NightshadesSolanaceae
Tomatoes.
Deer favorite
At a glance
The spec sheet.
- Indoor start
- Mar 20 – Apr 1
- Direct sow / out
- May 15 (after last frost)
- Germ
- 6–14 days
- Days to harvest
- 60–85 from transplant
- Spacing
- 24" apart, rows 36"
- Depth
- ¼"
- Square-foot
- 1 per square (indeterminate needs cage)
- Qty target
- 12–20 plants for a household that sauces, cans, and eats fresh.
Plant
Bury transplants deep — up to first true leaves. Roots form along buried stem, making a stronger plant.
Care
Cage or stake at planting. Pinch suckers on indeterminates. Consistent water prevents blossom-end rot and cracking. Mulch heavily.
Harvest
Pick as they color up; ripens fully off the vine on a windowsill.
Sauce, paste, whole canned, salsa, sun-dried, frozen whole for winter. The whole plan revolves around this crop.
Companion planting
What tomatoes likes, and doesn’t.
Good neighbors
Basil + tomato is the classic pairing — improves flavor AND repels tomato pests. Mature dill stunts tomatoes; young dill is fine.