Make your own protection by simply cutting the bottom out of a plastic gallon milk jug and placing it over the plant until the weather warms.
Want to bite into your first homegrown tomato soon? Here are three easy ways to speed the harvest. Normally, tomatoes are planted at least two weeks after the last frost, but with steps 2 and 3, you can cheat the calendar. If you live where the weather is already warm, step 1 is all you need for early tomatoes.
1. Choose an early-maturing variety. Try Early Girl (50 days), Bush Early Girl (45 days), Better Bush (68 days), Celebrity (70 days), or Big Beef (73 days).
2. Plant early and protect from cold. You can mail-order commercial items such as Wall-O-Water or row covers to provide cold protection for tomato plants set out early. You also can make your own protection by simply cutting the bottom out of a plastic gallon milk jug and placing it over the plant until the weather warms. Be sure to remove the top for ventilation. Place a stake by the plant and slip the jug over the stake to keep it from blowing off.
Clear plastic warms the soil to create a more suitable environment for heat-loving tomatoes.
3. Plant early and warm the soil. Plant your tomato in a row covered with clear plastic so that sunlight warms the soil under the plastic. Later you can cover the plastic with straw mulch to block sunlight, keeping the soil from getting too hot. Cut planting holes in the plastic and set the transplant through them. Be sure the soil is well watered. Drip irrigation or a soaker hose comes in very handy here to be sure that water gets to roots under the plastic.
4. Spray plants with Blossom Set spray. This optional hormone spray will cause fruit to set earlier. You may find it at a garden center, or you may need to order it from a mail-order source.
Purchased eight heirloom tomato plants. The Pink Brandywine is about 14 inches tall and has a cluster of eight blosooms on the top. Should I pinch some of the blosooms?Thank you
Hi Elise,
Your question has a two-sided answer: it’s not necessary to pinch the blossoms, but you can if you’d like. If your plant appears to have a fairly strong root system already, you should be fine leaving the blossoms. However, if you think the plant might need to put extra energy into root development for a week or two, you can pinch off blooms to help promote that root growth.
Happy growing!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
I have several varieties of tomato plants growing. Due to seriously sandy soil I’ve tried using 12″ (5 gallon size) nursery pots. We have had very little rain this year so far with tremendous amounts of sunny days in the high 70s to mid 80s. New zone 8. My tomatoes have grown very tall but spindly with few leaves or branches. I have planted them as deep as I could in those large nursery pots. I water them a little bit every day because of the heat and evaporation. They wilt if I skip even a single day of watering and I’ve lost blossoms from trying it. They are sitting in full sun probably 8hrs + a day. Some say it’s lack of water that has made them grow this way, others suggest it’s too much sun. My mom’s tomato garden is under the boughs of a large Live Oak tree where they get lots of dappled sunlight all day long and though hers are smaller than mine, they look a lot healthier. She uses a granulated time release vegetable plant food where I use the Bonnie liquid herb and vegetable plant food.
Hi Pat,
Congrats on trying for those early tomatoes! For growing tomatoes in containers, we suggest you use at least an 18-inch container (for determinate varieties), preferably 24-inch (for indeterminate varieties). See more in the article What Size Pot? A larger container will hold water better and will give the plant enough room to develop a strong root system. As you may have read in our Growing Tomatoes section, tomatoes like at least 8 hours of sun daily. If you expect a problem with heat as the temperature rises, you might try one of our heat-tolerant tomato varieties.
Happy growing!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
Kelly’s last remark in response to Pat isn’t going to help with the problem now, this growing season. Should Pat be moving her plants into some dappled shade +/or watering more, for a good harvest this yr? If in shade, perhaps same am’t of watering as already doing, may suffice. Remove (pinch out) new growth between branches + main stock? Remove btm 2/3 of leaves, after blossoms appear? Worth a try, on one or more of yr plants.
The first ripe tomato is an exciting event! Thrilling to find that greeny turning orange, then red. Better than anything from the grocery store!
Can’t wait…
Yeah, I can’t wait either! My Husky Cherry Red plant is taunting me with little green cherry tomatoes now. I’m hoping they’ll be the first on my block.
Happy growing!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
What is the proper way to start a tomato plant from seed? I typically have no problem with getting the seeds to sprout and start growing, but then they grow too fast and tall and end up falling over before the stem is strong and thick enough to support the weight of the plant.
Hi Chris,
We grow plants from seed in our greenhouses, but the plants we sell to customers like you are “starter plants” that already have strong stems and are ready to plant in the ground! Bonnie Plants doesn’t sell seeds. You can read more about what makes our plants different here.
Happy gardening!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
Seedlings that grow fast and tall but have weak stems are often due to inadequate light, either too little intensity or not enough hours. I use 2 T-5 florescent lights on a 14 hour a day timer, and give a half strength liquid fertilizer when true leaves show, and the seedlings have all been robust and strong. A sterile germinating mix is also used.
Have some Bonnie tomatoes on Better Boy and Big Boy.The tomatoes are about lemon size right now.Use a few tricks here in North Middle TN.Don’t really like the flavor of the early tomatoes,so I
‘cheat ” with the ones I prefer.
What is the min. temp at night for happy plants?If it is gonna be under 50, I cover with large Trash cans.Or should I be covering at 55?
Hi James,
In our Growing Tomatoes article, we say that tomatoes stop setting fruit at 55 degrees. You don’t necessarily need to cover them at this temperature but you should expect them to pause their growth. Covering is recommended if you expect a frost. We use row cover fabric, but your method should work as long as you uncover the plants during the day.
Happy gardening!
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
I have a raised garden bed with 18 tomatoe plants, what is the best way to stake them? thankyou
Hi Linda,
Our article about staking tomato plants gives you tons of options.
Kelly, Bonnie Plants
I have 4 tomato plants “Better Boy” they’re about 31/2 feet tall and is in a raised 4×4 bed…Is this size bed too small? Currently, I have 1 tomato on each plant, is this sign of slow growth? Brenda
Hi Brenda,
Congratulations on your Better Boys! Sounds like they are off to a great start. Many raised bed gardeners like to grow veggies more tightly spaced with great success. While your variety is an indeterminate and will get tall (and require caging/staking), you will be fine with four in that bed — but no more! Some gardeners also attest that pruning off extra vines to keep the plant more compact for less (but flavorful) fruit. ~Mary Beth, Bonnie Plants
I have tomato plants which were planted about April 1st. They have very small tomatoes, but have also gotten (very) tiny white insects on some of the leaves and stems. I don’t think they fly. The leaves which have these insects are very wilted. Also, I’m trying to grow them organically as much as possible. How can I get rid of these insects?
Hi Jackie,
They could be aphids or whiteflies. For your wishes of organic solutions, insecticidal soap will take care of both of these pests if the population is not too large. Make sure it is labeled for tomatoes and follow all label instructions. Let us know how it works out! ~Mary Beth, Bonnie Plants