How To Grow Tomatoes From Seed To Harvest (Video)

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Learn how to grow tomatoes from seed to harvest in your own home garden with this step-by-step guide showing you all you need to know from planting through harvest and even preservation.  Learning when and how to plant tomatoes has a lot to do with how many pounds you’ll have at harvest time.  Tomatoes are fairly easy to grow providing they have good soil, are trellised properly and kept weed free.  Growing tomatoes is also an important step in growing the food to fill your pantry.  If I could only grow one vegetable, it would be tomatoes.  I can nine different kinds of tomatoes and tomato sauce for my homestead pantry. And from these jars of tomatoes I make many different meals to feed my family.

How We Use Tomatoes

There’s nothing I love more than a fresh tomato right off the vine in the summertime.  I could eat tomato sandwiches everyday, and in fact we do eat them quite often in the summer because they are such an easy meal.  Tomatoes are delicious on bruschetta, in fresh salsa or caprese salad, on a salad with fresh lettuce from the garden, or to make fresh tomato soup or pasta sauce.  Cherry tomatoes are also delicious in a chicken cream sauce over sourdough pasta, or on pesto pizza with a sourdough crust.  The list goes on and on.  

As I mentioned we preserve nine kinds of tomato products for our homestead pantry…

• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
• Tomato Ketchup
• Canned Tomatoes
• Home Canned Salsa
• Canned Vegetable Soup
• Goulash Sauce
• V8 Juice
• Tomato Sauce
• BBQ Sauce

and from those things we can make countless meals during the wintertime like…

• Tomato Soup
• Vegetable Beef Soup
• Chips and Salsa
• Goulash
• Lasagna
• Spaghetti
• Baked Spaghetti
• BBQ Beef Sandwiches
• Chili
• And more.

This is why tomatoes are such an important crop to grow when seeking to become self-sufficient with your food.  

Why You’ll Like Growing Tomatoes

It is so rewarding to pick the first ripe tomato right off of the vine, and eat food that only your hands have touched.  To place it on a slice of homemade bread with some homemade mayo and lettuce from the garden, will give you such a feeling of satisfaction, not to mention it will be delicious.  Tomatoes that you grow in your own garden will be far superior in texture and taste compared to store-bought tomatoes that are hard and tasteless.  If you’ve ever eaten a home grown tomato, you’ll know what I mean.  

Tomatoes are easy to grow as long as you have a plan for keeping them weed free, and trellised so they are easy to harvest.  Tomatoes will produce many pounds of fruit for very little effort compared to some other crops.  It’s very satisfying to watch tiny seeds sprout and turn into beautiful green plant starts.  Then transplant those little starts out into the garden, and watch them grow into huge vines loaded down with fruit in a short amount of time.  I’m always amazed at how the garden landscape changes from bare dirt in the spring, to such a vibrant green jungle by summer’s end.

Varieties Of Tomatoes

There are many different varieties of tomatoes that are grouped into two main categories.

Determinate Varieties

Determinate tomatoes are compact with a bush like growth habitat, and stop growing once they get a certain size.   Their fruit also tends to ripen all at the same time.  These are great tomatoes for growing in pots, or in a smaller garden area.  

There are many good determinate tomato varieties.  Some of my favorites are San Marzano (roma type), Celebrity and Bush Goliath.

Indeterminate Varieties

Indeterminate tomatoes are vining tomatoes that continue to grow, flower and produce fruit until they are killed by the first frost.  They produce fruit over several months and will produce more pounds of fruit than determinate tomatoes.  Indeterminate tomato plants require more extensive staking or trellising than determinate tomatoes, and often require pruning.  They are excellent for greenhouse production, but can successfully be grown in your home garden as well.  Indeterminate tomatoes are my favorite to grow because of how much they produce and the varieties available to grow.  My favorite varieties include Cherokee Purple, Big Beef, Black Krim, Delicious, Goliath, Sunny Goliath (yellow), German Johnson, Amish Paste (roma type) and Sun Gold (cherry). 

Hybrid Or Heirloom Tomatoes

 Hybrid tomatoes are created by growers intentionally crossbreeding two different tomato varieties to achieve specific desirable traits like disease resistance or high yield.  While an heirloom tomato is a variety that has been cultivated for many years without crossbreeding, resulting in a unique flavor profile and often a wider variety of shapes and sizes, but potentially less disease resistance compared to hybrids; essentially, hybrid tomatoes are “designed” while heirlooms are naturally selected over time.  I prefer to grow hybrids in my market garden because they are more disease resistant and have consistently higher yields.  However, I enjoy growing some heirloom tomatoes like Cherokee Purple for it’s unique color and flavor.

Two Ways To Source Tomatoes

Purchase Plants From Local Garden Centers

If you are a beginner gardener, I would strongly suggest that you purchase tomato plants from a local greenhouse.  Starting your own plants is fairly simple, but if you don’t harden them off correctly, they can be difficult to transplant into the garden.  Purchasing hardy tomato plants from a nursery or greenhouse will get you off to a good start in raising your first garden.  I purchased my plants for a long time before I had room for my seed starting racks in my basement.

Grow Tomato Plants From Seeds Indoors

If you plan to start your tomato plants from seed yourself, below are the details you’ll need to be successful.

Starting Tomato Plants From Seed

Tomatoes do best when the seeds are started indoors and later transplanted out into the garden.  This gives you a jump on the growing season meaning you’ll be harvesting your tomatoes sooner. This also helps the plants stay ahead of the weeds because they will be bigger than any weeds that germinate after the tomatoes are transplanted.

When To Plant Your Tomato Seeds Indoors

Knowing when to plant your tomato seeds indoors is important so that your plants are just the right size when it’s time to plant them out into the garden.  Having tomato plants that are too big is just as bad if not worse than having plants that are too small.  Here are my tips and tricks for understanding when and how to plant your tomato seeds indoors. 

Growing Zone

One of the first things you are going to want to find out is what growing zone you live in so that you know when your climate will be warm enough to plant outside. The USDA has developed a map that shows the different climates across the country. It is based on the weather history over the last century and they have broken the country up into growing zones.  The zone you live in will tell you how cold your winters get on average, and when you can expect to see your last frost date in the spring and first frost in the fall.  

It is also important to find other people that garden near where you live and talk to them about their experiences. Sometimes there is microclimates within the USDA hardiness zones that can be warmer or colder depending on elevation and many other factors.  Over time you will get comfortable with growing a garden in your environment.  Keep in mind that the USDA hardiness zones are based on averages, so before I plant anything outdoors that is sensitive to frost, I always check the 10 day weather forecast to make sure it won’t be near freezing temperatures at night.

Average Last Frost Date

To find out your average last frost date, visit https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates and enter your zip code to find out when you can expect to have your last frost in the spring.  After this date, you can safely plant out all of your heat loving plants like tomatoes and peppers.  Keep in mind that the last frost dates are based on averages over many years. Before I plant anything outdoors that is sensitive to frost, I always check the 10 day weather forecast to make sure it won’t be near freezing temperatures at night.

Free Garden Planning App – Seedtime

My favorite tool for determining exactly when to start seeds indoors is a free garden planning app called Seedtime.  It takes all the guesswork out of figuring out when to start planting seeds indoors. Once you know when your average last frost date is in the spring, you can put that information into Seedtime.  The app takes into account cool season versus warm season crops and based on your average last frost date, tells you when to start your seeds indoors.  It also tells you when to transplant them outside and when to plan on cultivating and harvesting your crops.  Seedtime will also tell you when to plant the crops into your garden that prefer to be direct seeded like potatoes, carrots and corn.  Click here to start using this free online gardening app today.

Tips For Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors

Light

In order to have healthy seedlings, they need to get plenty of light.  You can put your plants in a sunny window, but they oftentimes will get leggy because they aren’t getting enough light.  I suggest you put together my DIY Seed Starting Setup, and grow all your seedlings under lights.  You can easily set it up in your house, which will keep your plants warm enough and will ensure they get enough light.  I turn the lights on when I get up in the morning and turn them off at night when I go to bed.  As long as the seedlings are getting more than 12 hours of light per day, they will grow just fine.

Temperature

Tomatoes like to be warm which is why they grow best outside during the summer months.  They prefer to grow between 75 and 90 degrees, with nighttime temperatures that stay above 60 degrees.  However, tomatoes can grow with day time temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s.  As long as it doesn’t get much below 50 degrees at night, they will continue to grow, although they will grow more slowly at cooler temperatures.  The best place to grow your tomatoes on your DIY Indoor Seed Starting Rack is in your house because the tomatoes will be happy at room temperature.  Some people start their seeds in their basement where it can be cooler, and that works fine too.

The cooler it is the slower the tomatoes will grow.  So my house is a constant 72 degrees because we have in floor radiant heat.  My tomato plants are ready to transplant outside 30-40 days after seeding when grown in a these temperatures that stay steady even at night.  If you’re starting your tomatoes in a greenhouse where it’s cooler at night than it is during the day, your tomatoes may take 1 to 2 weeks longer to be ready to transplant.  It’s better to transplant them when they are smaller than larger, so err on the side of less time before transplant time.

Soil Blocks

Making soil blocks, which is the process of molding potting soil into cubes for the purpose of starting seeds, is an easy and efficient way to start your vegetable and flower seeds.  It promotes vigorous root growth and healthier seedlings that won’t experience transplant shock when planted out into the garden.  It also reduces plastic waste, because you don’t have to use any of those disposable plastic trays traditionally used for starting seeds.  Learn all about how to make your own soil blocks here.

How To Plant Tomato Seeds

When it’s time for you to plant your seeds, make your soil blocks or fill your seed starting trays with soil.  I prefer to make 2 inch soil blocks.  50 of them will fit into a 10 inch x 20 inch growing tray.

Drop two tomato seeds into each soil block.  That way if one of them doesn’t germinate, the other one most likely will.  This will ensure that you have full trays when it’s time to transplant out into the garden.  Sprinkle about a ¼” of potting soil over the tomato seeds so they will feel like they are in the dark.  

Water gently using warm water and cover the soil blocks with a plastic dome.  If you’re starting a lot of seeds, just stack the trays on top of each other and cover with a plastic bag or plastic sheet to lock in the moisture.  You don’t want them to dry out.  You shouldn’t have to water them again until they germinate. If the top of the soil starts looking dry, you can mist them again with water.

Tomato seeds like to germinate in a warm dark place.  I usually stack my tomato trays in our warm mechanical room until they germinate.  Be sure to check them everyday, because you’ll want to get them under lights as soon as they pop up out of the soil so they don’t get leggy.  Check out my DIY Indoor Seed Starting Setup here.

Once the tomato seeds germinate, water them gently and place them under the grow lights.  Adjust your lights so they are hanging a couple of inches above the tops of the plants.  You will need to raise the lights as the plants grow, but always keep them close to the tops of the plants.

Watering Soil Blocks

The best way to water seedlings in soil blocks is by bottom watering them.  I recommend making the soil blocks in a tray with holes in the bottom and then placing that tray into a shallow tray without holes in it.  This makes it really easy to pour water into the base of the tray without making a mess and allows the roots to suck up just the amount of water that they need into the soil blocks.  If you try to overheard water soil blocks, they can break apart.  When the soil blocks start drying out, add some water to the bottom tray.  It’s important to keep them moist so the plants can grow quickly.  I usually have to water mine every 1-2 days.

Transplanting Tomatoes

Transplanting is the process of taking young plants grown indoors under lights, and “transplanting” them out into the garden soil once the weather is warm enough.  The benefits of transplanting include:

1.  Crops that need a longer growing season (like tomatoes) need to be started indoors and then transplanted out especially if you have a short growing season.  Otherwise, you might not be able to harvest fruit from them before your first frost comes in the fall.  
2. It allows you to harvest produce from crops sooner because they are doing some of their growing indoors when it is still to cold for them to grow outside
3. It helps the plants to get a head start on the weeds because the weeds are growing from seed.  If you put already started plants in the ground they will naturally be bigger than the weeds. This helps shade the weeds so they don’t grow as quickly. 
4. It’s best to transplant your seedlings on a cool and cloudy day, or in the evening.  This gives the plants time to acclimate to their new environment before getting baked by the hot sun.

Landscape Fabric To Prevent Weeds

Keeping tomatoes weed free is really important for them to be able to have full access to the soil nutrients and sunlight without any competition.  I prefer to grow my tomatoes on landscape fabric (which you will see demonstrated in the video below).  It has helped me keep the weeds out of my tomatoes without having to spend time weeding on a weekly basis.  Growing on fabric also helps to make warm soil quicker in the springtime.  Pro tip:  If you’re planting in fabric, use a drill with a 2 inch auger bit for a quick and easy way to make a planting hole into the soil. I suggest you set up a weekly cultivating schedule, and use a collinear hoe or similar tool to keep the weeds out of your tomatoes.

Plant In Beds

I do most of my growing on 30” wide beds, which is what I recommend in my garden planning tutorial.  This is a better use of your space than if you are planting in rows.  For tomatoes, we just plant one row down the middle of each bed. I suggest putting 15” to 18” of space between your plants in row.  If you plant your tomatoes 18” apart in row, you can get 33 tomatoes planted in a 50’ long bed.  That is usually enough tomatoes for the average-sized family for the year, however I would plant two 50’ beds of tomatoes just because you’re gonna want some cherry tomatoes and other varieties that may not produce as many pounds for canning.  

I usually grow at least 100 tomato plants to feed my family. I don’t mind having extra tomatoes because they can always be turned back into compost.  When you are building up your homestead pantry, and need to fill a lot of jars with food, plant plenty of tomatoes!

Hardening Off Your Seedlings

About a week before it’s time to transplant your tomatoes out into the garden, you’ll want to start hardening them off. Hardening off your transplants is the process of getting your plants acclimated to growing outdoors. This is a very important step in having successful plants growing in your garden.  To do this, you will put them outside in the shade during the cooler parts of the day. Then slowly expose them to the sun and wind over a few days so they get acclimated to it and don’t get sunburned or blown over once they are out in the garden for good.  If you skip this step, your tomato seedlings can sunburn badly enough to kill them completely after they are transplanted out into the garden.

Planting Tomatoes In The Ground

Gently place each soil block into a hole in the ground (with or without fabric) that is deep enough to cover the bottom of the plant at least a couple of inches above the soil block.  If your tomatoes happen to be extra big, you can actually dig a trench and just lay the roots and lower part of the stem all into the ground.  Any part of the stem that is below the soil will turn into more roots making a healthier more robust plant.   As a general rule, smaller plants will experience less transplant shock than larger ones, and are easier to plant because you don’t have to bury as much of the stem into the soil.  You can also snip off lower leaves, as they are just suckers that won’t turn into valuable branches that produce fruit (see video).

After planting, water the seedlings well to encourage new root growth.

Watering Tomatoes

I like to water my garden with drip line because it’s an efficient way to water and I can easily control how much water the plants get.  If you don’t have a drip line set up, you can also water with a sprinkler, but tomatoes that are watered with a sprinkler or any overhead system can tend to get blight a lot sooner.  

Weeding Tomatoes

Even when growing in the fabric there will usually be a few weeds that will germinate in the holes in the landscape fabric.  I just take a few minutes and pull them out when they’re small, being careful not to pull up any tomatoes.  I usually only have to do this a couple of times before harvest time.

Pruning Tomatoes

Determinate tomatoes typically don’t need pruned as much as indeterminate tomatoes.  It’s best to prune indeterminate tomatoes so they have one main stem growing upward.  To keep them from growing many different stalks, you’ll want to prune them weekly by pinching off the “suckers” or little side shoots that grow in the “armpits” or the region between the stalk and the leaves on each side of the stem.  If you grow in a greenhouse with shade cloth to protect the fruit from sunburn, you can extensively prune the plants.  If you’re growing outside, it’s important to leave a fair amount of the foliage on the plants because it helps to shade the fruit from getting sunburned.  I still prune my plants that I grow outside a couple of times to remove any growth that is near the ground and open the plants up to airflow.  This helps to reduce blight.

Trellising Tomatoes

Tomatoes plants grow best when they are supported on a trellis.  This helps to give them good airflow, sunlight and makes them easier to harvest.  There are many ways to trellis tomatoes, depending on if you’re growing in a garden or in a greenhouse.  My favorite way to trellis tomatoes in the garden is by using the Florida Weave method shown in the video.  It’s a simple and efficient way to stake your tomatoes using only twine and T posts.  

To trellis your tomatoes using this method, pound in a T post every 5 or 6 feet down your row of plants.  Tie your tomato twine to the T Post on one end of the tomato row and lay it on one side of the tomato plants, going around each T post until you reach the end of the row.  Then come back down the other side of the row, going around each T Post, forming a basket around the plants between each post.  Go back and gently pull the tops of the tomato plants through the basket if necessary.  The video explains this in detail.

You can also use tomato cages to support each plant individually.  This works well if you are growing tomatoes in pots or are just growing a few in your garden.

If you are growing in a greenhouse, you’ll want to use a hook and wicket system or something similar which allows your tomatoes to be supported overhead and then lowered down as their fruit is harvested.  This makes harvesting easier and allows you to maximize your growing space.

Harvesting Tomatoes

Harvesting tomatoes is the fun part!  It’s best to pick the tomatoes when they turn red (or yellow depending on the variety).  When the fruit ripens on the vine, it will have the best flavor and contain the most nutrients.  For the best tomato flavor, pick your tomatoes before you water them.  When you water them, it can neutralize their flavor a bit, so I always try to harvest and then water.  To keep the tomatoes producing well its best to pick the tomatoes two or three times a week.  I usually have ripe tomatoes about 60 days after I transplant the plants out into the garden.  

Blushing Or Green Tomatoes

You can pick the tomatoes when they are blushing, meaning they are just showing a hint of color.  Lay them out in a shallow box or tray and they will ripen on their own.  This works well if you’re taking tomatoes to farmers market and don’t want to have to pick them all right before you it’s time for market.  In the fall when there is frost in the forecast and I’m not done canning tomatoes, I will just pick all the green tomatoes.  Be careful not to bruise them, because they can bruise even when they’re green.  

I layer them in boxes with a newspaper in between each layer of tomatoes.  Then I just “pick” the ripe tomatoes out of the boxes two or three times a week.  If you live in a northern climate, where your growing season is short, this is a great way to still be able to grow and harvest a lot of tomatoes.  They can ripen in the boxes for four to 6 weeks and you can “can” or freeze them as they ripen.  This a great way to fill your pantry with homegrown tomatoes even when you have a short growing season.

Preserving Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the easiest things to preserve, and in fact I recommend canning tomatoes if you are a beginner.  Here is a video I have on how to can plain tomatoes.  And as I mentioned earlier, there are nine things I preserve in my pantry from tomatoes every year.  

To learn more about how to preserve your own food, click here.

Tomato Pests

There are several pests that can injure your tomato plants, but the main ones I deal with are tomato hornworms.  They are a soft-bodied smooth caterpillar that hatches from eggs laid by moths.  I don’t usually notice them until the nights are above 70 degrees, because the moths which fly only at night, don’t come out until it’s warmer.  You will know that you have tomato hornworms because you’ll see “sticks” at the top of your tomato plants where they have chewed off the leaves on the stems.  Their favorite food is the newest leaves that have grown on the tomato plants which is why they are usually near the top of the plant, although not always.  They are green in color matching in perfectly with the tomato plants, which makes them hard to see.  Sometimes they will be 3 or 4 inches long before you notice them.  

You can either spray your plants with an organic insecticide called dipel, or just take a pair of pliers and pluck the worms off.  I find that if I walk through my tomato patch once or twice a day, that I can usually find most of them before they do to much damage to the plants.  This is why it’s so important to take a few minutes and walk through your garden daily.  You will notice things and be able to take care of them much better than if you wait a week and then find all the damage.

Here’s a great article from the almanac all about tomato hornworms.

Tomato Diseases

There are several diseases that can bother tomatoes as well, but the one that I have struggled with the most is late blight.  It’s a fungus that attacks the plant by killing the foliage from the bottom up.  It is made worse by poor airflow or lack of sunlight and sometimes dirt that gets splashed up on the plants from rain.  It can also be carried in on the wind.  Once it gets into your soil it can be hard to overcome.  

To prevent late blight, try not to overhead water your tomatoes and plant tomato varieties that are resistant to late blight.  Be sure to rotate your crops so they aren’t planted in the same soil every year.  Keep your plants are well pruned so they get plenty of sunlight and airflow.  You can also spray your tomatoes with an organic fungicide called Actinovate.  Some people have also had success spraying their plants with diluted 32% hydrogen peroxide, or even raw milk.  Even if you get blight in your tomatoes, you will still typically get a good harvest, but it may not last quite as long.  This is another reason to plant extra tomato plants. 

Blossom end rot is also a big problem for a lot of people.  It is where the blossom end, or bottom side of the tomato rots before the tomato is done ripening.  This means you have a calcium deficiency in your soil.  This can be prevented by doing a soil test and properly amending your soil.  Also be sure you’re not overwatering as that can contribute to blossom end rot as well.  You can read more about blossom end rot from the Almanac here.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here

Shop This Post:

• Landscape fabric, optional
• Propane torch – only if using landscape fabric
• Tomato seeds – can be ordered different places, but I prefer True Leaf Market, Johnny’s Seeds or Berlin Seeds
• Drip Line

FAQ:

Where Can I Purchase Tomato Seeds For Planting?

You can purchase tomatoes from seed catalogs like Johnny’s Seeds, Berlin Seeds or from True Leaf Market.  

Do Tomatoes Grow Better In Pots Or In The Ground?

Tomatoes can be grown in pots or in the ground, but typically they grow better in the ground because the soil moisture is more consistent and they have plenty of room for their roots to grow.  If you’re going to grow tomatoes in pots, be sure to grow the determinate or bush varieties that don’t grow as big as the indeterminate plants.

Should I Pinch Off Tomato Flowers?

Pick off the flowers of your tomatoes if they are trying to produce flowers soon after being transplanted into the ground. This will encourage the plant to put more energy into growing strong roots and a sturdy plant.  

How Long Does It Take To Grow Tomatoes?

Most tomato varieties start ripening 60 or 70 days after they are transplanted outdoors.  They can produce tomatoes for anywhere from 4 weeks to several months depending on the plant variety and length of your growing season

What Is The Trick To Growing Tomatoes?

Tomatoes prefer a rich well drained loose soil, they like to be trellised and to be kept free from weeds.  As long as those two conditions are present, you will grow big beautiful tomatoes. 

How Often Should I Water Tomato Plants?

When the tomato plants are first transplanted into the garden, they should be watered a little bit everyday to help their roots grow and develop.  After that you can begin watering them less until they are only getting about 1 inch of water per week.  If you can reach your hand down several inches down into the soil and feel moisture, than they probably don’t need water.  The less water you give them the more it will encourage their roots to grow in search of water.  If it is extremely hot outside and you see your plants looking stressed, then they probably need a little water.  

What Fertilizer Is Good For Tomatoes?

My favorite fertilizer for any of the plants in my garden is a liquid fertilizer called BioThrive.  I mix it up in a little sprayer and fertilize my garden plants once a week from transplant until we start to harvest.

When Is The Best Month To Plant Tomatoes?

The best month to plant tomatoes is whenever there is no longer any danger of frost.  That will vary depending on where you live.  To find out when to plant your tomatoes, use the free gardening app called Seedtime.

How Many Pounds Of Tomatoes Do You Get From One Plant?

How many pounds of tomatoes you get from one tomato plant varies greatly based on the variety and growing conditions.  You can expect to get an average of 15 to 20 pounds per plant, although you can harvest a lot more than that if you have a longer growing season and grow indeterminate tomatoes.

What Is The Best Spacing For Tomatoes?

Tomatoes can be grown as close as 15” apart providing you prune and trellis them well to allow plenty of light and airflow in the plants.  I suggest growing them on a 30” wide bed with one row of tomatoes down the center of the row.    

What Is The Best Way To Water Tomatoes?

The best way to water tomatoes is with a drip system, as overhead watering can increase the chance of blight.

Where To Plant Tomatoes In The Garden?

Tomatoes prefer to grow in full sun, in a loose, well-drained soil.  They prefer a soil PH of 6.2 to 6.8 but are widely adaptable and will grow almost anywhere.  

 It is best if the soil has good drainage and a lot of organic matter like compost in it as well.  To learn more about how I test my soil, click here.

Best Tomato Companion Plants Are: 

• Asparagus
• Basil
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Oregano

Worst Tomato Companion Plants Are:

• Cucumbers
• Brassicas
• Dill
• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Corn
• Rosemary

How Many Tomatoes Should I Plant?

How many tomato plants you should plant depends on your diet and the size of your family.  Think of how many times per week you would eat tomato products if you had them readily available.  Think of things like spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce (for tomato soup), ketchup, BBQ sauce, and salsa.  Once you get an idea of how many times a week you would eat any of these items, then multiply that number by 52 weeks in a year.  About 3 pounds of tomatoes will fit into one quart jar, and each plant grows approximately 15 pounds of tomatoes.  Some simple math will give you an idea of how many tomato plants you should plant depending on the size of your family and what you want to preserve.

How To Preserve Tomatoes?

Tomatoes can be preserved by canning, freezing or dehydrating.  I prefer canning or dehydrating because it saves room in my freezer.  However, sometimes I freeze tomatoes short term during the busy harvest season, and then thaw them out and can them on a cold and snowy day.

Tomatoes are fun, easy and rewarding to grow, and growing a lot of them gives you a greater sense of food security for the coming winter.  

I hope you try growing your own tomatoes, and let me know in the comments below which varieties you’re growing and any questions you may have.