Tomatoes: Sowing, Planting, Care, and Harvest

Description and Botany

Today, it is quite hard to imagine a vegetable garden without a tomato. Yet, this vegetable was not always considered as such. Indeed, the Solanum lycopersicum, a plant species from the Solanaceae family, was reportedly discovered in 1519 by Hernan Cortès, a Spanish navigator, explorer, and conquistador who sought fortune in the Americas. It was there, in an Aztec market in the province of Tenochtitlan in present-day Mexico, that he first saw this red fruit. A few years later, the tomato arrived in Spain, then in Italy, via the port of Naples. However, due to its relation to the toxic belladonna, scientists of the time were only interested in its medicinal properties.

It was not until 1784 that the catalogue of the Andrieux-Vilmorin house classified the tomato as a vegetable. From then on, it gained renewed popularity and entered gardens, primarily in southern regions. Then, after the French Revolution, with the arrival of Provençals in Paris, the tomato made its way into the big city. It continued to grow in popularity, becoming one of the most consumed fruit-vegetables worldwide. It is also the subject of extensive scientific and genetic research, continually enriched by new hybrids and cultivars.

The name “tomato” comes from the term “tomalt” in the Aztec dialect of Mexico. For a long time, the tomato was called the “love apple” or “golden apple.”

The tomato is a tender, herbaceous plant, perennial in warm climates but cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It is naturally a plant with indeterminate growth, meaning it grows indefinitely if the terminal buds are not pruned. However, there are also plants with determinate growth. Early in its growth, the tomato displays an upright and well-branched habit, but as it develops, it tends to sprawl and lie down. It also has a very robust root system that can extend up to 1 m underground.

The leaves of the tomato are green, alternate, odd-pinnate, composed of 5 to 7 leaflets, and deeply lobed and dentate. They are covered with simple hairs and glandular hairs that contain an essential oil with a distinctive, typical tomato scent. The angular stems are also pubescent.

The tomato flowers between spring and summer. As a hermaphroditic plant, the tomato bears flowers equipped with both male and female organs, namely the pistil and stamens. They self-fertilise simply by pollen falling onto the stigmas due to the wind (which is why tomato plants grown in greenhouses sometimes need shaking!). The axillary flowers have 5 bright yellow petals and 5 green sepals.

They give rise to berries containing a multitude of tiny seeds. These berries come in various shapes, as they can be round, elongated, horned, ribbed, fleshy, heart-shaped, striped… or even clustered in bunches. In our vegetable gardens, we also find cherry tomatoes and cocktail tomatoes.

The flesh of tomatoes can be more or less firm, crunchy, juicy, melting, or thick, with flavours ranging from tangy to acidic or sweet. Finally, while tomatoes are predominantly red, there are also yellow tomatoes like ‘Cherry Yellow’, orange ones such as the variety originating from the United States ‘Ananas’, white ones (‘White Wonder’), indigo-blue ones (‘Bosque blue’), or even green ones (‘Green Zebra’).

A small sample of the great diversity of tomatoes

The different varieties of tomatoes

Cherry and Cocktail Tomatoes

Elongated Tomatoes

Flat and Round Tomatoes

Horn Tomatoes

Large-Sized Tomatoes

The Unusual Ones

Tomato Gardeners Delight

This variety, which can grow up to 2m tall, produces long panicles of red cherry tomatoes

• Height at maturity 2,10 m

See the product sheet

Tomato Cherry Yellow

This cherry tomato variety produces round, sweet, and well-yellowed fruits

• Height at maturity 1,80 m

See the product sheet

Tomato Sweetbaby F1 Plants

This cherry tomato variety is sure to delight children: it offers small, very fragrant and sweet tomatoes

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 1,50 m

See the product sheet

Tomato Roma Plants

This tomato, a staple in Italy, produces medium-sized tomatoes perfect for sauces and cooked dishes

• Height at maturity 1,20 m

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Tomato San Marzano

This variety produces oblong fruits of a deep red, reminiscent of a small pepper. Its fruits are firm with few seeds and little juice

• Height at maturity 1,20 m

See the product sheet

Tomato Rio Grande

This ‘Roma’-type tomato offers very fleshy tomatoes with few seeds, equally delicious cooked or raw in salads

• Height at maturity 2,40 m

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Tomato Marmande Seedlings

Hard to overlook this variety with its uniquely fragrant and textured fruits. It’s an early variety suited to short summers

• Height at maturity 2 m

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Tomato Saint-Pierre Plants

A semi-late, very productive heirloom variety. It offers well-red tomatoes with firm flesh and a slightly tangy flavour

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 1,50 m

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Tomato Cherokee Purple

This heirloom variety features large fruits with dark purple skin. Its tomatoes are very tasty, juicy, and fragrant

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Tomato Cornue des Andes - Andine Cornue

This very old tomato resembles peppers. The flesh is very dense, seedless and juiceless, fragrant and sweet. It’s a semi-late variety

• Height at maturity 1,50 m

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Tomato Gagliardo F1 Grafted Plants

A semi-early, very productive and disease-resistant variety that produces fruits with little juice and no seeds

• Height at maturity 1,50 m

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Tomato Bellandine F1 Plants

This new variety is vigorous, productive, and disease-resistant. It produces low-acid, fleshy fruits

• Flowering time July to October
• Height at maturity 1,30 m

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Tomato Crimean Black plants

A variety known for its large tomatoes with a very mild flavour and brown-red to dark green flesh

• Height at maturity 2 m

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Tomato Red Russian Seedlings

A late variety with large, ribbed fruits, firm and juicy flesh, and a tasty, sweet flavour

• Height at maturity 1,80 m

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Tomato Scarlet Pumpkin

These tomatoes, which can weigh up to 600g, are heavily ribbed and offer dense, juicy, aromatic flesh, simply enhanced with a hint of acidity

• Height at maturity 2 m

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Tomato Green Zebra Tomato in seedlings

This mid-season variety offers green-striped fruits with juicy, melting, and tangy flesh

• Height at maturity 1,80 m

See the product sheet

Tomato Yellow Pear Plants

This heirloom cherry tomato is loved for its small pear-shaped fruits in a lovely orange-yellow hue. It also boasts an excellent yield

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 2 m

See the product sheet

Tomato Ananas Pineapple Plants

This variety, originating from the USA, is an old and late one. It gets its name from its orange and yellow skin and flesh, reminiscent of a pineapple

• Height at maturity 1,20 m

See the product sheet

Green Sausage Organic Tomato - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

A dwarf variety of Roma-type tomatoes with skin striped in green and yellow. The fruits are cylindrical and offer dense flesh. It’s very well-suited for drying

• Height at maturity 50 cm

See the product sheet

Tomato Orange Queen

This variety produces yellow to bright orange tomatoes with dense, juicy flesh, few seeds, and a sweet flavour

• Height at maturity 1,20 m

See the product sheet

Sowing and planting tomatoes

Where and When to Sow Tomatoes?

Whether you’ve saved your own seeds or purchased them in packets, tomato sowing should be done in a warm environment, at a temperature between 16 and 20°C. The room where the sowing takes place should also be well-lit to avoid leggy growth, which is rapid vertical growth. A conservatory is the ideal place for sowing tomatoes.

The timing largely depends on the region where you live. Generally, you should allow two months between sowing and transplanting into the ground. North of the Loire, tomatoes are planted around mid-May, once the risk of frost has passed, typically after the Ice Saints (11th, 12th, and 13th May). In contrast, south of the Loire, tomatoes can be planted as early as mid-April. Therefore, sowing takes place from mid-February to mid-March, depending on the region.

Don’t hesitate to grow multiple varieties to enjoy tomatoes of different ripening times, colours, or shapes.

How to Sow Tomatoes?

The technique for sowing tomatoes:

• Fill trays, shallow boxes, or seed trays (10 cm deep) with slightly moist seed compost.
• Create very shallow furrows.
• Place the tomato seeds every 2 cm.
• Cover with a thin layer of compost.
• Water with a spray bottle using rainwater at room temperature.
• Cover the containers with cling film or a transparent lid to speed up germination (but remember to open it regularly to ventilate the seedlings).

Until germination, which usually occurs within a week, it’s essential to keep the compost moist (but not waterlogged) by watering with a spray bottle.

Sowing can also be done directly in pots, also filled with seed compost, planting three seeds per pot.

In any case, remember to label your seedlings clearly if you’ve sown multiple varieties.

From germination in trays or boxes to planting young plants in the ground

Transplanting into pots:

When the seedlings have four leaves (excluding the two cotyledons), transplant the strongest ones into pots filled with good-quality compost or potting mix to strengthen their root system.

• Lift the tomato seedlings with a fork.
• Make a hole in each pot and transplant the young tomato plants up to the cotyledons.
• Gently firm the soil with your fingertips and water lightly with a small watering can, avoiding the foliage.

Keep the pots in a warm place until planting out in the ground. On sunny days, it’s advisable to move them outside into partial shade. This will help the young tomato plants acclimatise to outdoor conditions.

To learn more:

• Sowing tomatoes and transplanting them
• Sowing tomatoes in upside-down bottles
• When and how to transplant tomatoes in the garden?

Planting Tomatoes: Where, When, and How?

Once the risk of frost has completely passed, from mid-April to mid-May depending on the region, tomato plants can be transplanted into the garden. They should have 5 to 7 healthy leaves. If you haven’t grown your own seedlings, this is also the time to buy potted plants.

As a sun-loving vegetable, tomatoes need a very sunny spot to ripen. They require light, well-drained, humus-rich soil, previously enriched with compost or well-rotted manure.

• Loosen and refine the soil with a cultivator.
• Dig holes every 40 to 50 cm, at least 20 to 30 cm deep and wide, in rows spaced 70 cm apart. You can also stagger the plants.
• Place stakes next to each hole.
• Add a handful of chopped fresh nettle leaves to each hole.
• Plant the tomato seedling deep into the hole, up to the first leaves, possibly slightly tilted towards the stake. The buried stem will quickly produce new roots.
• Fill the hole, firm the soil, and create a small basin.
• Water at the base and mulch.

You can also plant tomatoes in pots on a balcony or in a cage. Alternatively, you might choose to plant and let your tomatoes grow freely.

Tomato Care

Once planted, your tomatoes require minimal care:

• If not already done, apply a good mulch around the base of your tomatoes, made of straw and dried grass clippings. The mulch prevents water evaporation, reduces the need for frequent watering, and suppresses weed growth.
• Water generously once a week, always at the base and avoiding wetting the foliage to minimise the risk of fungal diseases.
• Remove the suckers (the small lateral shoots) at the base of the tomatoes as they develop, as they unnecessarily drain the plant’s energy.
• During growth, but without excess, you can apply a special tomato fertiliser or nettle liquid fertiliser, which nourishes the tomatoes and enriches the soil.

To go further:

• Watering tomatoes: how to do it?
• Common misconceptions about growing tomatoes

Pruning tomatoes

Pruning helps produce larger tomatoes. However, it is not obligatory. If you choose not to prune your tomatoes, you will get more tomatoes, but they will be smaller. The choice is yours! Simply remove the suckers, i.e., the lowest lateral shoots, either by pinching them off with your fingers for the smaller ones or cutting them with a clean, disinfected knife or pruning shear for the larger ones.

Alternatively, you can also top your tomato plant once it has at least 3 flower clusters. Just cut the main stem 2 leaves above a cluster and repeat the process whenever possible.

To learn more:

• Pruning tomatoes and their management
• How and why to pinch tomatoes?
• Tomatoes: what to do with suckers?

Diseases and Pests of Tomatoes

Tomato cultivation, though renowned for its simplicity, often faces challenges due to the plant’s susceptibility to various fungal diseases, notably the dreaded blight, as well as frequent pest infestations. To mitigate these issues, adopting appropriate cultivation practices is crucial. It is advisable to avoid watering the foliage, space tomato plants to ensure good air circulation, favour greenhouse cultivation or set up protective shelters, and not overlook the importance of crop rotation to preserve the health of your young plants.

The appearance of blight is characterised by brown, oily-looking spots on the foliage, which later spread to the stems and fruits. In case of an attack, the use of Bordeaux mixture or a horsetail decoction proves effective in treating affected young plants. These measures, combined with constant vigilance and the application of good cultivation practices, greatly contribute to the success of your tomato crop by minimising the risks of diseases and pest attacks.

Tomatoes affected by blight

Besides blight, tomatoes can suffer from various other afflictions such as alternaria, known as black rot, fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, or even blossom end rot and leaf curl. These diseases can significantly affect the health and yield of tomato plants, requiring appropriate attention and care to prevent and combat them. To learn more, read our article: “Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes: How to Effectively Combat It?“.

Regarding pests, tomatoes are not spared from attacks by the tomato fruitworm, a caterpillar that feeds on their leaves, the red spider mite which targets foliage in dry and hot conditions, or root-knot nematodes which disrupt water and nutrient absorption by the roots. These pests can cause significant damage to tomato plants, directly impacting their growth and productivity.

For effective management of diseases and pests threatening tomato cultivation, it is essential to stay informed and prepare to intervene appropriately. With this in mind, I highly recommend reading Ingrid B.’s article titled “Tomatoes: Blight, Other Diseases, and Pests“, which provides a comprehensive overview of symptoms, preventive measures, and available treatments for these issues. This article is a valuable resource for all gardeners seeking to protect their crops and ensure the health of their tomatoes.

→ Also read our feature on the tomato fruitworm.

Propagating Tomatoes

Tomatoes can be propagated by sowing. You can harvest your own tomato seeds, dry them in the shade, and store them in a paper bag in a cool, well-ventilated place. However, it is essential to only harvest seeds from non-hybrid tomatoes, i.e., non-F1 varieties. Indeed, F1 hybrid seeds are non-reproducible.

Tomatoes can also be propagated by taking cuttings from pinched side shoots. Once these side shoots have been removed, simply strip the lower leaves and place them in a glass of water or directly into compost. After a week or two, roots will have formed, and they can be planted out in the ground.

Good pairings with tomatoes

As a member of the Solanaceae family, tomatoes do not pair well with potatoes, aubergines, or peppers, which are also part of the same family, nor with fennel, beetroot, or maize.

On the other hand, they thrive alongside vegetables such as asparagus, leeks, carrots, peas, as well as lettuces, spinach, and radishes, which will benefit from their shade. The trio of onions, garlic, and shallots is particularly beneficial for protecting tomatoes from fungal diseases.

Feel free to plant aromatic herbs near your tomatoes, such as basil, parsley, mint, chives, or sage, which repel insects.

Finally, plant French marigolds (Tagetes) near your tomato plants; their strong scent deters the main pests of tomatoes. Alternatively, plant nasturtiums, which attract aphids.

→ Learn more with the 10 best companion plants for tomatoes.

The harvest and storage of tomatoes

Tomatoes are ready for harvest when they are fully red (or yellow, or green…), typically from July to October, or even as early as June for the earliest varieties. Simply twist the tomato gently to detach it from the plant. To encourage the ripening of the last tomatoes towards the end of summer, remove the leaves that might block them from the sun’s rays.

In autumn, if you still have a few green tomatoes left, pick them and let them finish ripening indoors in a conservatory, or wrapped in newspaper. You can also turn them into pesto or green tomato jam.

Tomatoes can be stored for 4 to 5 days in the fridge’s vegetable drawer. Alternatively, you can sterilise them for canning, dry them in the open air and store them in olive oil, or freeze them, either raw or blanched.

The Benefits of Tomatoes

The tomato is a vegetable-fruit that is very low in calories but rich in fibre, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and E. They also contain a good dose of antioxidants. However, they are very acidic and can cause gastric issues.