Growing Tomatoes 101: All the Tips You Need for a Healthy, Fruitful Plant

From giant beefsteaks to tiny cherries, tomatoes come in a lot of shapes, sizes, and colors. While some of it comes down to climate (ask your local garden center or cooperative extension service for advice) and personal preference, there's one key difference every gardener should know: determinate and indeterminate tomatoes.

Determinate (or bush) tomatoes tend to fruit over a two-week period and then stop, making them great for canning. They're also more compact, which means they're a smart choice for container gardens.

Indeterminate tomatoes grow longer vines and produce more flavorful fruit all season long. Most common varieties fall into this category, including heirlooms.

If you're using your own seeds, plant them 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart in flats placed in a warm, sunny room. Once the seedlings grow their second set of leaves (the first true leaves), transplant them to plastic cups, burying the stems deeper than before. This encourages a strong root system. If you're buying transplants from a nursery, you'll also want to let them develop a solid root system before planting.

Wait until the temperature stays consistently warm before putting plants in the ground. When you're choosing a spot in your garden, look for a bed that's in full sun. Dig bigger holes than you think you'll need at least 2 feet apart, setting the plants so that the lowest set of leaves sit at soil level. Some gardeners will bury almost the entire plant, since new roots will sprout on the stems and lead to more fruit. Then fill the holes with a mixture of compost and soil.

Cover the bed with a layer of mulch, straw, or grass clippings to prevent weeds from popping up.

Soak your bed with 1 inch of water once a week, slightly more often during the height of summer. Make sure to pour the water directly on the soil, not the leaves.

Adding compost when the first fruit is ripening will encourage new growth. A dilute fish emulsion fertilizer can also help, but be careful not to overfeed. Over time, too much nitrogen will make your plants lush, but not very fruitful.

Support your tomato plants by tying the stems to stakes or cages. Leaving the vines on the ground makes them more susceptible to pests or disease.

You'll want 5- to 7- foot long stakes inserted about 7 inches into the ground. If you can't find cages large or sturdy enough, you can make your own using welded wire mesh from the hardware store. Just make sure you can fit your hand through the squares!

To increase fruit production, you should regularly prune your tomato plants. Start by removing any suckers — small shoots emerging from the stems at the base of each leaf — ASAP. This helps the plants stay upright, improve air circulation, and grow better produce. While caged tomatoes can develop one or two suckers, staked tomatoes do best as a single stem. Try to clip (or even pluck with your fingers) any visible suckers every few days.

Typically, tomato plants will produce ready-to-eat fruit 40 to 50 days after the initial planting. If you want to grow enormous tomatoes, eliminate fruits at the top of the vine and let the ones at the bottom develop fully, leaving one per cluster. Otherwise, just pluck any ripe tomatoes once they've reached the desired size and color.

Once you have a fresh crop, try some of these delicious tomato recipes, including:

• Cherry Tomato Confit

• Spaghetti With No-Cook Heirloom Tomato Sauce

• Roasted Baby Vine Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken

• Cherry Tomato Casserole With White Beans and Basil

• Plum Tomato and Eggplant Shakshuka