As the most popular crop grown by home gardeners in the United States, tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are certainly king of the garden. Tomatoes are considered a warm-season vegetable. Warm-season vegetables are most productive in higher temperature ranges (late spring, summer) and are better able to grow and produce a quality crop through Tennessee’s summer heat. They are damaged or killed by frost and freezing conditions; even cool, non-freezing temperatures may prevent them from growing and yielding well.

Tomatoes can be successfully planted in the garden by planting transplants starting late spring or early summer (after the traditional spring frost date, which typically occurs in the middle to end of April) and can produce throughout the summer. Tomatoes are grown from transplants due to their need for a long growing season and warm soil and air temperatures. Growing from transplants, seeds started earlier indoors, means that the plant will have a larger window to produce tomatoes during the growing season and provide more tomatoes for you to pick! Plants may be purchased from reputable garden centers or you can grow them yourself indoors. When placing transplants in your garden, spacing of 18 to 24 inches between plants for determinate tomatoes is ideal. For indeterminate tomatoes, 24 -36 inches between plants is better as they require more space.

Gardeners must make two important decisions related to the types and cultivars of tomatoes for the home garden. The first is related to the determinate or indeterminate habit of the plant. Determinate tomatoes are those that will “top themselves.” This means that the primary growing tip is genetically programmed to form a flower at a certain point, and the plant does not grow any taller. Determinate tomatoes are typically shorter and can be easier to manage in the garden. Tomato fruit are set over a relatively short period of time and then ripen over a concentrated harvest interval (often four to five weeks). Indeterminate varieties continue to grow and produce both new leaves and new flowers from their primary growing point. This continued growth means they will be taller and continue to set and mature fruit through the summer and fall. Unless damaged by insects, disease or environmental stress, indeterminate tomatoes will produce until killed by low temperatures in the fall. So, they will require taller stakes to provide good support.

Read more about successfully growing tomatoes in Tennessee, including cultivar suggestions and harvesting and storage here.