Tomato Planting Basics

The time to plant tomato plants is fast approaching. Some of us can begin planting anytime after the middle of April. (Always check with your local county extension office for the best time in your area.) Before you begin let’s cover some basics:

Plant selection is key. The group of capital letters behind the variety name on a tomato refer to disease or pest resistance. Many tomatoes are hybrids that have been bred to be resistant to common pests or diseases. Here is a quick overview of the plant codes:
V – Verticillium Wilt, 
F – Fusarium Wilt, 
FF – Fusarium, Races 1 & 2, 
N – Nematodes
, T – Tobacco Mosaic Virus,

A – Alternaria Stem Canker
, St – Stemphylium Gray Leaf Spot

There are also tomatoes available in Heirloom varieties. An heirloom is an open-pollinated (non-hybrid) cultivar of tomato. Heirlooms have a shorter shelf life and are less disease resistant than most commercial tomatoes. Many gardeners feel that Heirloom tomatoes have a superior taste.

Tomato varieties come in two forms, determinate and indeterminate.
Determinate tomatoes reach a certain plant height and then stop growing, with most fruit borne over a four to six week period. 
Indeterminate tomato varieties continue to grow and flower throughout the season, but have less mature fruits at any one time.


The maturity date on tomato and vegetable plants refers to the number of days from the time plants are planted in the garden until they are ready to be harvested. 

Ideal planting conditions are when the weather has warmed and soil temperatures are above 60 degrees F. Temperatures below 50 degrees F impair tomato growth.

Ideally, tomatoes should be planted so that 2/3 of the plant is buried in the ground. Remove all the leaves on the portion of the stem that will be under ground. It may be easier to lay the bottom 2/3 of the plant in a trench. In either case, the stem under the ground will sprout additional roots which will give the plant more stability. These planting instructions should be practiced in container gardening as well as in the garden.

Providing tomato plants with some type of stake or cage to help support the plant as it matures will ensure healthier plants. In addition, be sure to water thoroughly so that you do not cause undue stress to the plants.