When to plant

• Start seeds indoors about 7 weeks before planting out.
• Plant outdoors about 2 weeks after your average last spring frost.
• Ready to harvest about 60 days after planting out.

Earliest, most reliable tomatoes. Great for short seasons and containers.

Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.

Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b

Growing basics

Toxic parts. Leaves and stems are mildly toxic. Eat the fruit only.

Harmful to pets. Leaves, stems, and green fruit can make cats and dogs sick.

Sun

Full sun (6+ hours)

Spacing

24–36 in

Soil temperature

At least 60°F

Time to harvest

About 60 days

Containers

At least 5 gallons

Plant family

Tomato family (nightshades)

Harvest per plant

About 8 lb

Seeds keep

About 4 years

Caged or staked. Pruned to a single stem and tied to a trellis, you can fit 1 per square along the trellis.

Companions

Good neighbors: Basil, Marigold, Carrot, Borage, Parsley

Keep apart: the cabbage family (brassicas). Cabbage-family crops and tomatoes compete and can stunt each other.

Keep apart: Potato. Potatoes share blight with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.

Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.

Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.

Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.

Varieties to try

• Sungold 57 days: very sweet orange cherry
• Juliet 60 days: grape tomato, crack-resistant
• Sweet Million 65 days: long clusters of red cherries
• Black Cherry 65 days: dark, rich flavor

Pests and problems

Grow it well

• Make a self-watering bucket planter
• Stake tomatoes with the Florida weave

Tips

• Water tomatoes evenly. Dry spells followed by a soaking cause blossom end rot and split fruit. Steady moisture, held in with mulch, prevents both.
• Plant tomatoes deep. Tomatoes grow roots all along a buried stem. Pinch off the lower leaves and bury the stem up to the top few sets of leaves. A deeper root system means a sturdier plant that needs less water.
• Know if a tomato is bush or vining. Bush (determinate) tomatoes stop at about 3 to 4 feet and ripen most of their fruit within a few weeks, which is handy for canning. Vining (indeterminate) ones keep growing and fruiting until frost, and need tall stakes or cages.

All 15 tips for cherry tomato →

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