DIY Network

Tomato Selection and Planting

Gardening expert Walter Reeves offers tips on identifying the right tomatoes for your area of the country.

Q: I'm confused by all the varieties of tomato plants. Can you help me decide what's best to plant for my area.

A: (from DIY's gardening expert Walter Reeves) Tomato plants at the garden center look pretty much the same, but there is a way to determine which are best for your part of the country. We also provide tips for planting tomatoes so that you can have a great tomato harvest in the summer.

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Selecting Tomatoes

• The best information for selecting the right tomato comes on the label (figure A). Look on the label for days to maturity. The "husky cherry-red" variety (figure B), for example, takes about 65 days from planting to harvesting the first tomato. Therefore, this variety is good for the northern part of the country where the climate is colder and the growing season is shorter. For the southern regions of the country, you can select varieties with a longer duration to maturity.

  Figure A

  
  
  
• Another thing to look for on the label are letter designations such as the ones on our Rutgers variety tomato (figure C). The letters V, F, N and T all stand for diseases to which that variety of tomato is resistant. Look for varieties that are disease-resistant.

• Also check the label for the terms determinate and indeterminate. A determinate variety is generally fairly stocky, doesn't form a long vine, and it matures most of its fruit at about the same time. An indeterminate variety typically has a long vine, and sets its fruit throughout the summer (figure D).

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

• Remove the seedling tomato plant from its container, loosen the dirt around the roots and separate the roots slightly.

• Tomato plants can form roots along the lower portion of the stem, so you can plant the young tomatoes fairly deeply. Pinch off the lower leaves (figure E) and you can plant the tomato so that only the middle and upper portion of the plant is exposed.

• Dig a hole deep enough to plant the tomato, and sprinkle a small amount of lime into the hole (figure F). A small amount of lime mixed in with the soil will help prevent a condition known as blossom-end rot. Use caution not to add too much lime, and mix thoroughly with the soil to prevent the lime from burning the roots.

  Figure E

  Figure F

  
  
• Set the tomato in the hole and cover the roots and lower portion of the plant loosely with dirt. Research indicates that red mulch underneath tomato plants helps the plants grow larger, produce more fruit and may help drive away insects. That's why some growers use red plastic ground-cloth in their tomato gardens (figure G).

• Water your tomato as soon as it's planted. Watering your tomato plants in the morning, so that the leaves dry in the afternoon, also helps prevent leaf diseases. In the summer, tomatoes need to be watered regularly. The soil should drain well so that it doesn't remain wet, but it should be watered frequently.

• For fertilizer, you may choose to use one of the chemical varieties (figure H) or an organic fertilizer, typically made from manure. Check the directions that come with your fertilizer to determine how frequently to use it.

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  
• Tomato cages (figure I) come in a variety of styles, but the function of all of them is to support and protect the tomato plant as it grows larger. Be sure to stake your tomato cages down with heavier stakes or posts to prevent them from blowing over -- along with the plant -- in the event of high winds.

  For smaller tomato plants, bamboo stakes may be sufficient (figure J) until the plant grows larger.

  Figure I

  Figure J

  
  

  Figure K

  Stretchable green tape, available at garden centers, is ideal for tying tomato vines to bamboo stakes (figure K) or to cages. The tape is easy to knot and it stretches easily so it won't cut into the stem as the plant grows.
  As long as you choose the right variety for your area of the country, and plant and care for your plants appropriately, you should have a healthy harvest of tomatoes this summer.