Want to grow tomatoes but you’re not sure where to start? Tried before and failed? Join us to learn all of the tips and tricks to successfully grow tomatoes from start to finish, even if you think you have a black thumb! In this post, we will help you choose the best variety, learn all the secrets to planting, growing, and harvesting. We will even share some insights into preservation.

Fresh Tomatoes Are the Best Tomatoes

Growing up, I hated fresh tomatoes. I would diligently pick even the smallest specks from whatever was served to me. Sometimes, I want to go back in time and shake younger Mariah and ask her, “What are you thinking? Tomatoes are delicious!” I think my tomato aversion was probably due to the fact that my family only ever purchased store bought tomatoes.

I still remember the day that I changed my mind about tomatoes. I was about 20 years old and was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Canada. While visiting an avid gardener one warm summer evening, he took us out to see his garden. He plucked a tomato from a vine and encouraged me to take a bite. I politely refused and when he insisted that nothing was better than a freshly picked tomato, I took a tentative bite.

My life was never the same after that. I now eat tomatoes with enthusiasm and I love trying new varieties in my garden. Just today, I was drooling over some new varieties on a website, dreaming about what I want to plant in my fall garden.

Choosing the Best Tomato Variety for Your Garden

Are you ready to choose which type of tomato to plant in your garden? Well, get ready- there are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes to choose from. Yes, you really did just read that correctly. So. Many. Options.

So, how is a gardener suppose to choose which type of tomato from a list of 10,000? The good news is that we can break all 10,000 varieties into smaller groups that will help narrow your search.

All tomatoes fall into two different categories- determinate and indeterminate. Let’s talk about what that means:

Determinate tomatoes produce all of their tomatoes at about the same time, which means that once tomatoes start to grow on their top buds, the plant stops growing. They tend to be smaller and usually won’t grow to be taller than 3-4 feet. These tomatoes are also referred to as short vine tomatoes. Most store bought tomatoes are determinate and this variety is perfect if you want to grow tomatoes for canning or other preservation purposes.

Indeterminate tomatoes will produce tomatoes all season long. This allows you to enjoy tomatoes in small batches, rather than just one large crop. They will grow larger vines… they will grow to be up to 6 feet tall, hence their nickname- long vine tomatoes. Most tomatoes that you will find growing in home gardens are indeterminate and rumor has it that they are the tastier option as well.

After you have decided if you want a determinate or indeterminate tomato, you can decide which sub-category of tomato to choose from.

Depending on who you talk to, tomatoes fall into a variety of categories. For simplicity, we are going to break the tomatoes into these categories.

Snacking Tomatoes: These tomatoes are often referred to as grape of cherry tomatoes. Their name describes them perfectly. They are about the size of grapes or cherries and grow in clusters. Not only do these varieties do great in containers, but they are also a bit more durable than tomatoes from other varieties, which makes them a great started tomato!

Salad Tomatoes: Are slightly larger than snacking tomatoes, but are still on the smaller side. These tomatoes tend to be juicy and a little bit on the tart side.

Slicing Tomatoes: You may had heard some of these tomatoes referred to as beefsteak tomatoes, but this category includes some smaller varieties as well. These tomatoes are meaty and the perfect size for slicing and putting on sandwiches and hamburgers. Beefsteak tomatoes can be large and in charge… they tend to weigh between one and three pounds. What does one do with a three pound tomato, I wonder?

Sauce/Paste Tomatoes: These tomatoes are often referred to as Roma or plum tomatoes. These tomatoes are about the size of a plum and oblong or oval shaped. They are ideal for making sauce or paste because they have a lot of meat and little juice and seeds.

Please note that tomatoes don’t just come in shades of red, either. They can be green, yellow, orange, brown, purple, and even blue!

I am growing three heirloom varieties in my garden this year- I have one cherry tomato plant, two San Marzano plants, and two Rosso Sicilian plants. San Marzanos are an indeterminate sauce tomato and a must have for my Italian husband who loves to cook pasta sauce from scratch.

The Rosso Sicilians were a pleasant surprise to me… I have been finding a lot of delight in growing these so far. They are considered a sauce tomato as they are smaller in size and are frequently used to make sauce, but they make excellent slicing tomatoes as well. Some sources claim these are determinate, but most claim they are indeterminate. I’ll let you know what they are. But they are growing beautifully!

How to Grow Tomatoes (aka How Not to Kill Tomatoes)

Tomatoes need a long growing season, so be sure to start the seeds indoors about 6 weeks before your last frost date or purchase plants from a nursery. When you plant tomatoes, you will need to dig your hole twice as deep at the root ball and then be sure to bury about ⅔ of the plant into the soil. Why so deep? Tomatoes need a solid base under the soil to help support their massive size above the soil.

Tomatoes love the heat, but will grow best when the temperatures are below 95 degrees. They are thirsty beasts and require a fair amount of water- especially when they are in containers or raised beds.

Structural support is a must… they cannot grow properly without it. However, traditional tomato cages just won’t cut it. Be sure to do the research and then choose the best structural support for your tomatoes and your garden. Lauresa loves to use a t-post for her tomatoes. I have used a trellis in the past and am currently using a large, sturdy triangular system for my tomatoes. Do structural support options have you stumped? We give you all the details in our book the Black Thumb Garden Club Workbook. Check it out here!

Some tomatoes suffer from what is called blossom end rot. You can tell when you have blossom end rot when the bottom tips of the fruit looked decayed while they are growing. The issue is caused by a lack of calcium. Use calcium rich fertilizer often to help prevent this. You can also spray the plants regularly with a spray called Rot Stop. It works wonders!

Also be sure to keep the bottom leaves off the ground. Constant contact with the ground can lead to disease.

How (and When) to Harvest Tomatoes

Tomatoes taste best when they are allowed to ripen on the vine. In other words- don’t pick them until they have matured to the right color. Some gardeners will trim off the vine with the tomatoes while they are still green and allow them to ripen on a kitchen counter, as red juicy tomatoes are quite tempting for little bugs.

Tomato Preservation and Storage

Tomatoes can be dried and canned. I can my sauce tomatoes whole with some lemon and tomato juice. This method allows me to use my water bath canner. We go into more detail in The Black Thumb Garden Club Workbook. If you are eager to get going, I use a recipe from “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving”.