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Tomatoes are a very-tender vegetable that grows best in warm weather.
Spring Planting
Tomatoes take a long time to grow from seed to fruit. In most areas there is not enough time to grow tomatoes from seeds before the weather gets too cold in the fall. Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the frost date, or purchase transplants.
Transplants are ready when they have 5-7 true leaves. Harden off and transplant outside 2 weeks after the frost date. Tomatoes can be planted very deeply, for the “fuzzy stem” will grow into roots if placed in the earth and watered.
Fall Planting
Tomatoes require average night time temperatures of 55°F to set fruit, so even in areas without frost it is unlikely you can grow them during the winter.
Soil and Fertilizer
Tomatoes grow best in a rich soil; amend with lots of compost and fertilizer (chemical or organic) at planting and up to every 4 weeks after that.
Fertilizer: Apply 16-16-8 at planting. Apply a fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in phosphorous when fruit sets and repeat up to every 4 weeks. I like to use this Fertilome Blooming and Rooting (9-59-8), it really seems to promote flowering and fruiting of the plant. The Fertilome Gardener’s Special (11-15-11) would also be a good choice.
Organic boosts: Save egg shells and allow them to dry. Combine 1 dozen egg shells with 1 gallon of water, allow to steep for 24 hours. Water the tomato plants and discard the egg shells (or add to your compost pile). Repeat as often as you wish, up to every 3 weeks.
Combine 2 Tablespoons Epsom salts (purchase in the shampoo section of the store) with 1 gallon of water. Apply to leaves via a spray bottle and/or pour on the soil, about 2 cups per plant. Repeat as often as you wish, up to every 3 weeks.
Growing Habit and Support
There are 3 types of tomatoes: Determinate, Semi-Determinate, and Indeterminate.
Determinate
Determinate tomatoes or “bush” tomatoes probably do not need support. They will grow in a compact space and produce their crop all at once. This type should not be pruned. Determinate tomatoes require 24″ spacing, or 4 squares. You can offer them support with a normal tomato cage, but it is not necessary.
Semi-Determinate
Semi-Determinate tomatoes grow bigger, and will likely need support. A sturdy tomato cage, staking, or trellising will work. Read more about supporting tomatoes. Once semi-determinate tomatoes reach a certain size, they will stop growing and producing.
I recommend this type of tomato cage for semi-determinate tomatoes. The cages can be shorter than 5′ and still provide enough support. Using this method allows you to grow them in 4 square feet per plant, 24″ spacing.
If you grow semi-determinate plants on a trellis or stake them, you can grow them in 1 square as long as you prune them religiously.
Without any support, semi-determinate tomatoes will take up 6-9 squares of space.
Indeterminate
Indeterminate tomatoes or “vining” tomatoes will continue to grow and produce until the season gets too cold. Without support, this type of tomato will require up to 9 square feet per plant. If you grow them on a vertical trellis or stake them, you can provide just one square foot per plant, but this requires pruning them almost daily.
I recommend this type of tomato cage for indeterminate tomatoes. The cages allow the plants to grow upwards, even up to 6 feet tall and requires only 4 square feet per plant.
| Determinate | Semi-Determinate | Indeterminate |
|---|---|---|
| Better Bush Celebrity Early Wonder Marglobe Red Robin (cherry) Roma Rutgers Tiny Tim (cherry) |
Celebrity Mountain Pride Peacevine Roma VF |
Beefmaster Better Boy Brandywine Champion Big Girl Early Girl Jet Star Juliet (grape) Lemon Boy Sweet 100 (cherry) |
Harvest
Harvest fruits as they ripen.
More Resources
- Tomato Reference Sheet (Utah Extension Service)
- Pruning Tomatoes
- Building Tomato Cages
- Supporting Tomatoes
- Recipe: Fresh Salsa
- Recipe: Canning Salsa
- Recipe: Yummy Marinara Sauce
- Recipe: Zucchini and Cornbread
- Recipe: Veggie Lasagna
Thanks so much for this post – I spent the winter convincing my husband to switch us to raised beds so that I could start square-foot gardening. He’s agreed, but only because I bribed him with the promise of all the tomatoes he could eat this season.
I’ve been hearing and reading more and more about using red plastic “mulch” under my tomato plants, or else the red plastic bags that can be used as mini-greenhouses for the plants. Do you have any experience with any of that? In my zone, I need all the help I can get to get my tomatoes to produce.
From checking your blog, you DO live in a cold climate, and will very likely need to employ some method to extend your harvest and protect your plants to get a good output from tomatoes. The good news is, you can probably grow greens, broccoli, onions, peas LIKE CRAZY! Take advantage. Please share anything you try with tomatoes–I’m going to write soon about extending your harvest/protecting plants. Watch for it!
Do you lay your tomatoes down like Mel recommends? I’m planning to try to lay them down this year. I bought the black trays from his site to try this year, too. They’re supposed to help get better and more tomatoes. I think I’ll try the trellis with the cherry tomato like you did too. I’ve tried it with regular tomatoes, but haven’t been able to get it figured out really. Hopefully your pruning video will help me!
Carrie–I have tried planting them “sideways” and “normal” and both worked for me. If you lay them down, you have to be REALLY careful not to snap the stem. Link to the “black trays” I don’t know what those are.
I grow cherry tomatoes on a trellis (one plant for the entire trellis!) and mostly just tuck them upwards and then prune as they start growing horizontally.
I am curious about the vining tomatoes- on the list page of how many plants per square, it says plant 1 tomato plant per square (I am assuming that is when using a cage) but above it says when using a cage 4 squares are required per plant. Thanks for any info! I just purchased some Early Girl tomatoes.
You can grow vining (indeterminate) tomatoes in one square with a vertical trellis, 4 squares with a tomato cage, or 9 squares unsupported.
I take it you are applying the 9-59-8 by soil application method, right? (dumb question I image). I was wondering if I should do this to my tomatoes. Does it help the tomatoes flower? It has been a hard year here in Utah for flowering.
Soil Application: Dissolve 2 tablespoons in 1 gallon of water.
Apply 1 quart per square foot of planted area. Repeat every 7-14
days
Yes, mix with water and apply.
I read that some people recommend starting with less than 2 tablespoons er gallon. Does it matter with Mel’s mix?
Are you still growing semi-determinate and inderminate on a trellis or are you now using cages only? If i read another post correctly you recommend one tomato plant per vertical trellis, right?
Right now I’m using cages only. They take up the least amount of space.