• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Little Learners
  • Unschooling
  • Adoption
  • Family Fun

Life With Joanne

#FloridaBlogger | Photo-taker | Native New Yorker | Wife, Mom to 3, Mom-Mom to 2, Pet mama to 4 cats + a 22 yr old iguana | #RealLife

You are here: Home / Dining + Food / Tips For Growing Tomatoes (Especially If You Never Have Before!)

Leave a Comment

Tips For Growing Tomatoes (Especially If You Never Have Before!)

Share
Tweet
Pin3

How to grow tomatoes

The number one vegetable grown every year is tomatoes. People grow the small grape tomatoes to toss into their salads, Roma tomatoes are known for the robust flavor in sauces, and the big boys like Beefsteak which are best sliced to top a burger or as part of a Capresi salad with balsamic vinegar and mozzarella cheese. So many tomatoes… so little time. It doesn’t matter what part of the country you live in, you can grow your own tomatoes like a pro.

When do you plant tomatoes?

First, you need to know how long your growing season is to determine what kind of tomatoes to start with. If you have no idea, check out this plant hardiness zone chart. If you have a short growing season, choose seeds or plants that will set fruit quickly, if you have a longer growing season you can choose any type you want.

Tomato seeds or transplants?

Next, decide if you want to invest the time into growing from seed as it can take 4-6 weeks to get the plant ready to transplant into your garden. The great thing about seeds though is that you can purchase roughly 100 seeds for less than $5 and get the exact type of tomato that you want. Whereas if you start with a transplant, you can normally buy a six-pack of tomatoes for about $4 and you are limited to what the growers have sold to the nurseries in your area. The great thing about transplants though is that you can plant them the same day you buy them! Instant garden!

Grow tomatoes in containers

If you are planting your tomatoes in a container, it needs to be a minimum of 3 gallons, with 5 gallons being preferred. Tomato plants have a healthy root system and need a lot of soil to draw the nitrogen from. If you are planting in the ground or in a raised bed, plant them at least 12” apart in all directions. Gently tease the roots out of the container, lay gently in the hole and then pack the soil firmly around the roots. Water them in deeply after planting. If you are using a container, keep watering until the water runs out of the drainage holes on the bottom. The key to successful watering is to water slow and deep rather than fast and shallow.

Caring for tomato plants

Tomatoes are heavy eaters of nutrients, especially during their growth and fruiting stage. In the starting soil, add in bone meal and blood meal to the potting soil. Both of these fertilizers are organic and the bone meal provides the food that the roots need and the blood meal provides the nutrients for the leaves and fruit. I add in one tablespoon of each every two weeks during the growing season. Since it is organic, the plant will uptake what it needs and no more. If you use synthetic fertilizers, read the directions so you don’t burn the plant.

Tomato cages work best to keep the plant upright and the developing fruit off of the ground. As the plant grows larger, gently pull the stems around the cage. If needed, use a twist tie or floral tape to get them to grow on the cage. If growing red tomatoes, keep them on the vine until they ripen for a sweeter tomato and take off when slightly green for a tarter taste.
Enjoy your homegrown tomatoes!

Tips for growing tomatoes

Share
Tweet
Pin3

Filed Under: Dining + Food, Spring Tagged With: spring

About Joanne Greco

Joanne Greco is a wife, mom to five and pet mama to four cats + a 24-year-old iguana. On her family lifestyle blog, Life With Joanne she writes about Florida living, adoption, unschooling and more.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicole Brady says

    April 19, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    We grow tomatoes every year. It’s the one thing I can eat without getting tired of! We have a small garden with the basics of lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and onions. Love it!

    Reply
  2. Malia says

    April 19, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    Great post! I’ve been wanting to start a garden, and we actually bought some tomato seeds but haven’t planted them yet. I’m not much of a gardener unfortunately.

    Reply
  3. Rebekah says

    April 19, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Great tips! We used to grow our own tomatoes. Was planning on doing it this year now that we’re in VA, but apparently we have some laws against personally grown produce. o.O

    Reply
  4. Mandy says

    April 12, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    One day I am going to plant a small garden, as much as I want it to be this year I know it will not be. But my husband would love for us to have homegrown tomatoes!

    Reply
  5. Debbie L. says

    April 12, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    I can hardly wait to plant our garden. May is our planting month.

    Reply
  6. Debbie Denny says

    April 12, 2014 at 8:56 am

    I love growing my own. So nice to walk out and pick a fresh tomato for supper.

    Reply
  7. Ave says

    April 5, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    I really love tomatoes and I eat them daily 😀 I want to try to grow them on my balcony. Let’s see how it goes 😀

    Reply
  8. Jessica Beal Harlow says

    April 5, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    I am definitely looking forward to growing season! It’s been such a LONG winter…I can’t wait to get playing in the dirt. We grow the biggies like beefsteaks and also make sure to have some cherry or plum tomato varieties too.

    Reply
  9. Kelly Hutchinson says

    March 30, 2014 at 1:37 pm

    I would love to grow my own tomatoes. I am the only one who eats them around here so growing them would be cheaper!

    Reply
  10. Debi says

    March 30, 2014 at 11:39 am

    We always grow tomatoes every year. I like to make my own sauce with them

    Reply
  11. Mitch says

    March 30, 2014 at 11:38 am

    I did try this last year in my apartment but had only 1 tiny tomato grow! I used to love gardening when I wa growing up in suburbia!
    thanks for the reminder,
    Mitch

    Reply
  12. Angela S says

    March 30, 2014 at 9:26 am

    I am doing a salad and herb garden this spring, and will definitely be growing some tomatoes.

    Reply
  13. Stefani says

    March 30, 2014 at 8:16 am

    A couple years ago I grew a small little garden with tomatoes and I was so excited when they were ripe enough to eat.
    This year I want to do a garden again with my main focus as tomatoes.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 25 Must Read Gardening Helps - Sarah Titus ~ Saving Money Never Goes Out of Style says:
    April 22, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    […] Grow Your Own Tomatoes // SpringAndKids […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Click to hear my welcome message to you!

https://lifewithjoanne.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/welcomeaudio.m4a

Interviewed + Quoted

Topics

  • Little Learners
  • Unschooling
  • Adoption
  • Family Fun
  • Florida
  • Travel + Adventures
  • Recipes, Dining + Food
  • Home Sweet Home
  • Landlord Life
  • Growing Up Brooklyn
  • Blogging Inspiration

Imported Blogs

  • An Unschooling Life
  • Forever Parents

Let’s be friends!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Christmas Lights + Decorations in Brooklyn [Dyker Heights] {pt. 2}
  • Christmas Decorations in Brooklyn NY {pt. 1}
  • Day Trip To St. Augustine, Florida
  • Mint Muddy Buddies [ Fun Snack To Make With The Kids]
  • Day Trip: Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park
  • Fun Day At The Florida Aquarium
  • Butterfly Festival at the Ocala Library

Copyright © 2023 | Privacy | Terms | Disclosure