35 Tips for Growing Tomatoes at Home

Whether you’re planning for your first home-grown tomatoes or perfecting your skills, growing tomatoes is a rewarding adventure. I’ve put together a list of 35 top tips for growing tomatoes at home (in no particular order of importance) that will help you get a great harvest.

1. Pick the Right Tomato Variety

Start by choosing the types of tomatoes that fit your space and needs. Indeterminate plants like Big Beef will give you fruit all season long. For small spaces, try determinate types, which grow into tidy bushes. If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve got a guide to tomato varieties that walks you through all the options.

2. Plant After the Last Frost

Wait until the danger of frost is over and soil temperatures hit at least 60°F before transplanting tomatoes. In many areas, that’s around late spring or early summer. Cold soil slows growth and stresses out your plants, so don’t rush it.

3. Harden Off Seedlings First

If you’ve grown your tomatoes from seed indoors, give them time to adjust to the outdoors. Harden off seedlings over 7–10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor light, wind, and temperature swings. This reduces transplant shock and helps them settle in stronger.

4. Handle Seedlings by the Leaves

When transplanting, be gentle. Always lift or move seedlings by their leaves—not the stem—to avoid damaging the most delicate part of the plant.

5. Give Them a Sunny Spot

Tomatoes need full sun—at least 6–8 hours of sunlight daily. Pick the sunniest spot in your garden for the best fruit production.

6. Use Good Soil

Use rich soil with plenty of organic matter, like compost or aged manure. Tomatoes thrive in well-draining soil with a slightly acidic pH around 6.0–6.8. It’ll help to know what type of soil you have. In heavy clay, consider planting in raised beds or mounds to improve drainage.

7. Space Plants Properly

In the ground, space determinate varieties 24–36″ apart and indeterminate types 36–48″ apart, with 3–4 feet between rows. Good airflow goes a long way in keeping diseases at bay.

8. Pick the Right Companion Plants

Certain plants just grow better with tomatoes than others. Here’s a complete guide to tomato companion plants. (Also – find out why tomatoes and marigolds make great companions.)

9. Plant Deep for Strong Roots

Tomatoes grow roots along their stems, so bury them deep, up to the first set of leaves. For tall or leggy plants, try planting at an angle in a shallow trench, leaving just the top few inches above ground.

10. Pinch Off Flowers at Planting

If your seedlings already have flowers when it’s time to plant, go ahead and pinch those blooms off. It might feel counterproductive, but it helps the plant focus on establishing roots first.

11. Add Some Starter Fertilizer

Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Add a scoop of compost or slow-release fertilizer to the planting hole. You can also water the hole with a diluted starter fertilizer or root stimulator to help the transplant process.

12. Fertilize with Calcium

Toss a handful of bone meal or another calcium-rich amendment into the planting hole. This gives your plant a leg up in preventing blossom-end rot down the road. If you use eggshells to boost calcium, crush them finely and mix them into the soil ahead of time—they take a while to break down.

13. Water Consistently

Tomatoes like evenly moist soil. They need about an inch of water per week— with even more during hot spells. (Here’s a complete guide to watering tomatoes.) Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation for automatic watering at the base of the plant to avoid getting the leaves wet.

14. But Avoid Overwatering

Overwatering can kill a tomato plant. Here are the signs of overwatering to look for.

15. Mulch for Moisture and Weed Control

Add mulch around your plants to keep moisture in and weeds out. Good options include straw, shredded leaves, or even newspaper.

16. Support Your Plants

Use tomato cages, stakes, or trellises early—right after planting—to avoid damaging roots later. Keep fruit off the ground and air flowing to avoid rot.

17. Prune Tomato Plants

For indeterminate types, pinch off suckers (those side shoots between the main stem and branches) to direct energy into fruiting. You can leave a couple if you want a double or triple-stemmed plant for higher yields—but make sure you’ve got a strong support system in place. Here’s a complete guide to tomato pruning.

18. Use the Best Fertilizer for Tomatoes

Container or in-ground, all tomatoes benefit from ongoing feeding. Use a tomato-specific fertilizer or balanced liquid feed every 2–3 weeks to keep growth steady.

19. Watch for Tomato Hornworms

These big green pests can strip a plant fast. Check the undersides of leaves often and pick them off as soon as you spot one.

20. Sanitize Tools and Cages

Don’t skip this step. Clean your tomato stakes, cages, and pruning tools each season with a diluted bleach solution to reduce disease carryover.

21. Keep Records

Keeping notes on varieties, planting dates, season details, and outcomes gives you something to check back on and can help you improve your results year after year.

22. Beware of Blossom-End Rot

It shows up as black sunken spots at the bottom of fruits and is usually caused by inconsistent watering or low calcium. Keep soil evenly moist, and don’t over-fertilize with nitrogen.

23. Monitor for Early Signs of Disease

Keep an eye out for yellowing, spotted, or curling leaves. Remove affected foliage early to slow down or stop the spread of disease. One of the worst is tomato blight, here’s how you can identify and prevent it.

24. Rotate Crops

Don’t plant tomatoes (or any other nightshades like potatoes or peppers) in the same spot year after year. Give that soil a break to keep diseases at bay.

25. Weed Regularly

Weed early and often – ideally every few days. Weeds take valuable nutrients away from your tomatoes, and besides, it just looks neater without them.

26. Thin Out Lower Leaves

As your plant grows, remove lower leaves that touch the soil. This improves airflow and makes it harder for fungal spores to spread from the ground.

27. Consider Shade Cloth in Extreme Heat

Tomatoes stop setting fruit when temps soar above 90°F. Shade cloth can cool things off just enough to keep production going.

28. Start Early for Short Growing Seasons

If your season is short, start tomato seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost date. Use a heat mat to keep soil temps in the ideal 70–85°F range.

29. Use a Soil Thermometer

Speaking of soil temps, tomatoes won’t thrive in cold dirt. A quick check with a soil thermometer saves you a lot of guesswork.

30. Harvest at the Right Time

Pick tomatoes when they’re firm and fully colored. If frost threatens or pests show up, harvest green tomatoes and ripen them indoors.

31. Harvest Often

Letting tomatoes hang around too long can lead to splitting or rot. Check plants daily once they start producing.

32. Save Seeds or Take Cuttings

If you fall in love with a variety, save seeds or root a healthy side shoot in water. It’s an easy way to keep your favorites growing from year to year.

33. Use Disease-Resistant Varieties

Look for seed packets labeled with resistance to V, F, N, and/or T (Verticillium, Fusarium, Nematodes, and Tobacco Mosaic Virus). A little resistance can go a long way.

34. Don’t Overcrowd Containers

Even with a big container, stick to one plant per pot. Crowded plants struggle and produce less fruit. (Here’s a complete guide to growing tomatoes in containers.)

35. Dispose of Plants at the End of the Season

When the season ends, pull up the entire plant, especially if it showed signs of disease. Don’t compost diseased material—it can come back to haunt you next year.

Happy Growing!

With these tips for growing tomatoes, you’ll be well on your way to a delicious crop. Whether it’s your first year growing or you’re a seasoned gardener, these tips will help you grow healthy plants and enjoy the perfect tomatoes.

If you’re looking for more detailed help, I’ve written a complete guide to caring for tomato plants.