A great tomato harvest starts long before the first fruit ripens. From choosing the right variety to understanding how your plants grow, a few tomato-specific techniques can make all the difference between an average season and a truly exceptional one. Here are five secrets to growing bigger, healthier, more productive tomato plants this season.
1. Choose the Right Tomato Type for Your Space and Goals
Not all tomatoes grow the same way, and understanding your variety is one of the most important steps toward success.
Determinate tomatoes grow to a set size, produce most of their fruit over a shorter period, and are ideal for gardeners who want a large harvest all at once, perfect for sauces, canning, and preserving.
Indeterminate tomatoes continue growing, flowering, and producing fruit throughout the season. These are great for gardeners who want a steady supply of tomatoes from summer into fall.
Before planting, check your plant tag so you know what kind of support, spacing, and maintenance your tomatoes will need.
Pro Tip: Plant a mix of both determinate and indeterminate varieties for the best of both worlds.
2. Plant Tomatoes Deep for Stronger Roots
Tomatoes have a unique superpower: they can grow roots all along their buried stems.
When planting, remove the lower leaves and bury your tomato deeply, up to two-thirds of the stem can go underground. This encourages a larger root system, which helps the plant absorb more water and nutrients while standing up better to summer stress.
For leggy seedlings, try planting them sideways in a shallow trench, gently curving the top upward.
The result: stronger plants and better fruit production.
3. Feed Tomatoes the Right Way
Tomatoes are heavy feeders, but timing and balance matter.
Start by enriching your soil with compost before planting. Once flowers begin forming, switch to a fertilizer designed specifically for tomatoes, typically one that supports flowering and fruiting rather than excessive leafy growth.
Too much nitrogen often leads to lush green plants with very few tomatoes.
Tomatoes also benefit from nutrients like:
- Calcium to help prevent blossom end rot
- Magnesium for strong leaf production
- Phosphorus to support flowering and fruit set
A great plant food to start with for your tomatoes is Epsoma’s Tomato-Tone. Regular feeding throughout the season helps keep plants productive.
4. Prune and Support Based on Variety
Tomato plants need support, but how you manage them depends on whether they’re determinate or indeterminate.
Indeterminate tomatoes benefit from regular pruning. Removing suckers, the small shoots that form between the main stem and branches, helps direct energy into larger fruit and improves airflow.
Determinate tomatoes need little pruning, since most of their fruit forms on the plant’s existing branches. Over-pruning can actually reduce your harvest.
All tomatoes benefit from sturdy support:
- Tomato cages for bushier varieties
- Stakes for upright growing
- Trellises for vigorous indeterminate plants
Installing support at planting time protects roots and keeps fruit clean.
5. Harvest Often to Keep Plants Producing
Tomatoes are more productive when fruit is picked regularly.
Once fruit begins ripening, check plants often and harvest at peak color. Frequent picking encourages continued flowering and fruit development, especially on indeterminate varieties.
If pests, cracking, or splitting become an issue, harvest tomatoes at the breaker stage, when the fruit has just started changing color and let them finish ripening indoors.
The more consistently you harvest, the longer your tomato plants keep producing.
Grow Your Best Tomatoes Yet
Tomatoes reward gardeners who understand how they grow. Choosing the right variety, planting deeply, feeding strategically, pruning properly, and harvesting often can turn a good tomato season into a great one.
Stop by McDonald Garden Center for expert tomato-growing advice, premium tomato plants, fertilizers, cages, and all the supplies you need for your biggest harvest yet. To stay inspired and grow with us online, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok to explore more gardening tips and ideas. To stay inspired and grow with us online, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok to explore more gardening tips and ideas.
