How To Grow Tomatoes At Home

Tomatoes are the #1 garden crop in America, and for good reason. They're rewarding to grow, taste incredible fresh, and produce abundantly. Use this interactive checklist to track your progress from seed to harvest.

Choosing Tomato Varieties

Determinate (bush): Compact plants, fruit ripens all at once. Great for canning. Examples: Roma, San Marzano.

Indeterminate (vining): Keeps growing and producing until frost. Great for fresh eating. Examples: Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, Sungold.

Common Tomato Problems

Blossom end rot: Dark spots on bottom of fruit. Caused by inconsistent watering (not calcium deficiency). Fix: water deeply and evenly.

Cracking: Splits in skin after rain. More common in thin-skinned varieties. Pick fruit early if heavy rain is coming.

When Are Tomatoes Ready to Pick?

Pick when fruit is fully colored and gives slightly to gentle pressure. Tomatoes ripen off the vine. Pick them at "breaker" stage (first color change) if critters are eating them.