

You can also direct-seed your tomatoes in garden soil, but be sure that the soil temperature is at least 55☏ (70☏ soil is optimum). You can then plant them about two weeks after the last frost or when day and night temperatures remain in the mid-50s. If you decide to start your tomatoes from seed, sow them in indoor nurseries approximately six weeks before the last frost. Check with your local university coop extension service (find yours here) to learn the estimated last frost date in your area. In the US, the last frost date is drastically different depending on the region, ranging from late February to early May. There's truly no trying to rush it because a frost will kill them. The proper month to plant tomatoes depends on your climate and location! Tomatoes are warm-weather plants that need a lot of sunlight, so they should go into the ground or pots after the danger of frost has passed.


And don't forget a pair of hardy gardening gloves!įunwithfood // Getty Images What month do you plant tomatoes?
#Transplant tomato seedlings how to
Now that you understand the different types of tomatoes, read on for everything you need to know about how to grow your own tomatoes. Dwarf types stay nice and compact, so they’re a good choice for containers. Indeterminate types keep growing and producing until a frost, so they can reach 10 feet or more they will need staking to support them! Determinate types have fruit that generally ripens in a narrow time frame and top out at three to four feet tall. Read the plant tag or description to figure out what growing conditions are needed. That's just a fancy way of saying whether the tomato you're looking to plant is a type that will develop into a long, sprawling vine or if it'll stay more compact. "They have dominant flavors and a host of nuances."Īs you think about which variety to buy, one of the first things to understand is "growth habit," so you can know if you have the space for the particular type. Now that's what a real tomato tastes like! "They're the perfect crop because they have an amazing diversity of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors," says Craig LeHoullier, author of Epic Tomatoes: How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time. There are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes, and you'll never be able to go back to store-bought once you've had a juicy, flavorful bite of one harvested from your own vine. It doesn't matter if you're a city dweller with a tiny balcony or a rancher with a huge country backyard-anyone can learn how to grow tomatoes with the right gardening tools and conditions.
