, strain off the liquid. This liquid is now full of water-soluble nutrients.
4. Dispose of the spent leaves in the garden waste or your compost pile.

You can use your tomato tea every couple of weeks on your tomatoes or other plants. Dilute the tea before you use it. A good general recipe is one part tea to ten parts water. You can either water the plants with the tea or put it in a bottle and use it as a foliar spray on plants.

2. Keep Pests at Bay with a Simple Spray

Tomatoes are part of the nightshade family, which means they have some toxicity that you can use against garden pests. Their leaves contain compounds called alkaloids that can be effective at managing aphids on tomato plants in particular. A spray that concentrates these alkaloids is safe for pets and people.

To make the pest spray, steep tomato leaves much like you did to make fertilizer tea. The right ratio for a pesticide is one or two cups of chopped leaves in two cups of water. Let the mix steep overnight or for a couple of days and then strain off the liquid.

Don’t dilute the spray. Put the full-strength solution into a spray bottle and apply it to plants that have aphids. Be sure to get the undersides of leaves where aphids particularly like to hang out.

If the spray isn't proving effective enough, add a few drops of neem oil – available on Amazon – or a crushed garlic clove to make the solution more potent.

3. Cook with Fresh Tomato Leaves

The tomato fruit is not the only edible part of the plant. You can also enjoy the leaves, although they are mildly toxic if eaten in large quantities. Use fresh tomato leaves as you would other greens, but they are generally best prepared or cooked rather than eaten raw.

One of the best ways to use tomato leaves in the kitchen is in your tomato sauce. While basil is the classic green herb used in sauce, tomato leaves add a unique depth of flavor and aroma. Experiment with the amount you use to get it just right.

Another option is to make a delicious tomato leaf pesto, adding a small handful of leaves to basil and blending with garlic, olive oil, and parmesan, before mixing in some toasted pine nuts.

Also, try infusing olive oil with tomato leaves. Let them sit in the oil for a few weeks before straining to get a good flavor that adds umami to a wide range of dishes.

4. Make a Dried Herb

You can continue to enjoy the potent flavor and aroma of tomato leaves long after the growing season ends by drying them. Much like drying herbs, you can dry tomato leaves to create a flavorful ingredient that can be stored and used for months. Pick healthy leaves at peak freshness and wash them well.

It's easiest to dry the leaves using a food dehydrator. This Elite Gourmet digital food hydrator from Amazon is a good, affordable model if you just want to dry a few herbs and veggies from the garden. You'll need a setting of around 140°F (60°C) for 10 to 15 hours or until they have no more moisture left.

Alternatively, you can dry tomato leaves by spreading them out on a flat surface and setting them in a well-ventilated area out of the sun.

Once dry, crumble them down and store the leaves in an airtight container in a cupboard or other cool, dry space. You can use the leaves as you would other herbs, but as you would expect, the dried tomato leaves will be especially good in tomato sauces.

5. Steep Tomato Leaves for Tea

Finally, consider using tomato leaves for a tasty herbal tea, which has many benefits, including antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. It may also be used to stimulate digestion. Though it should only be used as an occasional treat, as when consumed in excess can be mildly toxic. Avoid tomato tea if pregnant or nursing.

You can use dried tomato leaves or fresh, clean leaves right off the plant. Steep about a teaspoon of dried leaves in boiling water for five to ten minutes. Use more leaves if fresh.

The flavor of tomato tea is truly unique. If you enjoy the summery smell of tomato plants, you’ll like this tea. It is more savory than true tea, but you can add a sweetener like honey if you prefer a sweeter tea.

Want to know more about growing your own tomatoes? Sign up for the Gardening Know How Newsletter and receive a free copy of our e-book How to Grow Delicious Tomatoes.

Tomatoes are pretty easy to grow with plenty of sunlight, water, and nutrient-rich soil, but pests are always a potential issue. Several types of pests have a taste for tomato plants and may cause anything from a minor inconvenience to total destruction. But while it may be tempting to use harsh chemical pesticides in your vegetable garden, consider natural solutions instead. A homemade bug spray for tomato plants will deter or kill pests while keeping your tomatoes safe and edible.

Pesticides on tomato plants can contaminate the food you’re eating and harm or kill beneficial insects. Many tomato plant pests can be removed manually without using any products at all. For instance, you can handpick caterpillars to remove them from tomato plants, while numerous pests, like aphids, can be sprayed off with a strong stream of water. But for the rest, a natural spray is the best option.

Whether you're just learning how to grow tomatoes or have many successful harvests under your belt, it's a good idea to learn these simple recipes to keep pests away.

Pests That Target Tomatoes

Insects on or around your tomato plants are not always an issue. You might see neutral or beneficial insects, like ladybugs or lacewings. These common pests, however, should be identified and managed:

• Aphids are among the most common pests in the garden and on tomatoes. They are very small and often clustered on the undersides of leaves. They suck sap out of the leaves and leave behind honeydew, a substance that encourages fungal growth. This makes aphids on tomato plants doubly damaging.
• Spider Mites are also very small and cluster on the undersides of leaves. They feed on the leaves, causing yellow, then brown discoloration.
• Whiteflies are often not noticeable until you see your tomatoes ripening irregularly as they feed on the fruit. Managing aphids and mites on the undersides of leaves will also help you manage whiteflies.
• Colorado Potato Beetles feed on all members of the nightshade family. Adults are easily identified by their striped bodies. Larvae have two rows of black spots.
• Flea Beetles are small and hard to see, but you might spot them as they jump when disturbed. They feed on and leave irregular holes in tomato leaves and stems.
• Tomato hornworms are among the most recognizable of tomato pests. They are green caterpillars with white stripes and a “horn” on the second-to-last body segment. They can rapidly eat their way through a tomato plant.
• Cutworms are also caterpillars that are black and easier to spot. Look for them at night when they feed on seedlings and young tomato plants.
• Armyworms eat both leaves and tomato fruits, leaving holes behind. The caterpillars are gray to black with a long, yellow stripe.

Natural Pest Spray Recipes

If you don’t want to use pesticides, and if your efforts to manually remove pests on tomato plants have come up short, try some of these safe and simple natural sprays. Bear in mind that some natural ingredients can kill, rather than just repel, insects, so in these instances, you should identify the pests before spraying. Also, apply them early in the morning or late evening when pollinators and other beneficial insects are less active.

1. Dish Soap Spray

A homemade soap spray is an easy way to manage the small, soft-bodied pests that attack tomato plants, like aphids and spider mites. To make a dish soap spray, dissolve one tablespoon of a mild, pure dish soap in a quart of water. Do not use dish soap products with added ingredients like bleach or degreaser.

If the pests don’t respond as well to a simple dish soap spray as you would like, add vegetable oil, which smothers pests. This offers a double punch to tough pests. Mix a tablespoon of dish soap with a cup of oil. Add a few teaspoons of the master mix to a quart of water to make the spray.

If you have a lot of plants to cover, then it will be much easier to spray plants using a pressured sprayer, such as this Chapin 1-gallon lawn and garden pump pressured sprayer from Amazon.

Spray the mix all over affected tomato plants, including on the undersides of leaves. Reapply after it has dried and as needed to manage the problem. Soap is not a harsh chemical that will harm a lot of insects, but try to keep it localized to the affected plants to minimize harm. Once you see a significant decrease in the pest in question, give the plants a good rinse with fresh water.

2. Chili Pepper Spray

A spicy cayenne pepper spray is a universal pest deterrent, so use it for any kind of pest that eats your tomato plants. This includes the caterpillars that feed on the leaves and fruits. Just be sure to wash off any remaining residue before you enjoy the tomatoes if you don’t want a spicy surprise.

To make a homemade pepper spray, mix one to two tablespoons of cayenne pepper in a quart of water. Add a few drops of dish soap to help the mixture stick to the plant. Spray the entire plant, including stems, all sides of the leaves, and any fruits that have developed so far.

3. Garlic Spray

A homemade garlic spray helps deter pests through both smell and taste. Some gardeners find the smell a little off-putting, but garlic is effective at deterring many tomato pests, so it might be worth putting up with.

Finely chop or blend 8 to 10 garlic cloves and cover with enough water to make one quart. Let the mixture sit overnight and then strain out the garlic. Use the remaining liquid in a spray bottle to cover your tomato plants from top to bottom.

If you want your spray to pack an extra punch against insect pests, then add a few drops of neem oil, available on Amazon, to the solution. This oil is one of the most effective natural pest control solutions.

Chemical pesticides are an easy solution to pests, but they’re also damaging and dangerous. They’re also not necessary. It’s possible to grow a healthy, bountiful tomato crop with these few, simple, and natural ingredients.

Want to know more about growing your own tomatoes? Sign up for the Gardening Know How Newsletter and receive a free copy of our e-book How to Grow Delicious Tomatoes.

Good vegetable gardeners should know how to care for tomato plants while on vacation, since many of us take time away during the summer months when our gardens are at their peak. It’s entirely possible to keep your tomatoes growing strong while you’re away, all it takes is some extra prep and care before you go.

Figuring out how to water tomato plants while on vacation is often the biggest challenge and the first one you need to address before leaving town. Tomatoes are heavy water users, especially during fruiting. Since we grow tomatoes in the warm months of the year, they are prone to drying out. Even short periods of dryness can affect the quality of the fruit and the numbers of tomatoes the plant can produce. If you want a bumper crop, the first step is to figure out some way of providing adequate moisture.

Depending upon the duration of your vacation, your tomato plants have other needs. One of the key elements of perfecting how to grow tomatoes is training and pinching. If the plants are young, they will need pinching to remove the errant, non-fruiting growth at the branch nodes. If you don’t remove them, the plant will direct energy to growing more foliage rather than focusing on fruiting branches.

Indeterminate tomato varieties will also require caging or staking if you’re going to be gone more than a week. Even with such supports in place, they will need to be trained to their stake or cage with tying and gently moving plant material onto the structure.

High on the list when learning how to keep plants alive while on vacation is dealing with pests and disease. If you are away, you can’t visually identify and deal with these problems. Without an immediate address of pests, the plant can suffer ill health and may fail altogether.

The same goes with disease problems. When no steps are taken to minimize or eradicate disease symptoms, the whole tomato plant can die. It may be necessary to set up a “tomato sitter” of some sort, either family or a neighbor, who can help diagnose issues and handle them. Your tomato sitter can also provide adequate moisture, protection from extreme weather, and harvest as needed.

1. Keep Tomatoes Hydrated

Keeping tomato plants hydrated is the most important part of caring for your vegetables while you are away on vacation. Here are some strategies and tools to help keep your tomatoes well-watered while you are gone.

Before you go on vacation, you can set your tomato plant up for success with a few simple steps. Firstly, if they are established and in the ground, slow down watering a week prior. This will get them used to less moisture.

Mulching around in-ground plants is a tremendous help. You can use organic or inorganic mulch, although I would avoid using gravel or rock because these have a tendency to hold onto too much heat. Some of the best types of mulch for tomatoes are fine bark, straw, or well-dried grass clippings. They will slowly compost into the soil and gently add nutrients as they break down.

Provide 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) of mulch around the root zone. This will help keep water in the soil. It will also help prevent those pesky weeds that compete with your tomato plants for nutrients and water.

If you know you will be experiencing an extreme heat event then set up shade cloth, like one of these from Amazon, to protect the plant. Tomatoes like the sun and they like it hot, but too much heat can cause wilting, leaf scorch, and damage to the fruit.

If you are growing tomatoes in containers, move them to a dappled light area. This will slow the production of flowers a little bit, but it will help the potted plants conserve moisture and prevent sunburn.

Consider installing drip irrigation on a timer so the plants get regular watering delivered straight to the roots where the plant needs it the most. Our editor Laura loves this Orbit automatic hose timer from Amazon. She pairs it every summer with this easy-to-use drip irrigation kit from Home Depot. You might also use a soaker hose or water wick to create a DIY watering system.

Another one of our editors' favorite ways to water plants while on vacation is to turn a plastic bottle into an irrigator for containers. Drill a hole in the lid, fill the container with water, and suspend the lidded bottle upside down in the soil. If you’re going to be out of town for more than a few days, it’s a good idea to invest in a self-watering planter, like this one from Vego Gardens on Amazon that comes with a trellis and is available in three colors.

2. Harvest Before You Go

If your plant is fruiting, now is the ideal time to harvest your tomatoes. You can even take the ones that are orange and put them on a windowsill where they can finish ripening. Leave ripe fruits on the counter for a few days, or if you are going to be gone longer, place them in the vegetable crisper to keep them fresh until you return.

If you leave ripe fruits on the plant, they will spoil. But also the plant will direct its resources to those tomatoes rather than spend energy on making new flowers and fruits to keep the harvest going after you come home.

3. Prevent Pests & Diseases

Prior to leaving on holiday, take a really good look at your plant. Vet it for any common tomato diseases or pests so you can nip those in the bud before you leave.

Remove any leaves that have become discolored or have been eaten by pests. Check under the leaves for insects and apply a spray listed for use on tomatoes. Tomato hornworms are one of the bigger pests and you can search and destroy these in the evening with a flashlight.

Consider using a long action spray for pests before you go such as a product with spinosad or an insecticidal soap spray. Or make your own with a bit of dish soap and water. Neem oil, like this organic spray from Amazon, and garlic water are also effective pest deterrents.

4. Prune & Train Your Plants

If the plant is still young and in training, remove tomato suckers at the leaf nodes. If your plant is fairly mature, prune out some of the densest foliage to increase air movement and prevent disease.

Remove any stems that have not set fruit or flowered as these are likely non-fruiting and can be cut away. This allows the plant to use all its energy only on producing stems. If it is growing too much foliage in the center, pinch out some of this greenery to increase airflow and allow sunlight to penetrate.

Tie indeterminate tomato varieties to support structures and consider adding some extra stakes in strategic spots to help hold new growth while you are away. Even determinate tomato varieties, with their heavy loads of fruit, will benefit from a tomato cage or similar structure to hold the stems up out of the soil.

With just a few simple steps, you can help ensure your plant survives and thrives while you are off enjoying a well-deserved vacation.

Tomatoes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, but even these common garden veggies can take a turn for the worse due to some common tomato pruning mistakes. There are a lot of things that can go wrong in the garden. Knowing what some of those problems are before they become an issue is what separates the amateur gardeners from the pros.

Avoiding errors when pruning tomatoes can help plants grow better and produce more fruit. Proper pruning can also encourage air flow and limit disease such as fungal pathogens.

A perfectly pruned tomato plant is easy to achieve, but some basic knowledge about what and what not to do will help ensure success. Let’s take a look at some of the worst mistakes gardeners make when pruning their tomato plants and how to avoid them for bigger, better harvest.

Worst Tomato Pruning Mistakes to Avoid

Here are the most common pruning mistakes you might make when growing tomatoes in the garden and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Not Pruning at Planting

You may be wondering, “Do I even need to prune my tomatoes?” The answer is yes, and the first time you should give them a clip is at planting. Remove the lowest leaves that might come into contact with soil before planting tomatoes in pots or in the garden.

Pinch off the leaves to help prevent pathogens in the soil from getting onto your plants. As your tomato grows, remove any stems that brush against the soil to avoid the same issue.

Mistake #2: Letting Suckers Grow

Every variety of tomato benefits from sucker pruning. Tomato suckers are the shoots that arise where the stem and the branch meet. Allowing these to grow takes energy away from the main part of the plant and reduces yields. Pinch off young, tender growth or use sharp, clean scissors or pruners to make clean cuts.

Working up from the soil, remove shoots up to the first cluster of flowers. Prune off suckers when they are 3 inches (8 cm) or less to avoid large wounds on your plants.

Mistake #3: Pruning When Plants Are Wet

Always prune tomatoes when it is dry. Pruning tomatoes when they’re wet can foster and spread common tomato diseases. Don’t prune after a rain or immediately after watering. It’s also best to wait until after the morning dew has dried on your plants before making any cuts.

Mistake #4: Not Cleaning Up Properly

Spray pruners between cuts with an alcohol or bleach solution to sterilize pruning tools and prevent spreading disease amongst plants. An easy way to keep pruners clean is to use disinfecting wipes, like these ones from Amazon. They’re easy to stash in a pocket as you prune your way through the garden.

Pick up trimmings and take them away from the site. Leaving these on the ground can spread disease in this year’s crop and can allow diseases to overwinter in the soil and impact next year’s garden as well.

Diseased tomato foliage is one item that should never go in your compost. Put your pruned tomato pieces in the trash to avoid contaminating your compost pile and spreading diseases to the other plants in your garden.

Tomatoes are some of the most popular crops for the home garden, yet also some of the most challenging. Today’s hybrids make growing your own a little easier, but even so, bringing a healthy crop to fruition requires some babying. One of the more surprising issues when growing tomatoes is their reaction to overly hot temperatures.

So do tomatoes need protection from excessive heat? It sounds odd, because this fruit requires full sun and warm temperatures – but a heatwave and tomato plants do not mix well. As with most things, timing is everything. High temperatures during pollination can bring tomato production to a screeching halt. Tomatoes react to overly high temperatures by refusing to pollinate. Extreme heat can also cause plants to wilt at critical moments of fruit development.

To protect your precious tomato plants in heat, it’s important to maintain good growing temperatures – and intervene quickly if you think a heatwave or drought is going to be a problem. If you suspect your tomatoes will need protection from excessive heat, read on for the key ways to keep plants safe, healthy, and fruitful!

When and How to Protect Tomatoes From Heat

Tomatoes thrive in temperatures up to 75-80°F (24-27°C) – and even 90 F (32°C) for a short duration. However, if temperatures reach 90-95°F (32-35°C) for a sustained period, especially if it's also really humid, then the plants won’t pollinate.

Overly long periods of high heat can also cause even the most laid-back and easiest tomatoes to stress and if fruit is present, scald. As far as pollination goes, high temperatures affect the structure of tomato blooms which, in turn, prevents pollen from successfully pollinating the stigma. The flowers also tend to abort or drop prematurely when temperatures are high, before pollination can even occur.

Maintaining healthy plant practices will help get many tomato varieties through a brief heat wave, but what else can you do, especially if there’s no end to the unrelenting temperatures? There are a few insider secrets to growing tomatoes in very hot spells. Here are a few key steps you can take if you want to know how to protect tomatoes from heat waves.

1. Choose Heat Tolerant Varieties

In a heatwave tomato plants that have high high tolerance have a natural advantage. Heat tolerant types of tomatoes will often be determinate varieties that pollinate and ripen earlier in the season, thus missing the heat extremes of mid to late summer.

Good heat tolerant varieties to try include ‘Heatmaster’, ‘Dixie Red’, ‘Phoenix’, tasty purple ‘Black Cherry’ and ‘Big Beef’ tomatoes. One of the most heat-tolerant is ‘Early Girl’, available on Amazon,, which is also resistant to diseases like fusarium wilt and matures two months after transplant. Alternatively, try ‘Arkansas Traveler’ from Burpee, a heirloom variety which is also disease resistant.

Select an area of the garden that gets morning sun with filtered light in the afternoon. Remember, however, that your tomatoes still need 6-8 hours of full sun each day.

2. Cover Your Tomatoes

If you lack a site that provides partial shade in the afternoon, think about covering the plants during the heat of the day. You can use almost anything to create shade. Shade cloths are great, of course, and there are some great shade cloth options for tomatoes at Walmart and also greenhouse shade cloth options at Wayfair.

That said, I’ve used old sheets and even a shower curtain in a pinch. Be sure to tent the cover to allow for air flow using stakes or by draping the cover over a line. Only cover the plants as the sun approaches its zenith. Remove the cover when temperatures drop down below 90°F (32°C).

3. Water Early and Deeply

Along the same lines if you want to know how to keep tomatoes cool, the right hydration is critical. Water ground-based tomatoes early in the morning to prevent evaporation. Water tomatoes deeply at the plant base. Give the plant at least an inch (2.5cm) of water daily, but during a heatwave, water the plants 2-3 times per day.

To check and see if the plants need water, stick your finger into the soil 2-3 inches (5-8cm) down. If the soil is dry, water the plants. Don’t panic if the plants wilt. This is a survival mechanism. Once temperatures cool, the plant will perk right back up.

4. Harvest Early

If all else fails, try to harvest tomatoes early. If a heatwave is imminent and the plant is actively growing fruit, you can certainly increase your chances of better tomato yields by harvesting early. A Hori Hori Knife from Amazon is great for making neat cuts to stalks to release your juicy fruits.

Remember, the tomato fruits don't have to ripen on the plant. As long as they've reached the mature green stage, you can harvest tomatoes and then ripen them inside your home, perhaps on the kitchen counter or in a paper bag or cardboard box, stored in a cool dry area.

Help Tomato Plants Recover After a Heatwave

As well as caring for plants during a heat wave, there is something else to bear in mind. If you’ve already experience a bout of hot weather and you’re afraid your toms have suffered on the back of a heatwave, there are still a few things you can try to mitigate the damage, help plants recover, and salvage your crops:

• Keep watering deeply in the morning. Avoid watering during the day. You should still avoid fertilizing tomato plants for a while until they have rebounded. Otherwise, you risk stressing them further.
• Even if the heatwave has broken, the plant has been through stress, and it’s likely that it’s still pretty hot outside. So you may want to continue to provide shade for the plants during the midday heat.
• Remove any yellow leaves or dead foliage, which can open the stressed tomato up to disease and can weaken them overall, resulting in other issues such as pests.
• If you didn’t already do so, consider harvesting early. Especially if the plants don’t seem to be bouncing back from the hot temperatures. Ripen the fruit inside in a bag or box in a cool, dark area.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you're growing your own tomatoes this season, it's time to get creative with some smart tomato trellis ideas. While tomato cages are a familiar choice, there's a whole range of alternative structures – many of which you can build yourself – that offer effective, attractive ways to keep your plants supported and productive.

Your checklist for how to grow tomatoes should go beyond just sun, soil, and watering routines. Support systems are essential – not just for keeping limbs from breaking under the weight of the fruit – but also to improve airflow, reduce the risk of common tomato diseases, and make harvesting a breeze. If you fail to provide support, the fruits are more likely to rot on the ground, and yields can be significantly lower.

While a basic tomato cage is a good start to support tomato stems, there are plenty of clever options to consider. A single stake can help train stems and encourage stronger, healthier growth. For something more structured, try a basket weave system using spaced stakes connected with twine – it's simple, affordable, and surprisingly sturdy. If your garden is bordered with a wire fence, then you already have a built-in framework: the grid can double as a ready-made trellis. A true trellis uses vertical and horizontal supports – wood, wire, or even twine – to guide plant growth.

Here, we'll break down some of the most effective and easy-to-implement trellis designs to ensure a bumper tomato crop.

Why Supporting Tomatoes is Essential

There are many types of tomatoes, but almost all are classed as either determinate or indeterminate, which dictates their growth habit. Indeterminate tomatoes are vigorous and vine-like; they continually produce fruit throughout the growing season until the weather gets too cold. Their stems can grow very tall so need to be trained to a support structure to help increase air and sunlight penetration and prevent the fruit from lying in the soil. Determinate tomatoes have a bushy growth habit and produce their fruit in one glut. However, they can still benefit from trellises or cages that keep the fruit up in the air and out of the dirt.

Tomato Trellis Ideas

Using some form of tomato trellis provides a strong and versatile support for plants and their fruit. It gives access to all parts of the plant for inspection and pruning away tomato suckers, enhances air flow and sunlight penetration, and makes harvesting easier. Many other types of vining crops can also benefit from a trellis system, such as cucumbers and smaller squash.

Any support method can be used to help tomato plants achieve high yields and optimum health, but the trellis is one of the more effective systems. A DIY tomato trellis is affordable, breaks down easily at the end of the season, and stores in a small amount of space. Read on for a range of solutions to support your tomatoes:

1. Tomato Stakes in Rows

Staking tomatoes is about as easy as it gets – and when planted in rows, the canes can form a trellis structure by tying string horizontally. Because tomato plants will grow quite heavy once they produce, it is essential to pound the stakes deeply into the ground. A single stake should be at least 8 feet (3m) tall – such as these options from Amazon. This will enable them to be driven deep enough into the ground and still leave room for the long stems. You will need to tie in the tomatoes regularly as they grow – this soft tie reel from Amazon is perfect for the task.

2. Tomato Teepee

A tomato teepee is a conical construction made from slender wood or bamboo. You can turn one into a trellis by wrapping string around the perimeter. Teepees are quite lightweight and will require additional stakes to hold the form in place in case of a strong wind, but they allow you to tie long stems upward as the plant grows. You can easily make your own teepee with bamboo stakes of the same length. Gather them together at one end and secure all the stakes with stout wire. You'll need to use canes at least 6 feet (180cm) tall – ideally 8 feet (245cm).

3. Bespoke Cane Support with Netting

This system is very customizable and may be used for one or many tomato plants. It involves spaced canes driven into the ground with netting stapled to the canes. At the end of the season, the canes may be pulled up and the netting rolled up with them for storage. Bird netting is too light to support the stems, so choose something heavier and yet slightly malleable – this heavy-duty garden trellis netting from Walmart will do the job.

4. Tomato Cage

Tomato cages are lightweight and not as sturdy as some other methods, but widely available and affordable. They may be conical or square, with the square types tending to be more sturdy. They can be used in the ground or for growing tomatoes in containers. You simply insert the spikes at the bottom into the soil and train the tomatoes upward. Try to find a powder-coated or aluminum product that won’t rust outdoors, such as this set of three tomato cages from Amazon.

5. String Trellis

A string trellis is a clever method to create a hanging support for tomatoes and other vining plants that any gardener can achieve with some basic DIY skills. You will need to create a simple wooden structure with legs and horizontal supports across the top and bottom. Tie lengths of string in about 1-foot (30cm) intervals that stretch from the top to the bottom of the structure – each string will support one plant. Jute twine is fine, or you could try these roller hooks with string, from Amazon, which allow you to adjust the tension of the string as the plants grow.

6. The Florida Weave

The Florida weave has become a favorite trellis method among indeterminate tomato growers. It's a horizontal string method whereby plants are woven in between rows as they grow. It is very useful when growing several tomato plants and is believed to increase yields. As with the other methods, you insert stout stakes deeply into the soil at intervals. Then, using twine, tie one end to the first stake and run it to the next. Here, loop the twine around the stake. Then continue in the same fashion along all the stakes. At the end, reverse direction and go back to the first stake. Continue this every 12 inches (30cm).

7. Arched Trellis

You may opt to purchase or make your own arched trellis. These are visually appealing, reusable, and allow for very easy harvesting. It is just what it sounds like, an arched arbor that has a pass through. It requires very sturdy materials and something that is bendable but sturdy such as young bamboo to form the arch. Wicker or willow are other options for the top. This Outsunny cucumber trellis from Wayfair is ideal for tomatoes.

8. Planter with Trellis

Determinate tomato varieties and smaller types like many grape or cherry tomatoes often do well in containers, but even these need a bit of support. Wicker, bamboo, metal, or even rebar can be tied, screwed, nailed, or stapled together to make a smaller trellis for a container. Alternatively, invest in the Vego self-watering tomato planter with trellis, available on Amazon. It's fitted with wheels, so you can move it around easily between indoors and out, or to follow the sun throughout the day.

9. Cattle Panels

A cattle panel trellis is a fantastic DIY solution for tomatoes and other vining vegetables. Cattle panels are medium-gauge wire square mesh; they are bendable to a degree and, when topping four very deeply installed stakes, they make an arched planting option. Tomatoes can be planted at each stake and trained vertically to eventually reach the cattle panel. Panels are fairly inexpensive and found at rural supply outlets. Alternatively, this one from Amazon will make several trellises.

10. Fence or Chicken Wire

Most of us are familiar with the versatile garden product. To make a trellis for tomatoes, roll out some chicken or fencing wire – this chicken wire from Lowe's should do the trick – and insert sticks vertically into the mesh at several intervals. Then make a circular form and stab the stakes into the ground. You can train stems through the mesh or the wire. The only drawback is that the plant is securely inside the chicken wire cage, making it difficult for pinching suckers and other routine maintenance.

You love your tomatoes, but it appears someone else has a taste for them too. Lo and behold, upon closer inspection you see the culprit: a bright green caterpillar with a vicious looking horn-like appendage poking out of its back end. As if this isn’t alarming enough, you note damage to the plant’s foliage and even nibbles in the fruit. It seems you are now on familiar terms with the tomato hornworm, one of the top tomato pests.

Equal to the worm's fierce appearance, the tomato hornworm can cause major damage to any member of the Nightshade family with a particular affinity towards tomato plants. Equal parts disgusted and unnerved, you wonder how to get rid of tomato hornworms. After learning how to grow tomatoes, proper care and vigilance are the first lines of defense, but what else can you do to repel these nasty tomato plant pests?

What Are Tomato Hornworms?

Tomato hornworms are large caterpillars that measure about 3-5 inches (8-13 cm) in length. They grow in the five-spotted hawk moth which has an impressive 4-5 inch (10-13 cm) wingspan and can be found by the light of the moon as it flits from bloom to bloom sipping nectar.

These moths lay small green eggs on the foliage of vegetables in the Nightshade family each spring. When the eggs hatch, the young tomato hornworms gnaw on plants for up to 4 weeks and can irrevocably damage your plants.

The tomato hornworm may be confused for its cousin, the tobacco hornworm. While both have a fearsome horn and brilliant green color, the tobacco hornworm’s horn is reddish in color and its body is decorated with diagonal markings, as opposed to the V-shaped markings of the tomato hornworm.

Plants That Repel Tomato Hornworms

You’ve probably heard of companion planting, which is a method of growing different plants together for the benefit of one or both of the plants. They can benefit each other by providing weed suppression, pest control, soil improvement, shade for root systems, or to act as a growing support.

In the case of the tomato hornworm, tomato companion plants may be situated near your plants to either deter the caterpillar, act as a trap plant, or to attract predators that will eat the pest. Here are some of the best companion plants to repel tomato hornworms.

1. Basil

It is said that basil not only repels tomato hornworms, aphids, and thrips, but it can also improve the flavor and yield of the tomatoes when it’s grown near them.

Try a combination of basil varieties for a beautiful display and delicious additions to Italian-inspired meals. This mix of culinary basil seeds from Amazon is a great option for gardeners who want a mix of flavors and foliage colors.

2. Borage

Another herb that repels hornworms is borage. This cucumber-flavored herb has star-shaped blue blooms. It not only keeps tomato hornworms away, but it also attracts bees and predator wasps.

3. Dill

Dill is often used as a trap crop, luring the hornworms away from the tomatoes and onto the herb itself. Plant it around tomatoes to protect plants and as a delicious complement to garden veggies in a variety of dishes.

For a quick harvest that's ready in only 55 days, try growing 'Bouquet' dill seeds you can get on Amazon. The yellow blooms look beautiful and are edible, too!

4. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are also used as a trap crop, enticing the tomato hornworms away. The scent of nasturtiums is also said to repel the parent moths that lay the tomato hornworm eggs.

5. Marigolds

Marigolds are the quintessential companion plant, said to keep any number of pests at bay. Their strong aroma repels the five-spotted hawk moths that lay the tomato hornworm eggs.

For a lovely mix of blooms as well as protection against tomato hornworms, try this lovely mixed marigold seed pack from Amazon that comes in a fun combination of colors, ranging from bright yellow to deep red.

Plant Combos to Attract Tomato Hornworm Predators

Tomato hornworms have a number of natural predators including parasitic wasps, ladybugs, and green lacewings. Another way to manage or deter hornworms is to encourage the presence of these beneficial insects by including plants that are attractive to them. Here are some of the best plant combinations to include in your garden to defend against tomato hornworms.

Yarrow, Dill, Parsley, Cilantro

The perennial yarrow blooms in a variety of colors and looks as attractive to gardeners as it does to braconid wasps that lay their eggs on the hornworms. Braconid wasps also prey on tobacco hornworms, cabbage worms, and other pests. So they’re great to include in your garden for a variety of pest problems.

The erupting parasitic larvae of these predatory wasps then use the hornworm as a food source, resulting in something straight out of a horror movie. Other plants that offer food and habitat for this parasitic wasp include dill, parsley, and cilantro.

Sweet Alyssum, Chamomile, Catmint

There are several tomato flower companions that can help banish pests, but using a combination of blooms can boost the repelling effects as well as the beauty in your garden.

Sweet alyssum produces numerous small blooms that are rich in nectar. It and others such as chamomile, with its tiny daisy-like blooms, and purple-flowered catmint attract braconid wasps that lay their eggs on tomato hornworms, turning them into a smorgasbord for their young.

Queen Anne’s Lace & Fennel

Queen Anne’s lace and fennel herb also act as a food source for parasitic wasps as well as providing nectar for other beneficial insects. Fennel not only attracts parasitic wasps and other beneficial insects, but its strong scent repels the hawk moth before she can lay her eggs.

Companion Planting Tips

Companion planting is not based on any real scientific data, at least not yet. Most of the information on companion planting has been gleaned from farmer’s almanacs and gardening tales passed down for generations. This means that there are no hard and fast rules for companion planting, but as a longtime gardener, I do have some tips for you on how to rid your vegetable garden of pests naturally.

First of all, don't abandon crop rotation. Plant companion plants as close together as possible without crowding them. Always plant tall plants toward the back and shorter crops at the forefront.

Plant herbs. Most common garden herbs are known to repel pests with their aromatic aromas or attract beneficial pollinators with their nectar rich blooms. Stinky alliums and garlic deter not only some insect pests, but four-legged varieties like rabbits and deer as well.

Make sure that your companion plants have similar growing requirements. You can’t plant a shade lover with a sun worshipper or a plant that loves consistently moist soil with a drought-tolerant herb.

In the same vein, you don't want to plant two species that are heavy feeders, such as tomatoes and corn, together since they will try to outcompete each other for water and nutrients. Corn will also eventually shade out your tomatoes.

Avoid planting crops from the same family together. This is a bit like putting all your eggs in one basket. In other words, if one plant gets a disease, it is likely the other related plants are susceptible as well and will catch it. Then you have two dead plants. The same goes with plants plagued by the same pests.

Finally, keep a garden diary of your plant combinations. After a couple of years, you will have a good idea about which plants work best when grown together in your garden.

Aphids on tomato plants are the bane of many a gardener’s existence. While these tiny bugs may look fairly innocuous, tomato aphid damage can weaken the plant, open it up to disease, or even kill it if the infestation is severe.

Tomatoes aren't just delicious to us – they are tasty to many garden visitors too. Aphids are just one of many potential tomato plant pests, and while usually not the most destructive, they are nonetheless cursed by tomato growers far and wide. Unfortunately, getting rid of aphids is an inevitable part of gardening, and it's best to monitor plants and act fast as soon as they appear to minimize damage.

Of course, learning how to grow tomatoes properly goes a long way to improving a plant's odds against an onslaught of aphids. The right care will ensure your plants are as resilient to tomato problems as possible, so you don't have to let a few pesky bugs ruin your harvest.

How to Identify Aphids on Tomato Plants

Aphids come in many colors. I’ve personally seen green, pink, black, blue (yes, blue), and white aphids. They all have one thing in common: they’re sap suckers that drain the life blood (sap) from a plant.

You might see black aphids or white aphids on tomato plants, or more commonly, the potato aphid, a pear-shaped dazzler that may be light pink, green and pink, or even light green with a dark stripe. These tiny sap suckers – under ¼ inch in length (6mm) – may be winged or wingless with long legs and antennae and two cornicles (tubes) jutting from their abdomen.

Not only do aphids weaken plants during feeding, but they also excrete a sugary waste called honeydew, which then becomes a host for sooty mold fungi. While sooty mold isn’t a direct threat to your tomatoes, it interferes with plant respiration and photosynthesis. It also invites other pests and fungi to take up residence. Ants are particularly attracted to the honeydew. They eat the honeydew provided by the aphids and, in return, protect the aphids from natural enemies.

How to Get Rid of Aphids on Tomato Plants Naturally

Before resorting to chemical controls to rid your tomatoes of aphids, it is always best to try natural methods first:

• Use Natural Treatments – Insecticidal soap, neem oil applications, and diatomaceous earth are natural ways to rid the crop of these pests. Horticultural oil can also be applied to the insects to suffocate them.
• Wash Them Off – The cheapest and simplest way to get rid of aphids on tomato plants naturally is with a good blast of water from a hose. Use enough pressure to dislodge the little insects from their perches, but not enough to break branches of the tomato plant.
• Attract Beneficial Insects – If none of the above have succeeded in eradicating the aphid pests, try introducing beneficial insects that are natural predators. These include green lacewings, syrphid fly larvae, parasitic wasps, and ladybugs, all of which prey on aphids. However, it's not enough to just introduce these predators – you need to ensure you have enough of their favorite plants for them to want to stay, or they'll simply move on. You also need to take steps to control ants, which protect aphids from natural predators.
• Use Companion Plants – Tomato companion plants can help to attract beneficial insects and deter aphids at the same time. There are several great herbs to plant with tomatoes, as well as perfect companion flowers. For example, parsley attracts hoverflies, which feed on aphids, while thyme deters aphids and attracts parasitic wasps. Trap crops like nasturtiums or mustard can lure the aphids away from your beloved tomato plants.
• Sticky Traps – While sticky traps can be used to capture aphids, bear in mind that they may also capture beneficial insects.

When to Consider Chemical Solutions

When all else fails, you might need to use chemical control. However, insecticides should only be used if the infestation is severe and all other natural controls have failed to eradicate the aphids.

• Commercial solutions of insecticidal soap are available to kill aphids. These are stronger formulations that require direct contact to kill.
• Permethrin is a natural chemical repellent that is also sprayed directly onto the insects to kill them.
• Malathion is an organophosphate insecticide that is considered to be fairly low in toxicity in comparison to others of its kind. However, it can still have detrimental effects if used without taking precautions. Use only as directed by the manufacturer

Cover both sides of the foliage and the stems, and only apply in the morning or evening when bee populations aren’t as prevalent.

Preventing Future Infestations

• To avoid aphid infestation, focus on growing healthy tomatoes, as the insects are more attracted to weak, stressed plants.
• When planting tomatoes, surround them with a variety of companion herbs and flowers to encourage beneficial insects.
• If you introduce natural predators, do so early in the season before aphid populations explode.
• Cover plants with floating row covers, available from Amazon, to protect plants from not only aphids but also other pests.
• Keep the area around the plants free from debris or weeds where aphids and other pests hide.
• Inspect your plants every couple of days to catch any infestation early when they are easier to deal with.
• Avoid over-fertilizing, which increases plant growth as well as the nutrients in the plant's sap. This makes the sap even more attractive to sap suckers like aphids and others. Instead, use smaller amounts of feed when fertilizing tomatoes during the early growing season to encourage plant growth but not aphid populations.

Tomatoes are a late summer staple in many gardens, but what if you waited too long to plant them and it’s already June? Many gardeners ask, is June too late to plant tomatoes? The short answer is: it depends. Timing matters, but by following a few simple tips, you can still plant tomatoes now and enjoy that late summer or early fall harvest.

Your location, climate, and tomato variety all play a role in how late you can plant. While gardeners in colder regions may be pushing the limits by June, those in warmer zones often have more flexibility. Thankfully, even if you're late to the game, you still have options for growing a successful crop.

Getting a late start just means you need to be more thoughtful about how you plant, adjusting your growing method, and giving plants the best possible care. If you're new to the process, now's a good time to brush up on the essentials of how to grow tomatoes, especially when working with a shorter timeline. Understanding what tomatoes need from the start will give your late planting the best possible chance.

If you're ready to squeeze in a last-minute crop, here's what you need to know to ensure your June-planted tomatoes thrive.

1. Check Your Frost Dates

Tomatoes are warm-weather veggies that won't tolerate a frost. So, the colder your growing zone, the shorter your growing season.

Frost dates are particularly important for determining the timespan for growing tomatoes. These include the average last frost date in spring and the first frost in fall. You want to grow tomatoes outside between those two dates.

When planting June tomatoes, you will likely have passed the last frost date, but you will need to check your region's average first frost date in autumn. Gardener's Almanac offers a zip and postal code checker for gardeners in the US and Canada, while those in the UK can check PlantMaps.

Count backwards from this date to see how much growing time you have left. The number of days is crucial in choosing which variety to grow.

If you live in a cold zone and can't make the timings work, then all is not lost. Try growing tomatoes indoors using a hydroponics system, like this one from Amazon.

2. Choose Transplants Instead of Seeds

The best way to speed up the maturity of your tomatoes planted in June is to start with transplants. Unless you're in a warm climate, it will likely be too late in the season for starting tomato seeds. Look for transplants at local garden centers. Many will still have some at this time of year, and they might even be discounted.

If you still have time to start seeds, then planting them indoors will offer the tender seedlings better protection from pests and inclement weather. Using seed trays with humidity domes, such as the seedling kits available on Amazon, will speed up germination.

It takes six to eight weeks before tomato plants grow big enough to be transplanted into their final positions. Nighttime temperatures should be consistently 50°F (10°C) or warmer.

3. Choose Early Varieties

Variety is another important consideration because different types of tomatoes have different maturity times. This is the time it takes from planting a seed to when the tomatoes are ripe and ready for harvesting. Maturity times for tomatoes generally range from 60 to 100 days.

If you want to start tomatoes from seed, look up the maturity time for your variety and ensure there is enough time between frost dates. Starting from transplants gives you a jump on maturity time, so you can start them later in the season than seeds.

Varieties with shorter maturity times are often referred to as early tomatoes because they provide an earlier harvest if started at the right time in spring. You can also use these varieties to get a later harvest if you’re starting plants in June. Good choices include:

• Cherry tomatoes – Any variety of cherry tomato will mature faster than most other types, thanks to their small size. Try ‘Supersweet 100’, on Amazon, or ‘Sungold’ for tasty cherry tomatoes that mature in 55 to 65 days.
• ‘Early Girl’ – You can also find some larger tomatoes with shorter than average maturity dates, including Early Girl, available on Amazon. These four- to six-ounce tomatoes mature in just 50 to 60 days.
• ‘Juliet’ – With its oblong shape, ‘Juliet’ can be considered a small 'Roma' or a large grape tomato. It has a great flavor and a maturity time of about 60 days.
• ‘Northern Lights’ – This is a good option for a larger, beefsteak-type tomato with a shorter maturity time of just 55 to 60 days. It is yellow-orange in color and has an intense flavor.
• ‘Siletz’ – Choose this variety for a good slicer with a full, balanced, and slightly tangy flavor that matures in 70 to 75 days.

4. Optimize Growing Conditions

Once you get them in the ground, giving tomato plants the best possible care will help them develop mature, healthy fruits sooner. Start with sunlight and warmth. Tomatoes thrive in full sun and warm temperatures, so plant them in a full-sun location where they'll get at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day.

Fertilize tomatoes at the time of planting and again periodically as the plants grow. Use a balanced product or a fertilizer designed specifically for tomatoes.

Pruning tomato plants will allow them to put more energy into developing ripe fruit. Focus on removing the suckers and leaves close to the ground. This will also improve airflow to prevent disease. Tomato suckers are the side shoots growing below the stems with flowers and fruits. Only keep one sucker just below the flowering stem. Remove all the lower ones.

Finally, make sure your tomato plants are supported. Use tomato cages or stakes to keep stems upright and prevent breakage or tomatoes from growing on the ground.

5. Protect Plants as Temperatures Drop

Tomatoes do not tolerate cold. If you have green tomatoes as the weather turns, they won’t ripen unless you intervene. You can extend your growing season into the fall by protecting tomatoes from frost.

Cover tomato plants overnight as temperatures drop. You can buy row covers from Amazon or even use old sheets and blankets. You can also use plastic plant covers or buckets to cover individual plants if the forecast calls for a cold night. Another option is to grow tomatoes in cold frames or a greenhouse.

If you're growing tomatoes in containers, then get the best of both worlds with a rolling planter that can be moved indoors when the weather turns. Vego Garden's EZ Self-Watering Tomato Planter on Amazon has a water capacity of 2.4 gallons and a built-in trellis for support, making it perfect for extending the growing season.

It may be June already, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy tomatoes this year. Get started now with transplants, early varieties, and excellent tomato care for a late summer or fall harvest.

Want to know more about growing your own tomatoes? Sign up for the Gardening Know How Newsletter and receive a free copy of our e-book How to Grow Delicious Tomatoes.

If you’ve been growing tomatoes for a while, you’ve likely seen a variety of deformities occur on your plants. But have you ever seen a tomato megabloom? Sometimes deformities are due to stress, sometimes they’re caused by environmental conditions, and sometimes disease is the root of the problem.

Tomato megablooms are fasciated or fused tomato blossoms and there are several reasons why this odd-looking growth happens. Keep reading to learn more about what a tomato megabloom is and what this common tomato problem means for your plants.

What Is a Tomato Megabloom?

A tomato megabloom occurs when one tomato flower fuses to another at the ovary. More often than not this involves two ovaries, but tomato megablooms can be made of up to six flowers fused together.

You can usually spot a tomato megabloom well before the bloom becomes a fruit. To identify one, look for a flower that has extra petals and looks somewhat like a dandelion. Normally when growing tomatoes, flowers have five to seven petals and one pistil. Tomato megablooms can have one or more pistils.

Flower fasciation occurs in over 100 different plant species. This random mutation is not generally harmful although it can affect stems, roots, fruit, and blooms.

What Causes Tomato Megablooms?

A tomato megabloom may occur for a number of reasons. Bacteria, environmental stress, fungal disease, herbicide damage, genetics, or viral disease can all cause fasciated tomato blossoms. Though some common tomato diseases can cause megablooms, there are less problematic reasons why it occurs as well.

One 1998 study showed that tomatoes grown in low temperatures are more susceptible to genetic malformations in the flowers. That’s why the first fruits of the tomato plant often experience this abnormality. As the weather warms, future blooms typically develop normally.

What To Do About Tomato Megablooms

If you find one of these weird-looking tomato flowers in your garden, don’t worry! Megablooms are not harmful and the fruit produced by them is safe to eat.

The only real issue is that these mammoth fruits require extensive energy to come to fruition—much like how a mother of triplets needs additional energy to nourish multiple babies.

There are some ways to prevent fused tomato blossoms, however. Since cool temperatures foster this condition, take care to grow tomatoes only when all danger of frost has passed. The best temperatures for growing tomatoes are between 65 to 70 F (18 to 21 C) during the day and 55 F (13 C) or above at night.

Some experts suggest heirloom tomatoes and smaller tomato varieties are less likely to show this trait. So if you’re worried about fused tomato blossoms, forego the large hybrids and grow cherry tomatoes instead.

Also, keep your tomato plants adequately watered, fertilized, staked, spaced, and free from pests, diseases, and weeds. Healthy stress-free plants are less likely to foster this genetic malformation.

Lastly, if you find a double, triple, or even bigger tomato megabloom on your tomato plant, you can always pinch it off to stop it from producing a massive or malformed fruit. This will increase your tomato yields by diverting energy away from forming one giant tomato and instead towards forming multiple regular-shaped fruits instead.

Ultimately though, tomato megablooms are a fun little mishap of nature. If you find some forming on your tomato plants, leave one or two and see what happens. They often turn into weird-looking tomatoes that are silly shapes or that are immensely large. Have some fun in your garden and let those megablooms grow!

There is some discrepancy as to the usefulness of Epsom salt for tomatoes. Many gardeners swear by the use of the product in many areas of the garden. However, the high levels of magnesium in Epsom salts could potentially harm the soil if applied too liberally. Where there is not a strong concentration of magnesium in the soil, then using Epsom salt won't do any harm. But is it actually good for tomato plants?

Gardeners are a superstitious lot and take stock in lore and word-of-mouth remedies. Many of our ancestral garden tips are as true today as they were then. So if Grandma used Epsom salts around her tomato plants and always had the biggest yields and the best-tasting tomatoes, maybe there is something to the practice? Few claims about planting tomatoes with Epsom salt have been scientifically proven, but many gardeners believe it improves flowering and, therefore, fruit production.

Epsom salt is not the best fertilizer for tomatoes when used in isolation, but where there is a need for additional magnesium, it can supplement a commercial feed or homemade tomato fertilizer. If you want to learn how to grow tomatoes like a pro, then it pays to understand the various natural products that can give plants a boost.

What is Epsom Salt?

Epsom salt is named for where it originated in Epsom, England. It is sold as large, crystalized granules. The naturally occurring mineral salt is primarily composed of magnesium sulfate, but also contains water molecules.

In the home, Epsom salt is used in baths and soaks to relieve pain. It was once commonly used as a laxative, although we have many more effective remedies today! There are also other health claims, such as reducing the risk of heart disease, though there is limited evidence.

Epsom salt differs from table salt by composition and taste. Table salt is composed of sodium and chlorine and tastes salty, while Epsom salt tastes bitter and is not used in cooking. Epsom salt comes from the mineral epsomite, while table salt is derived from seawater. Both dissolve in water.

Is Epsom Salt Good for Tomato Plants?

Interest in gardening naturally has skyrocketed in recent years. No longer will we spray chemicals willy-nilly around our plants and homes. Along with this is a surge in the popularity of using old-fashioned solutions such as Epsom salts.

So, what does Epsom salt do for tomato plants? There is anecdotal evidence that it enhances germination, strengthens roots, increases flowers and fruit, and even deters certain pests, but there is no scientific research to support these claims. However, what is certain is the salt’s effect in correcting magnesium deficiency in the soil.

Magnesium is essential in the formation of chlorophyll, which is necessary for photosynthesis. If a tomato plant is deficient in magnesium, it will develop chlorosis, characterized by yellow leaves with green mottling, which can lead to stunted growth and a reduction in fruit production. Epsom salts may be used to increase available magnesium to plant roots.

The Blossom End Rot Myth

Blossom end rot is a frequent complaint among tomato growers, resulting in dark, sunken spots on the blossom end of the fruit. It is caused by a lack of calcium reaching the fruits, often due to inconsistent watering. Calcium for tomato plants is critical, but Epsom salt contains no calcium and is therefore ineffective in preventing blossom end rot.

In fact, the addition of Epsom salt to soil with normal magnesium levels can compound the problem. This is because magnesium interferes with calcium uptake.

When to Use Epsom Salt for Tomatoes

In soils with too little magnesium, adding Epsom salts can help correct the issue. But you should perform a soil test to check magnesium levels before proceeding. Areas with gritty, sandy soil will have magnesium leached away faster than better soils and are most likely to be deficient. Also, keep an eye on plants for signs of chlorosis. The leaves will be pale yellow while the veins will be a light green.

How to Apply

If soil magnesium levels are low, you can add Epsom salt in three ways, aiming to use around one tablespoon depending on the delivery method:

1. Soil Amendment
   Prior to planting tomatoes, mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt in each planting hole. You should mix the salts well into the soil.
2. Foliar Spray
   Caution should be used when delivering Epsom salt as a foliar spray, as it may burn the leaves. Apply early in the morning or late afternoon. You will need just 1 tablespoon for every gallon of water (15ml to 4.5 litres). It can be used every two to four weeks throughout the growing season.
3. Soil Drench
   Mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt with 1 gallon of water (15ml to 4.5 litres) and apply using a watering can, like this 2 gallon watering can from Amazon. Apply every two to four weeks, but not at the same time as using a foliar spray.

When Not to Use Epsom Salt

If a soil test shows that magnesium levels are sufficient, then there is no need to apply Epsom salts. While adding a little won't cause any harm, too much magnesium can disrupt uptake in plants and create problems in overall soil health. It can also lead to contamination of groundwater. Always use a soil test before adding anything to the soil.

The next time you crack an egg in the kitchen, save the shell. Eggshells contain important nutrients that can enrich your compost pile or feed plants, including tomatoes. Using eggshells on tomatoes benefits plants in several ways, from improving overall health to repelling pests and preventing disease.

When choosing the best fertilizer for tomatoes, it's important to have all essential macro and micronutrients covered, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (known as NPK), as well as calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfur, and other trace elements. Eggshells mainly contain calcium, which is essential in the fight to prevent blossom end rot. They are a key ingredient in many homemade tomato fertilizer recipes, but can also be used to supplement commercial feeds.

If you want to learn how to grow tomatoes like a pro, then fertilizing is a great place to start, as getting the right balance of nutrients is crucial to producing healthy, disease-resistant plants with abundant fruit.

How Can Eggshells Benefit Your Tomato Plants?

The primary purpose of saving eggshells for your tomato plants is to use them as a type of natural fertilizer, but there are other advantages. Here are a few of the benefits you can get from eggshells, depending on how you use them for your tomato plants:

• Eggshells add calcium and other nutrients, naturally, to the soil. Eggshells are made from a natural, organic material that is particularly rich in calcium. When ground down and added to the soil, eggshells add these nutrients that your tomato plants take up through their roots.
• Increasing calcium for tomato plants will help prevent blossom end rot. This destructive disease causes the fruits to rot from the blossom end (the opposite end from the stem). It is caused by calcium deficiency.
• Adding broken eggshells to the soil improves its structure by loosening it naturally. This allows more oxygen and water to flow through, helping to create the best soil for tomatoes.
• If your soil is acidic, the alkalinity of eggshells can reduce the soil pH to some extent. You can check the pH of your soil with this Rapidtest Soil Test Kit from Amazon.
• Broken eggshells in the soil can also deter slugs. The sharp edges and drying effects of the shells keep them out of the soil around tomato plants.

Are Eggshells Enough to Feed Tomatoes?

While eggshells can be a useful natural fertilizer and preventative measure against blossom end rot, they don’t provide enough nutrients to be your only fertilizer. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and need a lot of nutrients throughout the growing season. Use eggshells as a supplement to compost or an appropriate store-bought fertilizer.

How to Prepare Eggshells for Tomato Plants

The first step in using eggshells to feed plants is to wash and dry them. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it will make your job of creating eggshell fertilizer easier and cleaner. You’ll probably want to save up your eggshells as you use them. If you don’t wash them, the egg residue can rot and get stinky.

Clean, dry eggshells are also easier to pulverize, which is the next step. You want to crush or grind the shells into the smallest pieces possible. Like compost, the shells need to be broken down pretty well to be incorporated into the soil and for the plant roots to take up nutrients from them.

For the best results, use a blender or food processor to pulverize the eggshells into a powder. Add this to the planting holes if you’re using transplants or mix some into the compost or fill-in soil. If your tomatoes are already in the ground, sprinkle eggshell powder on the soil at the base of the plants. Work it into the soil a little with a trowel or your hands and water thoroughly.

Avoid These Eggshell Fertilizer Mistakes

To be a useful fertilizer, the eggshells really need to be pulverized into a fine powder. It won’t hurt to add bigger pieces of shell to the soil, but this won’t add much usable calcium. On the other hand, working with eggshell powder can be tricky and potentially harmful. You want to avoid breathing in the dust and powder you’ve created.

When making powdered eggshell, don’t take the lid off the blender until the dust has settled. Take care when handling the powder you’ve created. Use it gently to avoid creating dust you might inhale.

How to Use Eggshells as a Soil Additive

You don’t need to turn the eggshells into a fine powder if you’re using them as a soil additive rather than a fertilizer. Wash and dry the shells and crush them into small pieces. Mix them into the soil or compost you’ll use when planting tomatoes.

If you want to use eggshells to deter slugs, mix them into the surface of the soil around the base of each tomato plant. You can also strategically place some bigger pieces of shell in the soil so that they get in the way of a slug on the move toward your tomato plant.

Bonus: Use Eggshells for Seed Starting

Here’s another fun way to use eggshells: use them as natural containers for starting tomato seeds indoors. The trick here is to open the egg in such a way that you can still use the shell. When using the eggs, cut the shell toward the skinnier end. This will leave you with a sizable cup. Once cleaned out, you can add a good potting mix and start your plants as you would with a seed tray: keep the soil moist and warm while the seeds germinate.

When it’s time to transplant, crush up the shell a little if the roots haven’t already broken through it. Add the entire shell to the planting hole outside. The shell will break up the soil and add some nutrients as it decomposes.

The most common tomatoes are the classic red varieties, but orange tomatoes add some fun to salads, sandwiches, and other meals. There are tomatoes in many shades like pink and purple, but the orange tomato varieties brighten any dish with their golden hues. Modern breeding has resulted in orange varieties of slicing, plum, and cherry tomatoes.

Orange tomatoes are caused by a mutation. This different colored tomato is the result of a recessive mutant allele dubbed “tangerine”. Tangerine plants are the first heirloom orange tomatoes discovered. Today we have dozens of orange fruits from which to choose.

Growing tomatoes is relatively easy and success can be had no matter the size of the garden. Bountiful harvests are possible with a container-grown plant on a balcony or patio.

Orange Cherry Tomatoes

Orange cherry tomatoes are sweeter, and juicier than their larger relatives. Small orange tomatoes like Indigo Kumquat or Golden Cherry have the same sweetness of red varieties. Crisp, juicy fruit that pops in the mouth, delivering flavor like a ray of sunshine. Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow, great for smaller spaces, and excellent in containers. They also mature much quicker than the larger varieties of tomato.

• Orange Paruche - deep orange fruit
• Sun Gold - Introduced in the 1990s, very popular
• Orange Hat - Dwarf tomato plant great for small spaces
• Dwarf Eagle Smiley - light orange large fruits
• Katinka Cherry - Indeterminate tomato with plentiful harvest
• Sun Sugar - Indeterminate and crack resistant
• Sweet Orange - Hybrid, reddish orange fruit
• Toronjina - small, sweet cherry, indeterminate
• Orange Sunshine - Hybrid cherry that is firm and sweet

Orange Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes are grown from seed saved for at least 50 years, and sometimes up to 100 years. They are primarily open pollinated by wind, insects, or other acts of nature. It was an heirloom named Tangerine that started the orange tomato craze, but several other varieties have also been grown.

• Amish Gold - Pear tomato with orange skin and flesh, considered rare
• Big Orange Stripe - Large slicing tomato
• Caro Rich - Heavy orange fruits
• Dad’s Sunset - Medium fruit with fruity flavor
• Djena Lee’s Golden Girl - Plum tomato, prize winner
• Dwarf Blazing Beauty - Medium fruit, prolific
• Elbe - Grows well in cooler climes
• Faribo Gold Heart - Medium slicing tomato, said to have a “nutty” flavor
• German Gold Strawberry - Heart shaped fruits
• Glory of Moldova - Bright orange tomatoes
• Kellogg’s Breakfast - Kellogg's Breakfast tomato is a huge, deeply orange fruit
• Moonglow - Indeterminate, round fruits
• Roughwood Golden Plum - Small, dense orange fruits
• Russian Persimmon - Flat globular fruits, deep orange flesh

Orange Hybrid Tomato Varieties

Plant breeders are forever harnessing interesting traits of one plant and crossing it with another. This results in hardier plants that are more pest and disease resistant, while having fruits of better flavor, longer storage life, and better transportability. It also results in a wild array of colors and forms. This is demonstrated beautifully in the tomato breeding world.

• Chef’s Choice - Medium sized slicing fruit, disease-resistant tomato and an award winner
• Sweet Tangerine - Determinate, slicing fruit
• BHN 871 - Disease resistant, round slicer
• Orange Banana - Indeterminate plum
• Orange Slice - Beefsteak tomato great for slicing
• Orange Minsk - Huge beefsteak, incredible color
• Peach Blow Sutton - Introduced over 100 years ago, medium slicing tomato
• Orange Fizz - Crack-resistant grape tomato
• Perfect Flame - Small fruits, dense flesh, sweet

Honorable Mention

'Orange Jazz' is an orange fruit with faintly lighter striping. The 'Orange Peach' garden peach tomato is perfectly round and has a peachy hue. 'Woodle Orange' produces picture perfect fruits in a tangerine hue. And last but not least, 'Orange Accordion'. The fruit is huge, ruffled, and packed with a fruity flavor. The lobed fruit has dense flesh and a sweet taste. Fruits can get up to 20 ounces (.57 kg) in weight.

Using calcium for tomato plants might be the best way to enjoy huge yields and sweet, juicy fruit. Calcium is often touted as a cure-all for blossom end rot, but it has a more significant role to play. It should be considered at both the planting stage and when fertilizing in order to achieve the perfect crop.

Calcium is an essential mineral that is needed by all plants in trace amounts. It is used by cells to maintain firmness by strengthening the walls and membranes. It also helps maintain the sodium balance and is part of the reaction necessary to open stomata during transpiration. This regulates the intake and outflow of moisture.

When choosing the best fertilizer for tomatoes, check that the formula includes calcium. However, you can easily make your own calcium-rich fertilizer for tomatoes to give them an extra boost.

Do Tomato Plants Need Additional Calcium?

If you're learning how to grow tomatoes, then one of the first lessons is that it all starts with good soil. The best soil for tomatoes is loamy, well-draining, and nutrient-rich. If the soil is poor or very dry, then tomato calcium deficiency is likely to occur. Calcium plays several roles in plant health:

• Regulates the transfer of nutrients
• Reinforces cell walls
• Balances the negative and positive ions
• Enhances pollen production
• Helps create a strong root system
• Ensures fruit development

Without adequate calcium uptake, tomato fruit will develop blossom end rot. However, it is also important during the plant’s development at various stages. Early in the seedling stage, the mineral encourages the growth of roots and new leaves. Later, calcium supports vegetative growth, and moisture and nutrient uptake. As the fruits begin to form, the calcium reinforces cell walls and helps the fruit maintain firmness. Without adequate calcium, the fruit’s cell walls are not stable and will collapse. This results in fruits with a black, mushy end.

Adding calcium to the soil is the best way to avoid blossom end rot, but when planting tomatoes, you also need to look at other ways to improve poor soil, such as adding organic matter and other amendments to enhance structure and boost nutrients.

Causes of Calcium Deficiency in Tomatoes

Affected tomatoes are often in poor soil where the roots of the plant have difficulty taking up enough moisture. Because that is the means for calcium to get into the plant, dry and poor soils are often the cause. However, there are other causes to look out for:

• Ammonium nitrogen fertilizers can inhibit the uptake of calcium, as can soil with heavy magnesium content.
• Letting the soil dry out completely will also affect the uptake of calcium.
• A soil pH below 5.5 will have lower calcium availability. At 7.8 and higher, there is plenty of available calcium. The ideal soil pH for growing tomatoes is between 6.0 and 6.8.
• Exposure to extreme heat or cold can also inhibit the uptake of calcium.
• Plants in containers often suffer from blossom end rot because the roots are confined and crowded, and often damaged.

How to Ensure Tomatoes Get Enough Calcium

So, how to add calcium to tomato plants for healthier growth and perfect fruit? Calcium nitrate is the recommended additive for gardeners trying to avoid blossom end rot, but there are other things you can do.

1. Soil Preparation & Amendments

The fastest way to determine if your tomato plant is going to have a problem is by performing a soil test. These are available at most nurseries or online.

Many gardeners use crushed eggshells in an attempt to introduce more calcium. But the eggshell takes too long to break down to be truly effective. If you wish to make homemade calcium for tomato plants, dry the shells and put them in a blender or food processor. This will make further calcium release in the soil easier.

Bone meal has 12 to 18% calcium and has been broken down and ground, making it easier for the plant to uptake.

2. Regular Watering

Spotty watering further complicates the plant’s ability to bring in calcium. Wet soils leech out the minerals while dry soils lack the moisture necessary for the plant to draw up the calcium. Even, regular watering is key, but how often to water tomatoes will vary depending on weather conditions and soil type.

It is helpful to mulch tomatoes with an organic product, which will conserve moisture and keep the soil from drying out.

3. Calcium Supplements

You can find liquid calcium for tomatoes. Most often marketed as a calcium spray for tomatoes, the product is sprayed on the leaves as a foliar spray. These calcium chloride sprays can damage the plant if applied in bright sun or extreme heat conditions.

4. Take Preventative Steps

Good cultural care can help prevent many common plant problems. A plant that is stressed, diseased, or plagued by pests cannot thrive when it is also in a nutrient or mineral-deficient site.

• The season before planting your garden, test the soil and add sulfur or lime as needed to adjust the pH to between 6.0-7.0.
• Reduce your use of high-nitrogen ammonium fertilizers, which prevent calcium from moving into plant roots.
• Amend the soil with compost and other nutrient-dense amendments that are organic and can help regulate soil temperatures and retain moisture.
• Use mulches where practical.
• Every year, practice crop rotation to prevent specific tomato diseases and pests and help the soil recover.
• Water tomatoes thoroughly 1 or 2 times per week to help promote deep roots

Homemade Calcium for Tomato Plants

Many items contain calcium, which can be used to give tomato plants a boost. Any of these can be worked into the top few inches (7 to 8cm) of soil:

• Lime
• Ground eggshell
• Ground oyster shell
• Hardwood ash
• Bone meal
• Gypsum
• Rock phosphate

You can also make a homemade foliar spray using ground eggshells:

1. Grind eggshells in a food processor.
2. Soak the dust in vinegar for several days – this will help release the calcium from the shells.
3. Strain the mixture and dilute it with water.
4. Spray the foliage of the tomato plant every week. Use the spray in the morning so the leaves have time to dry.

If you boil eggs and then save the water, this can also be used as a foliar spray every few days. However, this will not be as effective as the ground eggshell mixture.

Want to know more about growing your own tomatoes? Sign up for the Gardening Know How Newsletter and receive a free copy of our e-book How to Grow Delicious Tomatoes.

Few things are tastier than a fresh-grown tomato from your own backyard, but achieving the perfect crop takes a bit of know-how. You need to get the basics right, such as choosing the best varieties, planting them in good soil, and regular watering and fertilizing. But if you're doing everything right and still feeling underwhelmed by your harvest, then you might be making some common tomato companion planting mistakes.

While several plant pairings can benefit your tomatoes, some plants could harm them and should never be placed near tomatoes. Using good tomato companion plants is a great way to optimize their health and growth, but it can go wrong if you choose the wrong partners. Knowing what not to plant with tomatoes is even more important than knowing which plants are beneficial.

About Companion Planting

Companion planting is the practice of strategically placing specific plants near each other in the garden to benefit one or both. It is an age-old technique that has been used for millennia, but has become diminished in recent generations.

If you want to know how to grow tomatoes like a pro, then careful companion planting is essential and offers several benefits:

• Deterring or drawing away garden pests
• Attracting beneficial insects, like pollinators or pest-eating parasitic wasps
• Providing shade
• Supporting vining and climbing plants
• Improving soil health and fertility
• Suppressing weeds
• Using garden space more efficiently to grow more
• Improving flavor

Good Companion Plants for Tomatoes

Tomatoes have many beneficial companion plants, giving you a lot of options. Ideal herbs to plant with tomatoes include basil. It has a powerful aroma that keeps certain destructive pests away from tomato plants. These include aphids, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies. In addition, growing basil with tomatoes offers the perfect flavor pairing for countless dishes.

Try growing chives with your tomatoes, too. This tasty herb is a great addition to tomato dishes, but in the garden, it’s also useful in repelling aphids, spider mites, and nematodes. When they flower, your chives will attract a different set of insects beneficial to your tomatoes, including butterflies and bees.

Carrots are some of the best vegetable companions for tomatoes. Grow them between rows of tomatoes to break up and aerate the soil. This improves root health in the tomato plants and helps them grow stronger. By growing carrots in between tomatoes, you can also use space more efficiently and increase your veggie harvest.

Finally, there are some great flowers to plant with tomatoes. Try growing nasturtiums to act as a trap crop for pests such as cabbage moth caterpillars, whiteflies, and aphids, and to attract hoverflies, which feed on aphids. As vining plants, nasturtiums also provide a living groundcover to suppress weeds and retain moisture.

What Not to Plant with Tomatoes

While tomato plants benefit from many good companies, they also have bad companions. Avoid some common vegetable companion planting mistakes by never growing these plants next to your tomatoes.

1. Brassicas

Brassica vegetables make bad companions for tomatoes. These include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, and kohlrabi. Brassicas tend to outcompete tomatoes for nutrients in the soil. They are both heavy feeders, but when placed in competition, tomatoes usually lose. This can leave tomato plants stunted and weak, or they might not produce any buds or fruit.

2. Corn

Like brassicas and tomatoes, corn is a heavy feeder. It will compete with nearby tomatoes for nutrients in the soil. Furthermore, corn grows very tall and shades plants growing around it. Tomatoes grow best in full sun, so any shade from corn will be detrimental to their growth and fruit production.

As if these weren’t reasons enough, corn earworm is a pest that feeds on both tomato plants and corn. Growing these together can lead to a devastating infestation.

3. Fennel

This tasty vegetable and herb has been known to reduce the growth of tomato plants in its vicinity. Fennel has a similar effect on tomato plants as brassicas. In addition, plants can grow quite tall, shading out sun-loving tomatoes.

Tomatoes aren’t alone in being negatively affected by fennel. This plant has few friends on the vegetable plot, and it's best to grow it in its own patch or container, away from other veggies.

4. Eggplants

Tomatoes and eggplants are both nightshades, so they have similar growing requirements. But this doesn’t make them good companions. They share similar pests and disease vulnerabilities, meaning planting them together increases the risk that both will develop an issue like tomato blight. Additionally, tomatoes can be detrimental to eggplants as they grow taller and shade them out.

5. Potatoes

Potatoes are also nightshades, so there are similar issues planting them near tomatoes as there are with eggplants. Most importantly, potatoes and tomatoes share disease and pest risks. Planting them together makes both plants more vulnerable. Another issue is the fact that the act of digging up potatoes can potentially damage tomato plant roots.

6. Dill

Early in its growth, dill can benefit tomatoes by repelling aphids with its smell. Aphids are small, damaging pests that affect tomato plants. However, when dill grows larger and reaches maturity, it can actually stunt tomato plant growth by outcompeting it for nutrients. A mature dill plant may also damage the roots of tomato plants growing near it.

7. Rosemary

Many herbs are good companions for tomatoes, but rosemary is not one of them. It can outcompete tomatoes for nutrients in the soil. Rosemary also requires different growing conditions, which means one plant will suffer if growing in conditions more suitable to the other.

8. Walnuts

If you have a walnut tree in your yard, avoid planting tomatoes near it. Walnut trees, especially black walnuts, secrete a chemical called juglone into the soil. Juglone is detrimental to the health and growth of some plants, including tomatoes. If your space is limited, you can grow tomatoes in a raised bed near walnut trees. Just be careful to remove fallen leaves and walnut shells, which also contain juglone, from the bed.

Companion planting is a smart way to garden. If you enjoy fresh summer tomatoes, use beneficial companions near your plants to optimize growth and health, and avoid the bad companions.

Want even more information on growing delicious tomatoes? Download our Complete Guide to Tomatoes today.

The importance of preparing soil for tomatoes should not be underestimated. Soil is one of the building blocks of healthy plants and fruit. The best soil for tomatoes should be well-draining, nutrient-rich, and slightly acidic. These qualities will encourage root development, increase nutrient uptake, and suppress disease.

Before planting tomatoes in the ground, you need to prepare the soil by mixing in organic matter and possibly other amendments to provide a favorable structure and add nutrients. Growing tomatoes in containers provides the opportunity to create a customized potting mix.

If you want to learn how to grow tomatoes like a pro, then the soil is a good place to start. Get the foundations right, and success will more easily follow.

What is the Best Soil for Growing Tomatoes?

When growing tomatoes, aim for a well-draining loam soil to sandy loam with excellent drainage. Do not plant in heavy clay soil as it will squelch root development and retain too much water, fostering fungal diseases.

Ideally, the soil should be nutrient-rich rich although you need to be careful about high nitrogen levels, which will only facilitate foliage growth and not fruit production.

Do Tomatoes Like Acidic Soil?

Tomatoes like a slightly acidic soil with a pH of between 6.2 to 6.8. Much more acidic, and the plant will have a hard time taking up nutrients. Testing the soil pH can help determine whether any amendments are required to make the soil more or less acidic for tomatoes.

Testing the Soil

A soil test is an essential part of garden maintenance. You have two options: DIY kits or lab testing. Your local extension service may handle testing for a nominal fee, which often corresponds to how much information you want. The organic content, soil pH, and a list of nutrient deficiencies are fairly common, but if you want to know about heavy metals, for instance, this may require further testing and cost.

Otherwise, you can perform a visual inspection of the soil on your own. Feel the soil to check for a crumbly, loamy texture, which is good for tomatoes. Also, stick your finger down into the soil to check if it is moist. You can buy a soil pH and moisture tester inexpensively from Amazon.

How to Improve Soil for Tomatoes

In order to improve the soil for tomatoes, you will need to add amendments such as compost, fertilizer, and sand. What amendments are needed depends on the results of your soil test:

• If you have heavy clay soil, lighten it up by incorporating compost. To improve drainage, mix in sand or perlite.
• To improve fertility, work in well-aged compost or manure, worm castings, or fertilizer. The best fertilizer for tomatoes is a slow-release organic product that is high in phosphorus.
• To balance your pH levels, you can add lime to raise the pH or incorporate sulfur to lower the pH of alkaline soil. However, it can take months to make a significant difference to soil pH, so if your pH is very high or low, opt for growing tomatoes in raised beds or containers.

If your soil test has highlighted nutrient deficiencies, take steps to correct them:

• The inclusion of crushed eggshells, bone meal, or gypsum will improve calcium content. In addition, side-dressing your tomato plants each month with calcium nitrate will help prevent blossom end rot and foster faster growth and productivity.
• Magnesium can be boosted by working in Epsom salts as needed.
• Nitrogen content can be improved by working in blood meal or well-aged manure
• Phosphorus, responsible for healthy root systems and flowering, can be improved by adding bone meal or rock phosphate.

Best Soil for Containers & Raised Beds

The best soil for tomatoes in containers or raised beds needs some special consideration. Soil in containers tends to become compacted and can either dry out too quickly or retain too much water. So, a good medium is a must, but so are adequate drainage holes.

This means you want a good quality potting mix that is well-draining and probably soilless. You can make your own DIY potting mix using a combination of ingredients such as coco coir, perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, and homemade compost.

Raised bed tomato soil should be rich in nitrogen and well-draining, along with amendments such as compost, blood meal, and crushed eggshells.

How Deep Does Soil Need to be for Tomatoes?

A container should be filled at least 12 inches (30cm) deep with potting mix to accommodate the tomato plant's roots. Raised beds should be filled at least 15 to 18 inches (38 to 46cm) deep.

What to do with Soil After Growing Tomatoes?

Once your tomatoes are done for the season, you can reuse the soil the following year. However, it is best to practice crop rotation and plant a crop that is not in the nightshade family. Before planting the new crop, mix in fresh compost to restore the nutrients used by the tomato plant.

More Tomato Growing Inspiraiton

• Discover the 8 perfect flowers to plant with tomatoes to boost yields and banish pests.
• What's the difference between determinate vs indeterminate tomatoes? And which should you grow in your garden?
• Learn the secrets of growing hydroponic tomatoes for fresh indoor harvests – no soil or mess required!
• Sign up for the Gardening Know How Newsletter and receive a free copy of our e-book How to Grow Delicious Tomatoes.

When you think of growing edible items indoors, visions of basil, rosemary, cilantro, and other leafy herbs may come to mind. But tomatoes? Yes! An indoor tomato crop is indeed possible using hydroponic techniques. Hydroponics is the technical term for growing plants in water with a soilless medium such as clay pebbles.

When growing tomatoes indoors, the challenge is always providing enough light, but as long as you have a sunny window or use a grow light, you will be well on your way to harvesting fresh tomatoes year-round.

Reasons to Grow Tomatoes Hydroponically

Hydroponic gardening may sound like a high-tech commercial endeavor, but it’s a method used by wholesalers and homeowners alike. There are many good reasons to grow tomatoes in water:

• Year-round growing. Garden-grown tomatoes are limited by temperature and weather conditions. Grown hydroponically indoors, tomatoes can be harvested all year long.
• Less mess. Your indoor-grown tomato will not experience the muddy splashing that makes the fruits dirty. Pick the tomatoes off your hydroponic plant and enjoy!
• Fewer pests and diseases. Outdoor-grown tomatoes can be targets of cutworms, hornworms, blight, and a host of other tomato plant problems that are easily transmitted outside. These issues are much rarer indoors.
• Efficient use of resources. The tomato plants have direct access to the water and nutrients you provide in their vessel.
• No outdoor space required. Perhaps the best reason to grow hydroponically indoors is that it allows those without outdoor space to grow their own tomatoes. No garden, patio, or balcony? No problem! There's no need for any of those with this indoor option.

What You’ll Need

Growing hydroponic tomatoes in your home is much easier than growing them on a commercial scale. You won’t need the trellising, irrigation system nor the grow trays you may have seen used at such facilities. The list of supplies you’ll need for growing at home is much simpler and includes:

• A container: Use a container that is big enough to support a growing root system. A clear container will allow you to monitor root health.
• A growing medium: The roots need support from a medium such as clay pebbles or rock wool. These help keep the plants upright and also aerate the roots.
• Tomato seeds or seedlings: Since you’ll be growing indoors, you'll need compact tomato varieties. Many dwarf tomato plants are available, such as ‘Tidy Treats’, which is a type of cherry tomato that produces high yields on tabletops and in small spaces.
• Hydroponic fertilizer: A fertilizer specially formulated for hydroponic growing is recommended, and one that is specifically for tomatoes is ideal.
• A light source: Tomatoes need plenty of light – 6 hours each day or more. A window unobstructed by buildings should suffice. Otherwise, a grow light will do the trick. This lamp comes in handy when growing tomatoes during the depths of winter.
• High-quality water: Providing a source of chlorine-free irrigation water will help the plant absorb nutrients efficiently. If not possible, tap water will do.

Planting Tomatoes in the Jar

We’ll use the Mason Jar Garden Kit as an example for how to plant tomato seeds for growing hydroponically. The kit comes with seeds of ‘Tidy Treats’, which will germinate in the grow pod.

1. Hydrate the grow pod until it expands. Sow the seeds about ¼-inch (6mm) deep. Cover lightly with some of the expanded soilless mix.
2. Place some clay pebbles on the bottom of the net pot, then set the planted grow pod inside. Add clay pebbles around the grow pod so it fits snuggly into the net pot. The grow pod’s top should be level with the top of the net pod. Place the pot in the mason jar.
3. Mix the plant food according to directions. Create a 50:50 liquid mixture of the plant food and water and pour this into the jar until it reaches the bottom layer of clay pebbles. NOTE: The grow pod itself should not sit in water, just the clay pods which form the bottom layer of the net pod.
4. Wrap the jar with the protective cover and place it on a windowsill or under a grow light.

If you are using seedlings, you’ll clear them of dirt and nestle them carefully into the clay pebbles. Keep the stem and leaves above the pebble surface. Fill with the 50:50 plant food mixture up to the top of the plant roots.

Hydroponic Tomato Plant Care

You’ll start to see your cherry tomato seedlings poking their heads up through the pebble within two weeks. Ongoing tomato plant care from this point doesn’t take much work, but does require you to keep an eye on their growth.

Seedlings need consistent light. A sunny window in summer may provide what they need, but consider supplementing natural light with a full-spectrum grow light to ensure they are receiving enough light for growth and fruit production. In winter, your tomato will definitely need supplemental lighting.

Check the water level in your jar every few days to ensure the roots stay moist. Keep in mind that the more light it receives and the bigger the plant is, the faster your tomato will use that water. Refresh the water every week so the roots don’t sit in stagnant water. Always use room temperature water.

Tomatoes need plenty of nutrients to support their growth. For optimal growth, apply liquid hydroponic fertilizer every week or two, ideally one that also includes the micronutrients calcium and magnesium.

Tomatoes love warm temperatures between 65 and 85°F (18 and 25°C). In winter, keep them away from drafty windows. A small fan helps stimulate growth and pushes away mold and mildew spores. Additionally, since ‘Tidy Treats’ is a self-pollinating tomato variety, the fan will help distribute pollen among the flowers. Gently tapping plants also helps with pollinating tomatoes.

Your hydroponic tomato is sturdy enough to grow several feet tall. Once it is more than a foot tall, it may need a bit more support. Place the mason jar into a sturdier pot that is outfitted with a tomato cage.

Pruning tomato plants and pinching off suckers can help the plant direct energy to producing fruit. It also increases air circulation in and around the plant, helping to prevent fungal diseases.

Harvesting

Fruits on each truss ripen at different times, but harvest tomatoes when they are uniformly red. This helps the others to ripen faster and also encourages more flowers to emerge – which means more tomatoes!

‘Tidy Treats’ is an indeterminate tomato and will produce flowers and fruit until the plant dies. Kept healthy, expect your ‘Tidy Treats’ to produce fruit for 8 months or more, much longer than a tomato grown in the ground.

The plant will eventually begin to slow down. Start a new tomato plant in another Mason Jar Kit every six months for continuous hydroponic tomato harvesting.

More Indoor Growing Inspiration

• Discover the joy of growing basil in water for a fresh supply of zesty leaves in every season.
• Learn how to grow hydroponic strawberries for delicious fruits in record time.
• Enjoy a fresh kitchen harvest year-round by growing a countertop herb garden.
• Get more growing inspiration and exclusive offers straight to your inbox by signing up for the Gardening Know How Newsletter.

Planting flowers with tomatoes will enhance the beauty of your vegetable garden, but has myriad additional benefits. The practice is known as companion planting, which involves carefully pairing or arranging plants to optimize their benefits for each other. It is a tried-and-true gardening technique used in organic gardens to deter pests, attract pollinators, and even improve flavor.

Tomato companion plants are often associated with vegetables, with good partners including onions, garlic, cucumber, and peppers. However, there are also numerous beneficial herbs to plant with tomatoes, such as basil and parsley, as well as flowers. Taking a thoughtful approach to how you combine plants will make all the difference between a bumper crop and a bad harvest.

Growing specific companion flowers for tomatoes​ may ward off pests with a strong scent, or they may serve as trap crops and draw pests away from your tomatoes. They will attract pollinators to your garden, improving crop yields, as well as beneficial insects that will prey on pests. In addition, flowers can provide ground cover, helping to keep down weeds and retain moisture in the soil, while maximizing the use of the planting space.

So, if you want to learn how to grow tomatoes using this time-honored method, then sow these flowers at the same time as starting tomato seeds.

The Best Flowers to Plant with Tomatoes

Choose companion flowers for your tomatoes based on the benefits they can provide, how well they will grow in your beds, and also for the way they look and your personal preferences. Here are some ideas to get you started.

1. Calendula

Also known as pot marigold, calendula is a pretty orange flower that looks beautiful in beds and also benefits nearby tomatoes. The strong, musky smell of the flowers repels many pests. Most importantly for tomatoes, they repel tomato hornworms but also aphids, nematodes, and some mammal pests.

Calendula has other uses besides its tomato-supporting role. The flowers are edible and have some medicinal properties, so you can enjoy them in the kitchen as well as in garden beds.

2. Marigolds

Marigolds are bright, cheerful annual flowers with a classic pom-pom shape and colors ranging from yellow to deep red. They have long been used to keep rabbits away from veggie gardens with their potent and distinctive aroma caused by a chemical called limonene. Near tomatoes, marigolds deter several pests, including rabbits, white flies, and root-knot nematodes.

French marigolds (Tagetes patula) are the best option for pest control.

3. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums act as a trap crop for some pests, including cabbage moth caterpillars, white flies, and aphids. They also attract hoverflies, which feed on aphids.

There are also some bonus benefits to growing nasturtiums with tomatoes. The plants vine and spread, providing a living groundcover to keep moisture in the soil and weeds at bay. Additionally, nasturtium leaves and flowers are edible and have a peppery flavor.

4. Lavender

Lavender is an herb prized for its pretty, delicate purple flowers and strong aroma. That aroma is what makes plants beneficial as tomato companions. The strong smell is generally appealing to people, but keeps away certain pests that don’t like it. These include flea beetles and nematodes. Lavender flowers also attract beneficial pollinators.

Keep in mind, though, that lavender has different soil and water needs than tomatoes. Try growing them in containers near tomatoes so you can control the conditions better.

5. Borage

While borage is technically considered an herb, most people grow it for its flowers and as a companion plant. The vividly blue flowers are attractive and star-shaped and add interest to your tomato bed.

Borage deters hornworm but also attracts pollinators and a parasitic wasp that specifically feeds on aphids. It also adds micronutrients to the soil that can benefit the growth of tomato plants and make them healthier.

6. Cosmos

If you’re new to growing flowers, try cosmos. These easy annuals are pretty and great companions for tomatoes. They attract many beneficial insects, including both pollinators and predators of pest insects. Green lacewings, in particular, love cosmos and feed voraciously on thrips, aphids, and scale. Orange is the best cosmos color for attracting this friend.

Be aware that cosmos can grow quite tall, so don’t plant them where they will overshadow tomato plants.

7. Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssum is a sweet-smelling plant with an abundance of tiny flowers. It's well known for its ability to attract predator insects that keep pests at bay.

As sweet alyssum grows close to the ground, it can provide a living groundcover. It’s particularly useful for container-grown tomatoes. Plant them at the base and let them spill over the sides.

8. Zinnias

Not only do zinnias make a stunning contrast with tomatoes, but they are highly effective companion plants, blooming all through summer right up until the first frosts hit. Their main benefit is in attracting pollinators as well as beneficial insects, including ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and hoverflies.

Zinnias also make excellent cut flowers, so you can harvest a few blooms for homegrown bouquets at the same time as picking your tomatoes.

How to Grow Companion Flowers with Tomatoes

Successfully companion planting flowers for your tomatoes requires some planning and consideration. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you plan your bed:

• Don’t overcrowd the flowers or the tomatoes. Flowers don’t need to be right up against tomato plants to provide benefits. Follow spacing guidelines on seed packets or transplants to avoid crowding and encouraging a fight for resources between the plants. Alternatively, grow them in containers close by.
• Tomatoes need full sun to grow and produce, so think about how tall flowers will grow and how their placement might block the sun.
• Consider growing conditions for the flowers you choose. They should grow well in your soil type and local climate – check your USDA hardiness zone in North America. Their needs should also be similar to those of the tomatoes for the best results.
• Don’t forget to check on tomatoes and flowers. Don’t simply plant companion flowers and assume they’ll keep your tomatoes free of pests. Monitor them regularly for signs of pests to determine if you need additional control methods.

More Tomato Growing Inspiration

• Discover heirloom tomatoes you'll love to grow with our recommended best varieties for every garden.
• Learn the secrets of growing tomatoes in containers to enjoy bountiful harvests in small spaces.
• Do you know the difference between determinate vs indeterminate tomatoes? Find out all about them and which ones you should grow.
• Don't miss out on exclusive offers and the latest growing inspiration! Sign up to the Gardening Know How Newsletter today.

With so many different types of tomatoes to choose from, gardeners are spoiled for choice. But how do you know which varieties are best to grow? There are broad categories that divide all tomatoes, such as whether they are determinate or indeterminate, and organic or hybrid. But within each group, there is a huge range of fruit shapes, sizes, flavors, and colors to be found, as well as different plant sizes and harvest times.

If you're learning how to grow tomatoes, is it because you want them for slicing, canning, making into sauces, or just to pop into your mouth fresh from the plant? Do you live in an area with a short growing season better suited to early tomatoes, or do you need the best tomatoes for hot climates? Are you looking for a traditional red tomato, or would you like to try something new that produces a black or even a green striped fruit? Do you have unlimited space, or are you in need of a compact variety suitable for growing tomatoes indoors?

There are so many factors to consider when choosing the types of tomato plants to grow. Whether you're a beginner seeking the easiest tomatoes to grow or an experienced grower looking for the next step, this guide will help you choose the best options for your needs.

Determinate or Indeterminate?

Depending on their growth habit, all tomatoes may be categorized as either determinate or indeterminate tomatoes. Each type has its own advantages, so consider your space and how you want to use your tomatoes.

Determinate tomatoes are also called bush tomatoes. They have a compact, bushy growth habit and rarely reach heights above 3-4 feet (1-1.2m). This makes them ideal for growing tomatoes in containers and small spaces. Crucially, the tomatoes ripen all at a similar time, over a couple of weeks. Rather than fruiting continually throughout the season, they produce their crop all in one glut, which makes them well-suited to canning and saucing, as well as short growing seasons.

Indeterminate tomatoes – also known as vining or cordon tomatoes – are vigorous growers and can get to 6-20 feet (2-6m) in height, although they are usually pruned to maintain a manageable size. They need support, such as from a tomato cage, and a bit more space than determinate plants. Fruit from indeterminate varieties can be harvested continuously throughout the growing season, often up until the first hard frost. If you want to harvest a few tomatoes every few days for slicing and snacking, then this is the best option.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes are varieties that have been passed down, often from generation to generation, for at least 50 years. They are available in a variety of shapes and colors – from green to pink to black – and may be striped, dappled, or even tie-dye in appearance.

As well as being celebrated for their diversity in appearance, heirlooms are often lauded as having superior flavor and texture. They are also rich in lycopene, an antioxidant. Since they are open-pollinated, seeds from heirlooms can be harvested and planted, meaning their progeny will be a carbon copy of the parent. Learning how to save tomato seeds means you will never need to buy seeds again.

On the other hand, heirloom tomatoes are more susceptible to common tomato diseases like fungal and bacterial infections. They also do not always produce as well as hybrids and have a shorter shelf life, often only from 1-7 days.

Popular varieties of heirloom tomatoes include Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Green Zebra, Yellow Pear, and Black Krim, to name a few.

Hybrid Tomatoes

Hybrid tomatoes have been selectively bred to include the best of their parent plants. This means that hybrids are often the most disease-resistant tomatoes, with an increased resistance to pests. They also have a more consistent size and fewer blemishes than heirlooms. Hybrids are bred to have thicker skin and flesh than heirlooms, so they also have a longer shelf life.

The disadvantage of hybrid tomatoes is that their seed cannot be saved. Thus, new seed must be purchased every year, and since much of it is licenced and patented, it becomes more of an expense. Hybrids often also have less pronounced flavor than heirloom fruit and come in fewer colors and shapes.

A few hybrid types of tomato include but are certainly not limited to Big Boy, Early Girl, Indigo Ruby, Lemon Boy, Celebrity, and Better Bush.

Globe Tomatoes

When you purchase tomatoes from the supermarket, you are likely buying globe tomatoes. These are the classic slicing tomatoes, perfect for sandwiches. They have, as the name suggests, a rounded globe shape that is plump and juicy.

Globe tomatoes are hybrid tomatoes bred for their thick skin, mild flavor, and ability to be eaten fresh or cooked.

Examples of globe tomatoes include Better Boy, Early Girl, and Super Bush.

Cherry & Grape Tomatoes

Both grape and cherry tomatoes are small fruit varieties. Cherry tomatoes are generally round, while grape tomatoes are a bit smaller and more oblong. Grape tomatoes are meatier than cherry tomatoes, which are sweeter and juicier. Both are often eaten fresh, although they can be cooked.

Types of cherry tomatoes include Sun Gold, Supersweet 100, Fantastico, and Isis Candy, while options for grape tomatoes include Jelly Beans, Five Star, Candy Bell, San Vicente, Chocolate Sprinkle, and Golden Sweet.

Another type of tomato you might come across when researching cherry tomatoes is the pear tomato. There are several heirloom varieties, all with a distinctive pear shape. They have a sweet, mild flavor and make a wonderful addition to salads or as a garnish. The most notable variety is the Yellow Pear.

Plum Tomatoes

Also known as paste tomatoes, plum tomatoes are perfect for making into sauce and for canning. These oval-shaped tomatoes have a rich, tangy flavor and a meaty texture.

Roma and San Marzano are the most popular varieties of plum tomato. Romas are often found in the produce department and can be used fresh or cooked. They are widely used to make tomato paste.

San Marzano tomatoes are some of the best canned tomatoes that can be found and are famous in Italian cuisine. They are longer and thinner than other plum tomatoes but can be used the same way, fresh or cooked.

Other examples of plum tomatoes are Big Mama and Amish Paste.

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Beefsteak tomatoes are the largest of the tomato varieties. Notable not only for their size but also their flavor, they are the most popular homegrown variety in North America. They have a bright, balanced flavor and are most sought after as a slicing tomato for sandwiches and burgers or made into salsas. They may be either hybrid or heirloom and mature later than many other tomato varieties.

Examples of beefsteak varieties include Big Rainbow, Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, and Mountain Fresh Plus.

Colored Tomatoes

With such a vast number of tomato varieties, it’s no wonder they are available in a rainbow of hues. Traditional red tomatoes are known to be rich in the antioxidant lycopene, but what about other colored tomatoes? Do they have health benefits as well? Yes!

For instance, yellow tomatoes contain more folate and niacin, green tomatoes have high levels of vitamin C, and purple tomatoes are particularly rich in antioxidants. Essentially, if you incorporate a wide variety of tomato colors into your diet, you will increase your intake of a broad range of vitamins and minerals.

The benefits here are lengthy, but briefly, eating tomatoes gives your immune system a boost, helps fight off free radicals thus cancer, helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure and cholesterol level, aids in digestion, and even helps your eyesight.

There are so many healthful and beautiful colored tomato options, but here are a sample of some of them: Thai Pink Egg, Hawaiian Pineapple, Yellow Stuffer, Ghost Cherry, Green Moldovan, and Black Ethiopian.

Dwarf & Patio Tomatoes

Both dwarf and patio tomato varieties are compact plants that are perfect for small spaces and container gardening. Measuring 2 to 5 feet (60 to 150cm) in height, these small varieties require less support than larger types (although they may still need a cage), produce over a long period of time, and are often disease-resistant.

Good dwarf varieties include Banana Toes and Purple Heart, while patio cultivars include Patio Choice Yellow Bush Cherry and Patio F Hybrid.

Wild Tomatoes

Wild tomatoes are the ancestors of today's cultivated tomato and produce tiny fruit. They can be found in some fairly inhospitable regions and were domesticated in Mexico by 500 BC. They are very similar to currant tomatoes, which are closely related.

They are a low-maintenance, disease-resistant type that produces edible fruit. Wild tomatoes are unfussy about their soil and are eminently adaptable. But don’t run out and get random plants. Look for legitimately sourced cultivars like Currant Tomato or Matt’s Wild Cherry to try in your landscape.

More Tomato Growing Inspiration

• Want to increase tomato yields? Try these 7 expert tricks for a bumper crop.
• Grow tomatoes indoors or on the patio with the EZ Self-Watering Tomato Planter, available on Amazon. Its ingenious design includes a built-in trellis and wheels for the ultimate flexible tomato-growing solution.
• Discover the best herbs to plant with tomatoes. Pair then with these 6 perfect companions for better flavor and bigger harvests.
• Starting tomato seeds indoors? Use our step-by-step guide for healthy seedlings and an extended growing season.
• For more growing inspiration and exclusive offers, sign up for the Gardening Know How newsletter.

Indeterminate tomatoes – also known as vining or cordon tomatoes – are those tall vining varieties that bear fruit all season long. They are the best option if you want a small but regular crop of tomatoes for slicing and snacking, though many varieties yield enough for making sauces.

All tomato varieties can be broadly categorized as determinate or indeterminate tomatoes. This primarily affects the plants' growth habit and harvest time rather than which types of tomatoes you can grow. Indeterminate tomatoes make up the biggest group, including most heirloom tomatoes, offering huge versatility in terms of flavor, fruit appearance, and size.

Determinate tomatoes have a built-in growth limiter that makes them compact – and ideal for growing tomatoes in containers. They produce their crop in one glut over two or three weeks. In contrast, indeterminate varieties can grow 6 to 20 feet (2 to 6m) tall and continually produce new flowers and fruit. If plants are well cared for, gardeners can harvest in regular bursts from midsummer until the first frost.

Both determinate and indeterminate tomatoes have their advantages, and if you're learning how to grow tomatoes, it's important to understand what makes them unique.

What is an Indeterminate Tomato?​

Indeterminate tomato plants have a vining – or climbing – growth habit. Their tall stems can keep growing to incredible heights if not "topped off" and need to be held up out of the soil to prevent fruit rot, using supports such as a tomato cage, trellis, or staking.

Most gardeners train indeterminate tomatoes to concentrate on one central stem, pruning away side shoots – or tomato suckers – which if not removed will grow into new long stems. This keeps plants manageable and allows them to focus on producing fruit rather than new greenery.

However, some growers favor cultivating two or more stems – a practice known as "multi-stem pruning". Plants require sturdier support, but certain tomato varieties will bear more fruit this way. It's best to experiment to see what works for you.

If you like to can your tomatoes, a determinate variety might be best option. That is because it will set fruit nearly all at once and then be done. You will have a bumper crop ready for canning. But if you like an extended season where you can eat fresh tomatoes daily, indeterminate tomato varieties are best. These may be slicers, snackers, or sauce tomatoes.

While the fruit will begin ripening later than determinate varieties, indeterminate plants will often fruit for three months or more, producing huge yields. Many gardeners believe these long-season plants produce larger and tastier fruits.

Best Indeterminate Tomato Varieties

Selecting the best indeterminate tomatoes to grow will depend on many factors. Your growing zone will have an impact, but so will your purpose for the tomato. There are slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, beefsteaks, plum tomatoes, and other types in between.

Additionally, there are now tomatoes bred with better disease resistance. Certain areas have more prevalent tomato diseases, such as humid regions where fungal diseases can cause problems.

Northern gardeners will want varieties with a short-season producing pattern. If you're gardening in a small space, you will need to choose suitable varieties for containers.

Best for Fresh Slicing & Salads

• Brandywine: This is a classic among indeterminate varieties. It is a slicing tomato with large, oblong fruit and pink-red flesh.
• Big Beef: A well-known slicing tomato with huge, bright red fruits. It is prolific and performs well in many regions.
• Better Boy: This tomato has huge yields of large fruit. The flavor has the perfect balance of sweet with a bit of acid.
• Goose Creek: This tomato has pink-tinged skin and flesh. It is not only an excellent slicing tomato but makes lovely sauce, as well.

Best for Cherry & Snacking Tomatoes

• Supersweet 100: As the name would indicate, the fruits are candy-sweet, bite-sized, and abundant.
• Yellow Pear: Yellow fruits give wonderful color to salads but are also convenient snacking tomatoes with an oblong form and golden hue.
• Sun Gold: Orange-yellow fruits that are rounded and tangy-sweet.
• Black Cherry: Disease-resistant plants with mahogany-purple bite-sized fruits.

Best for Sauces & Paste

• San Marzano: Italy knows a thing or two about tomatoes, and this is a top-rated paste variety.
• Roma: Readily available, but bear in mind there are both determinate and indeterminate cultivars.
• Amish Paste: This is a large paste tomato with dense flesh and sweet flavor.
• Viva Italia: A high-yield plant with thick flesh, pear-shaped fruit, and disease resistance.

Best Disease-Resistant Indeterminate Tomatoes

• Cherokee Purple: Large, attractively mottled fruits on plants resistant to septoria leaf spot.
• Mountain Magic: Small sweet tomatoes on plants resistant to verticillium wilt, fusarium, and early blight.
• Early Girl: Popular for the early ripening fruits, Early Girl is also resistant to fusarium and verticillium.
• Apple Yellow: Charming yellow fruits with resistance to tomato leaf curl virus, mosaic, fusarium, and verticillium.

Caring for Indeterminate Tomatoes

Indeterminate tomatoes require well-draining soil of average fertility in a site that receives at least eight hours of sun each day. They also need a support structure of some kind that should ideally be added at the time of planting. Trellising is an excellent way to keep the stems off the ground and expose the fruit to light and air. Stakes and tomato cages are also useful, but the plant will require regular training as it grows.

Correct tomato plant spacing is particularly important for indeterminate varieties to give each plant room to develop and allow for plenty of air circulation and light penetration. Space plants 3 to 4 feet (90-120cm) apart.

Pruning tomato plants is essential for indeterminate varieties. It will enhance the crop, allow more air and sunshine into the plant interior, and remove shoots that will not bear fruit so the plant can send energy to fruiting nodes. Pruning can also help maintain the size of the plant. Remove suckers at the leaf axils by pinching them.

How often to water tomato plants varies depending on the weather and whether they are in containers. As a general rule, water them deeply once or twice per week and feed them every other week during active growth. The best fertilizer for tomatoes is a liquid feed that is slightly lower in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus. There are many specialist tomato feeds to choose from.

More Tomato Growing Inspiration

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• Make your own tomato hanging basket, perfect for growing a delicious bounty in your porch or patio.
• Try these powerful homemade tomato fertilizer recipes for a sublime crop using natural ingredients.
• Sign up for the Gardening Know How Newsletter for access to exclusive offers and a regular dose of growing advice and inspiration.

Determinate tomatoes are the perfect solution for small spaces and container gardens. Their compact, bushy foliage makes plants easy to maintain, and they provide their crop in one big glut. The best determinate tomatoes are perfect for making sauces and canning but can also be enjoyed in salads and sandwiches.

When choosing whether to grow determinate or indeterminate tomatoes, you need to consider your growing space, climate, and what you want to do with your harvest. All types of tomatoes fall into these two broad categories, and there is plenty of variety in fruit size, flavor, and color. Determinate tomatoes simply develop differently than indeterminate tomatoes, which have a vigorous vining growth habit and produce fruit throughout the growing season, allowing growers to harvest little and often until the first frost.

Whether you are just learning how to grow tomatoes and want to explore the different possibilities or are a more seasoned grower seeking new varieties and flavors, determined tomatoes have a lot to offer.

What is a Determinate Tomato​?

Determinate tomato plants do all their vertical growth in a short amount of time. Once they have been growing for a month or so, they produce terminal side growth but no further vertical growth or long vines. This gives them a bushier, more compact growth habit, making them ideal for growing tomatoes in containers.

The plants also need much less pruning, training, and staking than indeterminate varieties. They can often be grown with little support except for the lower stems, where fruit might brush the ground. However, many growers do still use a tomato cage or stakes, as the branches are heavy when laden with fruit and may break in bad weather.

Determinate tomatoes develop fruit within a short period – two to three weeks – producing a large harvest perfect for canning, drying, saucing, and other preservation methods. As the plants produce all their fruit within a month or two of flowering, they are ideal for short-season gardeners like those in the north.

Because determinates thrive in containers, they can be more easily moved than indeterminate vines when a cold snap threatens.

As a side note, there are also semi-determinate tomatoes. These do not get as large or vines as indeterminate, but they are taller than determinate varieties.

Best Determinate Tomato Varieties

There is a wide variety of determinate tomatoes to choose from, including heirloom tomatoes, plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and beefsteaks.

When selecting the best determinate tomatoes to grow in your garden, consider your climate, plant size at maturity, resistance to common tomato diseases, and your primary goal for the fruit. For instance, do you prefer to have fresh fruit for sandwiches and salads? Or do you want to cook a batch of sauce or make sun-dried tomatoes?

Whatever your priorities, choose from our recommended varieties to ensure success:

Best for Fresh Eating & Slicing

• Black Sea Man: A large, early slicing heirloom tomato with chocolate shoulders and dark red skin.
• Pride of Flanders: An organic heirloom cherry tomato with purple-red skin.
• Ruby Monster: Bright colored, juicy, and very flavorful slicer.
• Bush Beefsteak: A classic beefsteak slicing variety.

Best for Sauces, Pastes & Canning

• Alaskan Fancy: A very early plum tomato ideal for sauces.
• Milano Plum: A perfect-tasting cooking tomato for sauces.
• Roma: A hybrid plum favored for sauces.
• Oregon Star: A paste tomato for cooler locations.

Best for Small Spaces & Container Gardening

• Banana Legs: 4-inch (10cm) long, deep yellow fruits.
• Taxi: Small, lemon-yellow, perfectly round, sweet fruits.
• Anahu: Large cherry for hot and humid regions.
• Burbank Slicing: A very compact plant with large fruits.

Best Disease-Resistant Determinate Varieties

• Marglobe VF: Resistant to several diseases and produces thick, stocky plants.
• Neptune: Orange-red fruits and great heat tolerance.
• Mountain Merit: Compact plants with medium-sized fruit and great disease resistance.
• Iron Lady: Highly resistant to several diseases, with a fine texture and well-balanced flavor.

Caring for Determinate Tomatoes

Determinate tomatoes like a full-sun location with at least eight hours of sunshine each day. The soil should be well-draining and of average fertility.

Start fertilizing when the plants are 5 inches (13cm) tall. The best fertilizer for tomatoes is a balanced liquid food delivered to the roots every four weeks. Once flowering starts, begin to feed with a product higher in phosphorus. There are both water-soluble and granular tomato foods.

How often to water tomato plants depends on the climate and whether they are container-grown. On average, determinate tomatoes should be watered deeply twice per week and much more frequently in harsh heat and if the plant is in a container. Feel the soil daily – it should be cool and damp, but not dry or soggy.

The stems will need support once the fruit arrives. At planting, install a tomato cage or other support such as stakes.

There is no need for pruning determinate tomato plants except to remove broken or diseased material. If you are growing in a container, it will need a capacity of at least 5 gallons.

More Tomato Growing Inspiration

• Try the best tomatoes for containers: our 10 tastiest picks produce a bounty in compact areas.
• Learn how to increase tomato yields with these expert tricks to ensure a bumper harvest.
• Want to try growing purple tomatoes? These cherry, beefsteak, and heirloom varieties are as colorful as they are delicious.
• Sign up for the Gardening Know How Newsletter to stay updated with growing advice, garden inspiration, and exclusive offers.

There are numerous tomato varieties from which to choose. New offerings come almost every year through breeding programs, but which are the best tomatoes for containers? The answer lies in your preferences, your zone, growing space, and the purpose you desire for these juicy fruits. When it comes to growing tomatoes in containers, we have suggestions for the top 10 tomato varieties that will suit your needs for slicing, saucing, or snacking.

Growing tomatoes is a fun and productive venture for gardeners of all skill levels and great results can be had in gardens of all sizes. There is nothing better than a homegrown tomato in the peak of summer. You can find everything you need to get started in our Tomato Growing Essentials collection in the Gardening Know How Shop.

1. 'Dwarf Awesome' Tomato

This is a mini tomato plant that still produces full sized fruits. Perfect for the patio garden, the 'Dwarf Awesome' is a golden tomato. They are ready for harvest 80 days from planting. The bush produces large, round 8-16 ounce fruits. Because this is an indeterminate variety it will produce all season long. When you cut into this slicing tomato you will be amazed by the color. Bright yellow, pink, and orange with green seeds. Described as extremely sweet but with a bit of tang.

2. San Marzano

Considered by chefs (and I am one of them) to be the best saucing tomato variety. Another indeterminate selection, San Marzano tomatoes will produce until the first cold weather appears. The fruit is firm, low in acid and has thick skin. They are long, plum tomatoes with cherry red skin and flesh that don’t need peeling before turning them into sauce. The plant is an heirloom with some resistance against fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt.

3. 'Little Bing' Tomatoes

This is a fantastic variety of cherry tomato. Determinate tomato varieties like these are perfect for container gardening. The fruit is small, red, sweet, and just ready to pop in your mouth. The plants only get 24 inches ( 61 cm.) tall and don't need a cage or other support. 'Little Bing' will produce loads of candy-like fruit through the season.

4. 'Big Beef' Beefsteak Tomato

Chief among the beefsteak tomatoes, a slice of 'Big Beef' will fill that burger bun. This variety is an All America Selections Winner and develops vigorous vines and huge fruits. The plant also has superior disease resistance. The fruits are weighty, juicy, sweet with a nice balance of acidity, and almost perfectly round. The skin resists cracking and the flesh is tender and soft. This plant will require staking or a cage and a fairly large container like a whiskey barrel.

5. Celebrity Tomato

This plant produces medium sized fruits with excellent flavor. It's a tomato variety that will not produce rampant vines and keeps a bushy, tidy habit. This is another slicing tomato with medium sized fruit that has a meaty texture. It is also excellent for stewing and sauces. The plant is considered semi-determinate and will need some type of support. You can make a tomato cage or stake the plants to hold the prolific crop of tomatoes. The plant is moderately sized at around 3 feet (.91 m.), making it ideal for a container specimen.

6. 'Plum Regal' Tomatoes

This variety is a paste tomato and produces a medium sized plant with stocky stems. It doesn’t need to be staked but when in heavy production it may be helpful. Meaty, dense flesh of reddish orange inside chunky fruits makes a great pizza sauce. Best of all, these plants are resistant to late blight, fusarium and verticillium wilts, and tomato spotted wilt virus.

7. 'Moby Grape' Tomatoes

An oblong fruit with thick skin but bursting with sweetness, 'Moby Grape' is a determinate tomato with 2 inch (5 cm.) oblong fruits. Harvest 70 days after planting from 3 feet (.91 m.) long vines.

8. 'Bush Early Girl'

This bush variety of a classic tomato is ideal for containers. As the name would indicate, this variety produces early, in as little as 54 days. The plant will get 36 inches (91 cm.) tall with a similar spread. 'Bush Early Girl' is also resistant to many common tomato diseases. The plant is a prolific producer with heavy, juicy tomatoes.

9. 'Jet Star' Tomato

'Jet Star' is a highly rated tomato that is perfect for a 12 inch (30.48 cm.) pot. The plant produces one of the lowest acid tomatoes available. Medium sized, meaty, and sweet, the fruits are born on compact indeterminate vines. 'Jet Star' is resistant to verticillium and fusarium wilts. Fruits will arrive 74 days after planting.

10. Window Box Roma

We absolutely must have a Roma tomato on the list. Few fruits beat Roma when it comes to sauce. This is a dwarf plant that produces fruits about 3.5 inches (8.89 cm.) long. Mature plants get around 3 feet (.28 m.) long with as many as 60 tomatoes per plant. A truly outstanding small space tomato.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Tomato Container Garden Inspiration

• Learn how to start your tomato seeds indoors to extend your growing season.
• Expert gardener and accomplished chef, Bonnie L. Grant, shares the secret to growing terrific tomatoes.
• Still want to know more about growing your own tomatoes? Download our free eBook, How to Grow Delicious Tomatoes.
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Companion planting tomatoes with herbs is a great way to optimize the health and yield of plants. Being strategic about which herbs to plant with tomatoes​ can reduce the number of pests, attract pollinators, and even enrich the soil and boost production.

While it’s typical to focus on pairing certain vegetables and flowers as tomato companion plants, don’t overlook herbs. Not only can herbs help tomatoes grow better, but they make perfect flavor partners. So, if you want to learn how to grow tomatoes like a pro, then don’t just focus on starting tomato seeds – consider what else you can plant at the same time.

There are many easy herbs to grow from seed, including annual and perennial varieties. However, some perennials won’t be established in their first year, so for protection for your current crop, you’ll need to buy young plants. There are a variety of perfect perennial herbs for pots, which can be positioned exactly where you need them.

Why Grow Herbs with Tomatoes?

Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants near each other to their advantage. Here are some of the potential benefits of pairing herbs with tomatoes:

• Attracting pollinators to improve yield
• Attracting beneficial insects to prey on pests
• Deterring pests with their fragrance
• Acting as a trap crop by enticing pests away from tomatoes
• Deterring soil pests, including nematodes
• Enriching the soil
• Preventing weeds
• Improving flavor
• Maximising use of the planting space
• Growing healthier, more productive plants with bigger yields

Companion pairings often provide more than one benefit at a time, and the most beautiful herbs raise the look of the vegetable garden. Some pairings are one-sided, but often plants benefit each other.

When choosing herbs to grow with tomatoes, be sure they are suitable for your growing conditions and climate. Check your USDA hardiness zone to ensure perennial herbs will thrive. A companion plant can only help if it grows successfully where you plant it.

Best Herbs to Grow with Tomatoes

Tomatoes have many companion plants, including herbs that do double duty. They can provide some of the above benefits while also providing a tasty flavor companion for your tomatoes in the kitchen.

Ideally harvest herbs little and often to keep them growing and allow them to recover. The herb scissors from Amazon, are perfect for the task, featuring ten precision blades to allow for quick, uniform cutting, snipping, and mincing of a variety of herbs.

1. Basil

Basil is a classic pairing with tomatoes, both in the kitchen and in the garden. The flavor profiles complement each other in pasta sauces, pizzas, and simple dishes like caprese salad. They both also grow well in similar conditions, including full sun and summer heat. Use basil in between rows of tomatoes or in containers near tomato plants.

As a companion plant, basil does a lot for tomatoes, and this pairing has been studied more than most others. Tomatoes planted with basil have been shown to grow better and even produce fruit with improved flavor.

Additionally, basil’s aroma deters thrips, which carry and transmit tomato spotted wilt virus, and confuses the moths that lay the eggs of tomato hornworms. When in flower, basil attracts pollinators like bees.

There are many delicious types of basil to choose from, and it's quick and easy to grow from seed. Rather than settle for one variety, try growing a mix, such as the this variety pack from Amazon. The selection includes eight zingy varieties, such as Genovese, Thai, lemon, more.

2. Parsley

Parsley is another great flavor companion for tomatoes. It is a common ingredient in many Italian, tomato-based dishes, including pasta sauces. Parsley adds a fresh, green flavor that cuts through the rich, savoriness of tomatoes.

In the garden, parsley planted near tomatoes attracts swallowtail butterflies, and is a host plant for their eggs. It also attracts hoverflies, predators of both aphids and thrips that can damage tomato plants.

Parsley grows lower to the ground than tomatoes and benefits from some late afternoon shade, so plant it right next to tomatoes or between rows. It's quick and easy to grow from seed.

In terms of variety, you can choose between curly and flat leaf. Lisette parsley, is a recommended lush, vibrant curly type, while Italian flat-leaf organic parsley is even more flavorful and nutritious.

3. Mint

Flavor-wise, mint is an unexpected but delightful companion to tomatoes. Use fresh mint leaves with tomatoes and feta to make a light, refreshing summer salad. Add mint to gazpacho for a unique take on this cold soup.

As a companion in the garden, mint works by deterring aphids, flies, and flea beetles. The strong smell of mint plants is pleasant in the garden, but these pests don’t like it. For the best results, harvest or touch mint plants often to release more of the aroma.

One consideration for growing mint in the garden is that it grows and spreads aggressively. The best way to benefit from it as a tomato companion is to grow mint in containers placed near vegetable beds. Even with containers, keep an eye on mint and remove runners that climb over the edges of pots or through drainage holes.

Mint grows well from seed, so get planting at the same time as tomatoes to maximize the benefit. There are many types of mint to choose from, each with different culinary uses. Classic spearmint makes a delightful complement to lamb, while peppermint is perfect in teas and desserts.

4. Oregano

Oregano is a classic ingredient in pizza sauce. It complements all kinds of tomato sauces and dishes with a similarly savory flavor.

As a companion plant, the strong scent of oregano masks the smell of tomato plants, keeping pests away. It's one of the best deer-resistant edibles yet attracts lacewings, which are predators of aphids, white flies, and cutworms.

Oregano grows close to the ground, so you can plant it around your tomatoes to act like a living mulch. It will help keep weeds down and retain moisture in the soil. Note that this may limit the herb’s growth due to reduced sunlight, so it might not grow as well as it would on its own. Oregano grows easily from seed, but growth is often slow in the first year – so plant ahead for this one.

In terms of variety, Italian oregano has that classic intense aroma, while Greek oregano boasts an even more potent flavor that pairs well with Greek, Italian, and Mexican dishes.

5. Thyme

Thyme complements tomatoes in savory, cooked dishes, like pastas or even simple roasted tomatoes. In the garden, thyme is similar to oregano but grows even lower to the ground. Mother of Thyme is a natural groundcover you can use between tomato plants and in rows to keep weeds at bay and reduce moisture loss from the soil. English thyme can be used similarly, but also looks great in containers.

Thyme likes full sun and prefers soil a little drier than tomatoes do, so don’t plant it directly under tomato plants in beds. You can grow it around tomato plants in containers, where the thyme will be able to spill over the sides and get more sunlight.

In addition to acting as a groundcover, thyme provides other benefits. The smell of thyme deters aphids, armyworms, and leafhoppers, and attracts pollinators and parasitic wasps that feed on hornworms.

6. Sage

Sage is a great culinary companion for rich tomato dishes. Use it in tomato soups, pastas with roasted tomatoes, or in sauces and tomato-based risotto. Sage particularly pairs well with tomatoes and parmesan.

In the garden, sage produces a strong scent that deters pests like cabbage moths and carrot flies. Let sage flower to attract parasitic wasps that prey on tomato hornworms. The flowers will also attract pollinators. Sage flowers are edible and taste great in fresh salads with or without tomatoes.

While sage does grow from seed, it won't be harvestable in its first year, so to protect your current tomato crop, invest in a plant from the garden center.

Companion planting is a great way to make the most of your garden. When you choose herb companions for tomato plants, you get the benefits in the garden and in the kitchen.

More Growing Inspiration

• Get a head start on harvesting with these 6 early tomatoes that ripen fast and still taste amazing.
• Learn how to grow basil in water​: try no-mess hydroponics for fresh harvests year-round.
• Discover how to keep grocery store herbs thriving indoors for months with these 3 simple tips to prolong your plants.
• Sign up for the Gardening Know How email newsletter for regular ideas and inspiration to help transform your garden.

All gardeners understand the virtue of patience – but if your homegrown tomatoes only start to warm up near the end of the season, then it's time for a rethink. Early tomatoes are typically ripe and ready to harvest just 50-65 days after transplanting. They’re especially valuable in cooler climates with short growing seasons, but they are also prized by growers in warmer regions who want to beat the high heat of summer or extend their growing season by planting varieties that mature at different times.

But, when learning how to grow tomatoes, flavor is everything – otherwise, what's the point? Unfortunately, early tomatoes don’t have the best reputation, with speed often coming at the expense of that rich, complex flavor found in midsummer fruit. If you want to make tomato plants faster while avoiding a bland, watery crop, then it’s all about which types of tomatoes you choose. Some early varieties excel in both flavor and performance, giving that perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.

Best Early Tomato Varieties

Cherry tomatoes, in particular, have much to offer early-season growers, as their small fruits mature more quickly than larger varieties. However, there is plenty of choice for slicing and sandwich tomatoes, and even options for beefsteaks and paste tomatoes, enabling you to get the best of both worlds. You can also choose between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, depending on whether you want a repeat crop or a glut for cooking.

If you are a fan of heirloom tomatoes, then look for varieties that originate from cooler climates, as these tend to be the first to crop, and can cope with colder weather than many hybrids.

Grow a speedy harvest that won’t disappoint your palate with our pick of early tomatoes that are super fast, delicious, high-yielding, and resistant to common tomato diseases.

1. Supersweet 100

Cherry tomatoes are among the quickest to mature, often producing ripe fruit in just 55-65 days after transplanting. They are also some of the sweetest-tasting tomatoes you can grow – and few taste as good as Supersweet 100 cherry tomatoes, available on Amazon.

This must-grow hybrid variety produces cascading clusters of delightful bright red tomatoes with the most intense sweet flavor. It is also prized for high yields and boasts a higher vitamin C content than any other tomato, making it an even healthier choice.

In addition, growing Supersweet 100 tomatoes is a breeze – it's a perfect container tomato and is resistant to diseases including verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt.

2. Sungold

Another superior cherry tomato that is early to crop is Sungold, famous for its vibrant golden-orange color. Its complex flavor perfectly balances sweetness and acidity and develops as the season progresses. Sungold is quick to mature in just 55-65 days from transplant.

The plants are vigorous growers and highly productive, yielding long vines of tomatoes from midsummer until the end of the season. They perform well in containers and make an excellent tomato hanging basket.

Additionally, Sungold is resistant to tomato cracking and resilient to several diseases, including verticillium wilt, fusarium, tobacco mosaic virus, and tomato yellow leaf curl.

3. Early Girl

Think of a globed-shaped tomato with a classic flavor and texture that’s versatile for eating and slicing – but won’t overpower – and that’s what you get with Early Girl, available on Amazon. The fruits taste just like the tomatoes you’re familiar with from the grocery store – but much better as they’re fresh from the garden.

This early cropping variety is ready to eat just 57 days from transplant and keeps going all season long. The plants are heavy producers, so will need plenty of support from a trellis or cage, and are resistant to common diseases, like verticillium and fusarium wilts. If you're a beginner, then growing Early Girl tomatoes is a great place to start.

4. Glacier

Producing ripe fruit in as little as 50 days from transplant, Glacier is an ultra-early determinate heirloom variety that thrives in cool climates, fruiting in temperatures where most other varieties struggle.

The tomatoes are small to medium-sized and have a surprisingly developed flavor that belies their speedy growth rate. Reminiscent of peak summer tomatoes, Glacier have a rich, complex flavor that beautifully balances sweetness and acidity. While not technically a paste tomato, its meaty texture makes it perfect for sauces as well as slicing.

In addition to a speedy harvest, Glacier produces a generous crop and is resistant to diseases including verticillium wilt, fusarium, tobacco mosaic virus, and rust.

5. Fourth of July

True to its name, Fourth of July is one of the earliest slicing tomatoes, ripening in as little as 50 days, meaning you can enjoy feasting on fresh homegrown tomatoes by Independence Day.

The hybrid indeterminate variety yields a generous crop of small to medium-sized bright red tomatoes that are slightly larger than cherry tomatoes and perfect for slicing. It keeps going throughout the growing season, too, continuously setting fruit.

You don’t have to compromise on flavor as Fourth of July offers a classic, well-balanced taste that’s sweet with a touch of acidity. Additionally, it’s a reliable performing tomato that’s adaptable to various climates and resistant to verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, root-knot nematodes, and tobacco mosaic virus.

6. Gregori’s Altai

For a reliable early beefsteak tomato, you can’t beat Gregori’s Altai. This superb indeterminate heirloom variety flourishes in cooler climates and produces ripe fruit in just 55-60 days after transplanting.

While most early tomatoes are on the smaller side, Gregori’s Alti are large, attractive pink-red beefsteaks that boast a complex deep yet sweet flavor that’s perfectly balanced. Plants are vigorous and highly productive, fruiting throughout the season.

What’s more, the variety is adaptable to both cooler and warmer climates, and has strong resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and nematodes.