Growing guide

How to Grow Tomatoes

The most popular home garden crop — warm-season, sun-loving, and endlessly rewarding.

The basics

What tomatoes need

• Sun — Full sun (6–8+ hours)
• Water — 1–2 inches per week, deep and consistent
• Harvest in 55–85 days from transplant
• Difficulty — Easy

When to plant

Time it from your frost date

• Start indoors: 6–8 weeks before your last frost
• Transplant: 1–2 weeks after last frost, once nights stay above 50°F
• Direct sow: Not recommended in most zones — start indoors
• Best in Zones 3–11 (as a warm-season annual)

How to plant

Three steps to a strong start

• 1. Start seeds indoors ¼ in deep at 70–75°F under bright light 6–8 weeks before your last frost.
• 2. Pot up seedlings once they have two sets of true leaves to build strong roots.
• 3. Harden off over 7–10 days, then transplant after the last frost, burying two-thirds of the stem to root along…

Common problem

Blossom-end rot (black sunken bottoms)

Caused by inconsistent watering and calcium uptake — mulch and water evenly; avoid letting soil dry out.

Common problem

Cracking fruit

From irregular watering after dry spells — keep moisture steady and mulch.

Harvest

Picking tomatoes right

Pick when fruit is fully colored but still firm, harvesting every 2–3 days. Vine-ripened fruit has the best flavor; ripen the last green tomatoes indoors before frost.

Gardeners ask

How much sun do tomatoes need?

At least 6–8 hours of direct sun a day. More sun means more fruit and better flavor.

Keep growing

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Planting dates for your USDA zone, spacing, companions, every common problem — free on Plants by Zone.

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