This is the time of year most gardeners are planting their warm season vegetable crops if they haven’t already. So, let’s talk about one crop that is likely in every vegetable garden: tomatoes.

I always plant tomatoes (especially cherry tomatoes) because, while I like tomatoes, our granddaughters love tomatoes. They would just as soon eat a cherry tomato as a strawberry. I would lean toward strawberries, but if they want them, I’m going to grow them.

If you plan on growing tomatoes in your garden, the first decision you are going to need to make is of course - what kind of tomato are you going to grow? Tomatoes can be grouped into two basic categories and then some sub-categories. The first decision point is deciding whether you want to grow determinate or indeterminate tomato plants. I’m guessing some of you just said “what?” Here’s the difference.

Determinate tomatoes tend to be a bushier tomato that produces one crop of tomatoes all at the same time. This type of tomato is good if you plan on canning up some salsa or tomato sauce since you will have all the tomatoes at once. A good example of a determinate tomato is a Roma tomato.

The other type of tomato is an indeterminate tomato. These are the more viney tomato plants that will produce all season long. Indeterminate tomatoes are good to plant when you want a decent supply of home-grown tomatoes throughout the year. Indeterminate tomatoes will need to be grown in cages or with some sort of support since they are viney. I am guessing that seasoned gardeners grow some of each to meet their tomato consumption needs.

The next decision point will be deciding between heirloom and hybrid tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are the ones that have been the same from generation to generation, likely with seeds being saved and passed on for the next year. Hybrids are plants that have been cross-pollinated with a different variety of tomato in an attempt to produce a better producing tomato or perhaps one that has some built in disease resistance.

We hear a lot about GMOs. These are plants that have been genetically modified to enhance some aspect of the plant. Hybrids are not GMOs and GMO plants typically require a signed affidavit that you won’t save seeds from them for next year. Plus, GMO seeds are quite expensive and not really part of the home gardener’s inventory of plants.

If you want to save seeds from your tomatoes to plant next year, you should stick with heirloom tomatoes. Seeds from heirloom tomatoes will produce the same kind of tomato as the tomato they came from. With seeds from hybrids, you don’t really know what you are going to get since seeds from hybrid plants tend to revert to one of the plants it was hybridized from. So, the one you get might be one that is healthy and grows prolifically, but doesn’t produce much fruit etc. Because of that, if you are a seed saver, stick with the heirlooms.

Now that you’ve made all these decisions, you’ll need to decide how many tomato plants you will need. I have a friend who is serious about his tomatoes. He grows about 80 plants each year. But they do a lot of canning, so they have tomato sauce etc. all year from their tomato harvest. OSU recommended about 5 to 10 plants per person if you are growing them to make sauces etc. If you are growing to have fresh tomatoes all season, 3 or 4 plants should be good.

Most of us probably are not growing a huge quantity of plants at home. However, at our Seed to Supper Farm where we grow fresh produce to donate to area food pantries, we just planted about 150 tomato plants. This year we are growing the following varieties: Early Girl, Mortgage Lifter, Celebrity, Grape, and a new one for us - Cherokee Carbon… and maybe a few tomatillos.

When planting your new tomato plants, be sure to follow the spacing suggestions. It’s tempting to look at the recommendation of spacing the plants about 2 to 3 feet apart as silly because these baby plants are so small, but they will grow. Giving them proper spacing will help keep them healthier and likely give you better harvests that if you were to crowd them. So, stick with 2 to 3 feet between plants.

Next, you’ll need a good location for your tomato plants. Tomatoes do best in full sun and by full sun I mean about 8 to 10 hours a day. A location like this will allow you to grow large, healthy tomato plants.

You can grow tomatoes in areas that gets less sun (I have) but they won’t be as robust of a plant, tending to be long and lanky without as much fruit. While our tomatoes at the farm are unprotected from the sun and do fine, it’s not a terrible idea to plant them in a location that gets afternoon shade since the afternoon, summer sun in Oklahoma can be brutal in July and August.

If you don’t have a good spot to grow your tomatoes in the ground, tomatoes do well in containers. Those utility buckets from the hardware store work great. Just be sure to drill some holes in the bottom of the bucket to allow for drainage.

Tomatoes are going to need supplemental fertilizer. You can begin by adding about a tablespoon of 10-20-10 when planting. Then, when the fruits first look like they are about 1/3 grown, add another 2 tablespoons per plant. Then, about 2 weeks after the first fruits ripen, add another 2 tablespoons of fertilizer, and then again about a month later. Always water after applying fertilizer.

Those indeterminate tomato plants are going to need some support since they are a viney plant. You have probably seen the standard tomato cage, but there are a variety of ways to support the plants via stakes and strings as well. We have a video on our website that demonstrates how to stake a tomato plant. Just visit our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org), click on Lawn and Garden Help, and then Vegetables. You’ll find the videos there.

One of the funniest comments I’ve heard about growing tomatoes is referring to tomato plants as “heavy drinkers.” This just means that tomatoes are going to need water, and they will let you know pretty quick if they are not getting the appropriate amount. When watering, just remember to water in the morning and water longer and deeper rather that shorter. Watering longer and deeper will encourage the roots to chase the water down into the soil rather than getting used to getting their water near the surface, giving them a more stable source of moisture. If you follow all of these steps, you should be well on your way to a great tomato garden season. See you in the garden!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo OSU Ag. Comm.