Growing Tomatoes in 5-Gallon Buckets

Growing tomatoes in 5-gallon buckets is highly effective if you ensure proper drainage, use high-quality potting mix, and select compact determinate varieties. By drilling multiple holes in the bottom, planting...

Growing Tomatoes From Seed & Starting Indoors

Growing tomato plants from seed begins indoors six to eight weeks before your last expected spring frost. Sow seeds a quarter-inch deep in a sterile, moistened seed-starting mix. Keep the...

Protecting Tomato Plants From Frost, Deer & Pests

To keep your tomato plants in winter alive, you must move them indoors or use heated greenhouses, as they cannot survive freezing temperatures. For extending your autumn harvest, use heavy...

Pruning and Suckering Tomato Plants

The most effective method for trimming tomato plants is to routinely remove the small diagonal shoots, known as suckers, that emerge between the main stem and horizontal branches. Suckering tomato...

Watering Tomato Plants: How Much and How Often

The best way to water tomato plants is deeply and consistently, providing about 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Water directly at the soil level early in the...

Tomato Plant: The Complete Growing Guide

Planting tomato plants successfully requires burying their stems deeply in well-draining, nutrient-rich soil. Choose a location receiving at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily, space the plants...

Flowering Tomato Plant: How to Hand-Pollinate for Fruit

A flowering tomato plant requires pollination to produce fruit, but because they are self-pollinating, each blossom already contains both male and female parts. To pollinate tomatoes manually, simply vibrate the...

Companion Planting for Tomatoes

The best companion plants for tomatoes include aromatic herbs like basil and marigolds that deter pests, and deep-rooting alliums like onions and chives that naturally repel common garden insects. By...

Tomato Plant Care: A Beginner’s Guide

The most effective tomato plant care starts with selecting a sunny, sheltered location and planting in rich, loamy soil. The best way to grow tomatoes is to provide consistent watering...

Tomato Plant Spacing: How Far Apart to Plant

For optimal garden tomato spacing, plant determinate (bush) varieties 24 inches apart and indeterminate (vining) varieties 36 inches apart in traditional ground rows. When planting tomatoes in raised beds spacing...