Tips for Growing Tomatoes

If you have a garden or a few containers of vegetables each summer, chances are you plant tomatoes. They hold the distinction of being the most popular garden vegetable.

Although the most prevalent are the medium-sized red globe shape, they come in all kinds of colors, sizes and shapes.

Determinate varieties will stop growing once they reach a certain height, and all the fruit ripens over a short period of time. Indeterminate varieties grow taller—up to 6 to 8 feet—and produce fruit until frost.

Here are a few tips for planting tomatoes:

• Do not set the transplants out too early. Cool soil and air temperatures can delay fruit production.
• Plant tomato plants deeper than they were in the pot you removed them from. The deeper the better.
• Remove any small fruit on the plant when you plant it. Leaving these on the plant can stunt plant growth.
• Plant a second batch of tomato plants in late July or early August for the best fall crop of tomatoes. Spring-planted indeterminate plants will produce until frost if taken care of properly but will yield small fruit if not properly pruned throughout summer. 
• Use wooden stakes, cages, or the Florida weave method of nylon cord and wooden stakes to support plants and protect fruit from rot and sunburn.
• Prune both determinate and indeterminate plants by removing some of the branches on the plant. Plants will produce bigger fruit sooner. Indeterminate  types need more pruning than determinate types. 
• Watch out for insects and diseases. Bacterial wilt, bacterial spot, buckeye rot, early blight, and powdery mildew are some of the most common diseases. Major pests on tomatoes are aphids, thrips, stink bugs, blister beetles, fruitworms, hornworms, leaf miners, and white flies. MSU Extension Publications 3175, “Common Diseases of Tomatoes” and 2975, “Tomato Troubles: Common Problems with Tomatoes” can help you identify diseases and other problems with tomatoes.

Want to plant other vegetables? MSU Extension Publication 3616, “Mississippi Vegetable Gardener’s Guide” provides a comprehensive guide on everything from planning to harvesting a vegetable garden.

MSU Publication 3744, “Variety Recommendations for Mississippi Vegetable Gardens” can help you choose plant varieties that do well in Mississippi’s climate.