10 Tomato Growing Mistakes (What to Know)

Most gardeners grow tomatoes and tomatoes are a favorite plant in many gardens. Gardener Scott discusses 10 common mistakes that gardeners make when growing tomatoes. (Video #395)
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[@highlandscommunityclub1160]

Your advice has been spot on! I’m having a great tomato year, thanks to your sharing your knowledge. After a sad, and almost tomatoless year last season, I am ecstatic to be harvesting every day!

[@brianseybert2189]

All the things I wish I knew 3 years ago. One thing I do with my indeterminate paste tomatoes is freeze them as they ripen, then do a whole day of canning at the end of the season. Works very well, and you do not need to blanch them too get the skins off, when they thaw out the skins slide right off. 2 new favorites because of your videos, black krim and the sun gold, will be a staple for years to come.

[@highlandscommunityclub1160]

I’m freezing my tomatoes too. Then 1 day of canning. It’s much more efficient!

[@Rosa-kf6yy]

I planted one cherry tomato plant in a pot, bought a traditional triangle tomato cage at Walmart for $5 and put it on the tomato plant upside down (which my hub pointed out this morning), which is why I'm here. 😅

[@oldnorthstateoutdoors2002]

Excellent advice for tomatoes as always. Please remember folks that gardening advice is often specific to your area. For example Gardener Scott is located in Colorado. It's an arid dry environment so 18" spacing works on his tomatoes. If you live in the hot and extremely humid southeast you need to spread them out even if trellised for airflow to keep down blight and other diseases. 3 foot spacing and even 4 foot spacing if you have the room works well here in hot, humid NC.

[@danajensen2935]

I have been growing tomatoes for years as taught by my DH, an Iowa farm boy. The mistake we made through the years was not trellising. I will definitely do that next year! This year we grew Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, some paste tomatoes and some larger tomatoes - quite a variety. I like to roast them with the skin on, let them cool and then freeze them. When they are frozen in an aluminum 8” tray, I use my food saver to package them. We really love them roasted!

[@francesbatycki404]

How long do you roast them and at what temp? I’d like to try this. They’re coming in like crazy now. Tia.

[@Octoschizare]

I suggest not using aluminum with tomatoes or other acidic foods. They tend to corrode and pit the aluminum, and some of that can get on the food. Stainless steel or silicone would be far better with tomatoes.

[@Hiznogood]

I just love the smell of a freshly picked, sun warm tomato and the taste is like a kiss of an angel! 🍅 👼 💋

[@Oktopia]

I got my biggest harvest yet of tomatoes last summer. I live in Norway, zone 4, and with the short season comes the need to harvest early. I ripened a heap of tomatoes in a paper bag. I kept it airy and dry and had no issues with mold. It was glorious!

[@marcogallazzi9049]

Just in time :), i´m putting my tomatoes in the ground in a couple of weeks here in Chile.

[@HookedOnTXMusic]

TX sun is too hot in July. I succession plant tomatoes here in central TX. Early tomatoes get all the sun. Mid get 8 hours and fall full sun again

[@dustyflats3832]

I planted 18” apart, but think 2’ would be better for some. If you don’t prune heavily the water from rain, dew, humidity can cause problems. Freeze tomatoes on indeterminates to get enough for canning. This year most tomatoes didn’t fully turn quick enough and left on too long begin to rot. I read this year better to pick when blush and ripen inside. Thanks for addressing not having to rotate tomatoes. We get August blight every year. It inevitable-even in areas we never grew tomatoes in new separate garden areas. It just happens and I’m not about to spray fungicides like crazy. The low lands get dew as fall starts to move in along with rain. There really is no place to rotate nightshades unless you have a field. I had seen to grow in buckets for couple years and not about to go to that expense and they won’t grow as well as in ground.

[@PlantsFood4]

Harvesting when they start to change color is the only way I have found to have a harvest in the southeast. When it rains for days, the tomatoes split.

[@Gkrissy]

Thanks for showing the Florida weave pattern. I may have to try that next year. I love when I get volunteer determinant plants from my compost pile.

[@stephenmoberg8807]

I’m trying Washington Cherry this year - looking forward to them !

[@Herf18]

Great tips! I'm looking forward to making a garden next year.

[@yesterdayseyes]

I grew more from seed then ever before, having a great harvest of beautiful tomatoes

[@robertlynn7746]

I grew grape tomatoes as well as cherry tomatoes this year. Grape tomatoes are really good as well and produce a lot and seem to have a better shelf life once picked and sitting on your counter.

[@dustyflats3832]

That’s great to know. Are they less prone to splitting?

[@robertlynn7746]

@@dustyflats3832 yes, for sure they are, and come off the vine easier!

[@katiemoyer8679]

I live in Illinois. We Always have fresh tomatoes 🍅 at Thanksgiving from the ones we ripened that were harvested just before the killing frost.

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Very helpful information on tomatoes. There is nothing like home grown tomatoes. Cheers, Scott! ✌️

[@cindynielson4231]

I love growing tomatoes, cherry and indeterminate . I just wash, freeze and dry the tomatoes until I get enough to process. When you thaw them the skins easily fall off. TFS👍🍅

[@eliandkate]

It’s fab to see how lush and productive your garden is now. So many gorgeous tomato plants 😊 My job for today is to cut all mine down, our season is over for tomatoes and peppers now… weather has changed, temperatures have dropped. Been so interesting to watch and compare with you this year, to see how much sooner my season starts even though we have similar last frost dates. And now watching the differences in our season ends times. Always fantastic to catch up with your garden 😊

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks, Eli. I find the differences fascinating too.

[@sonnyamoran7383]

Thanks for a very informative video.

[@judysoedt916]

Thank you.

[@Sathone]

Newbie grower here! I learned a lot from this, thank you for sharing :)

[@Barrell60]

Thank You

[@AGirl-SomeLand-andADream]

Fried green tomatoes are the best!!!

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

You are right, Scott: it took several years before I realized that I could make a wide variety of can-able things from green tomatoes: salsa verde, chutney, curries, and pickles just to name a few. You can even shred them and use them like zucchini in quick breads!

[@oldnorthstateoutdoors2002]

Fried green tomatoes if done correctly can not be beat in my humble opinion.

[@master11pizza63]

I grow yellow pear every year. My wife smooches them up adds feta cheese and bakes it in the oven. We use it as sauce for pasta. We also freeze it for use in the winter.

[@alligator_pie]

Garden tomatoes are my favorite! I planted 7 var this year, but the all had tiny holes in the leaves. Not sure why. Maybe waterlogging early in the summer? Despite low yields, still eating them fresh here in zone 3 from the green ones I brought inside. Amazing and helpful video, thank you! I’m going to switch from cages to trellis next year. The indeterminate tom still grow tall even in this short season place. 🇨🇦

[@GardenerScott]

Holes in leaves are usually from insects. A close inspection if it happens again nest year might identify the pest.

[@bluewolf4915]

Great tips. Hope your freeze dryer arrived in good condition. 👍🏻

[@jamesguimary1252]

Nice,,👍👍

[@kjrchannel1480]

Because of the recent blast furnace days. I have had my first chance to know what tasting a partially cooked on the vine tomato is like. One had a tough rubber ball skin that popped open. It also wasn't sweet. If it wasn' t for me leaving a select forest of sunflowers giving my plants partial shade from the suns high noon death rays, many more would be dehydrated and heat damaged. I will expect similar heatwaves to happen next year, and maybe more water restrictions. The Gold Nugget cherry tomato's are doing the best out of all of them. Just for science it got so hot in my greenhouse, I could have cooked a steak. I am pretty sure I could have made grilled cheese sandwiches to.

[@tranthiduyen615]

Xin chào bạn Scott lời chào từ Vietnam,tôi là một phụ nữ độc thân tôi 43 tuổi,tôi rất thích xem video làm vườn của bạn, và rất thích những cây măng tây bạn trồng .

[@roccoconte2960]

I plant indeterminate tomatoes with high disease resistance. Can't plant heirlooms to many diseases in my garden, been planting tomatoes in same area for 73 yrs. My father before me too. Great video Scott.

[@frankbarnwell____]

My 3 cherry tomato plants are setting fruit again. Galveston, zone 9. Hoping more until Halloween. If @Simplify Gardening reads this, 🇬🇧 Rest Her soul, long live the King! Yes. Basil, tomatoes, onions... peppers. Salsa without much walking

[@ToddfromCalifornia]

I grew Sun gold this year based on your recommendation and stopped counting at 750 tomatoes. They are yummy!

[@paperchaser9565]

Basil is a must with tomatoes, it keeps the horn 🐛 worms away. Yes I planted too close and too many.

[@heidiclark6612]

Great tomato tip video! I wonder about a couple of things. 1. Do the tomatoes that are harvested before they are fully ripe develop the same flavor as the ones left to ripen on the plant? 2. Are heirloom tomatoes more susceptible to disease because they don’t have resistance bred into them? Thank you for all your great information you share.

[@GardenerScott]

The flavor should be similar, but I do think a fully ripe tomato from the plant is better. Some heirlooms do have disease resistance; it depends on the variety. Thanks.

[@stephenhope7319]

At 2:12 you talked about growers wanting to make sauce ( I do that ) and you mentioned a "mistake" of growing indeterminate tomatoes because of a spread out season of yield.. In my region, 9b Sacramento, my 6 indeterminate tomatoes actually yield a full colander ( guessing at 2 lbs) every day in our heat. We just had some real heat recently ( 112F ) and my plants delivered like there was no tomorrow!! So I suspect the "mistake" is regional, not true for everyone. Great video though. Been a tomato grower since 1982.

[@MP-de6cu]

Thanks for sharing! Could you please list the nine varieties of tomatoes you are growing. I am in zone 5b, still working on finding best selection for my garden.

[@GardenerScott]

I'm growing Sungold, Sun Sugar, Gold Nugget, Lemon Drop, Sweet 100, Black Krim, Black Cherry, Berkeley Tie Dye, and Paul Robeson.

[@walterwillis5351]

Hello Gardener Scott. Question on orienting tomato beds. Do you orient them length wise e/w or n/s?

[@GardenerScott]

I orient most of my beds north-south.

[@johnchadwell2675]

Any special recommendations for "amendments" to add to a brand new raised bed garden?

[@GardenerScott]

Compost tops the list. Organic material of all types can be used.

[@MattMilla76]

I have made all those mistakes. Another not mentioned would be starting them at the wrong time and therefore not getting the full benefit of the growing season. Here in Sydney, Australia, we have had the coldest start to spring and summer in over 30 years. Normally, I pot up seeds outside around the last week of August. It is usually warm enough to see enough growth to plant out around three to four weeks later. But, this year it has been much cooler, and we have only had warm weather in the last two weeks (2nd and 3rd week of December 2022, which is normally searingly hot and humid). Even as I write this, we are experiencing a 21-degree celsius day, more like late winter or early spring - certainly not the 30-35 degrees we would normally be having. Consequently, there is little growth from summer crops like tomatoes and cucumbers. When, and if, the heat finally does come, we usually experience warm temperatures until late March - possibly up until mid-April. So, no tomatoes for my salad yet!! Thanks for the video. One of your best!

[@stephenhope7319]

On blanching pre-freezing, Blanching is a heat-and-cool process. It stops or slows natural enzymes in the tomatoes that could cause loss of flavor and color. Blanch tomatoes before freezing if they'll be in your freezer for more than a couple months. Blanching your tomatoes also makes easy work of peeling them.I would never freeze any veg before blanching even if only freezing for a month, enzymes remove flavour.

[@GardenerScott]

Good advice.

[@avalonhomestead9077]

Is there a best way to harvest green tomatoes so the ripen?

[@GardenerScott]

You can cut them from the plant with a little stem attached.

[@Jamescityboygardening]

What is the fabric over head. Your tomato plants are just so lush green and healthy...

[@GardenerScott]

It is anti-hail fabric.

[@Jamescityboygardening]

@@GardenerScott Thank you, I will check my TSC out to see if they stock such and item.

[@GardenerScott]

If you can't find it, I special ordered mine from greenhousemegastore.com

[@Jamescityboygardening]

@@GardenerScott sir you are a beautiful person. No they didn't have it. Y'all this man is one of a kind.

[@takeitslowhomestead5218]

Thanks for another informative video. Have you ever canned cherry tomatoes?

[@GardenerScott]

I haven't. But I like the idea.

[@dustyflats3832]

I just dehydrated some and put basil on a few and they are great for snacking. They are still pliable because of sugar content. I put a rechargeable food grade silica gel packet in jar.

[@christineruddy9215]

Do you use a drip system to water your tomatoes?

[@GardenerScott]

I hand water.

[@christopherc.4349]

If you live in Florida you have to protect them from the afternoon sun. Our afternoon sun will cook them.

[@mapofthesoultagme7143]

Is it true that you shouldn't bury transplant tomatoes deeply if the soil temperatures are too cold? I live in a city that can get hot July and August days from climate change, but I am not sure if the soil temperatures are warm enough all growing season, from late May or early June to mid September.

[@GardenerScott]

There is some truth to that. Soil should be warm at planting. Deeper soil may may not have warmed enough, but will warm in time. Deeper planting can help moderate soil temperature for the roots in a hot summer.

[@Benham_Design]

My biggest mistake is I didn't plant any tomatoes this year 🤦‍♂️

[@kimiyemlsmallgardendream8115]

You say a foot n a half between but what about the other side? What if a 4ft bed cattle panel between what would you consider the panting space between both sides?🍎

[@GardenerScott]

I usually plant about one foot away from the trellis on each side.

[@Octoschizare]

I'm growing Black Krim after watching your videos. I have 4 plants: 3 in pots and 1 in a sunnier bed. The ones in pots are alright, the tomatoes are smallish, but decent flavor. The one in the bed is by far my biggest tomato plant, somehow even bigger than my prolific cherry tomatoes, and it pumps out an impressive quantity of huge Black Krim tomatoes, but they're all extremely watery and bland! So tragic! Is there any trick to avoiding making bland tomatoes...? Too much water maybe?

[@GardenerScott]

Too much water can affect the tomatoes but shouldn't change the flavor so much. It's more likely a difference in soil.

[@rogerspaulding6569]

What is your orientation of the tomato rows? N/S or E/W.

[@GardenerScott]

Most of mine or N/S.

[@dustyflats3832]

@@GardenerScott that’s exactly how I have rows. I get confused when others say E/W. If E/W all tall items would need to be placed in the back. The sun is up high in summer and maybe doesn’t make much difference?

[@Jamescityboygardening]

Gardener Scott do you use Baking soda, cooking oil & soap to deal with your tomato blight?

[@GardenerScott]

I don't. I use mulch to reduce the chance of infection. Occasionally I get late blight, but because my season is short I can usually prune off infected leaves and get a harvest before it reappears. By then a first frost hits.

[@Jamescityboygardening]

@@GardenerScott Gardener Scott I am indebted to you. Thanks so much for your help.

[@NicksVegetableGarden]

Hey GardenerScott! Curious what those 9 varieties are, I live in CO East of Denver.

[@GardenerScott]

The ones I grow most often are Black Krim, Sun Gold, Sweet 100 (or Sweet Million), Black Cherry, and Celebrity. When I made this video I was also growing Sun Peach, Sun Sugar, Paul Robeson, and Roma.

[@NicksVegetableGarden]

@@GardenerScott Nice! I also grow Black Krim, have a lot of fruit set this year. Curious when you usually pull your first Krim? Also I'll have to try Celebrity - if it's anything like Big Beef it will do super well here! How did Paul Robeson do here, my starts didn't make it.

[@GardenerScott]

@@NicksVegetableGarden I normally start getting Black Krim in the beginning of August. I was late planting this year so expect it to be later. I haven't had great success with the Paul Robeson but I keep trying.

[@NicksVegetableGarden]

@@GardenerScott That seems about right for me too. I usually put them in the Wall O Waters at Start of May. And see them ripe about August. And my brother in Iowa is having tremendous success with Paul Robeson. They. usually have fruit set happen much earlier, as they're already harvesting tons of giant beefsteak tomatoes. I want to say it's our low temps - lower than 55 early on in the season.

[@jaytoney3007]

I have a problem with squirls/tree rats eating my tomatoes as soon as they start to ripen, so I have to pick them when they start to blush. I am experimenting with different varieties of tomatoes to find what grows best for me, and that I like. I've grown Early girl, Bonny's Best, and Classic Beefsteak, all successful. Early Girl is a great producer, a good salad tomato, but it isn't my favorite tomato by far. It is off my growing list. I am currently growing Dad's Sunset, and Roma tomatoes for a fall harvest. Next spring, I'll be mixing it up with Arkansas Traveler, Roma, Dad's Sunset, and either Beef Steak or Bonny's Best. I haven't decided, maybe all of them. I will also be growing four cherry tomatoes, Super Sweet 100, SunGold, Large Red, and Bumble Bee. Two of them will be in grow bags by my front porch for easy access snacks, the other two will also be in grow bags, in my main garden to either side of a cattle panel arch tunnel. My tunnel, 8 feet long, was a great success with pole beans on the front half, and cucumbers on the rear--both are still producing since April.

[@beckijameson3844]

I like grape tomatoes more than cherry tomatoes. To me, they have a truer tomato taste.

[@user-vi4zw8ps1c]

I have pretty plants no tomatoes, got blooms what is wrong?

[@michellereber6816]

I’ve yet to find an indeterminate tomato that does well in my high heat dry climate. Thank goodness for cherrie toms , as they do fairly well. I agree the sungolds are amazing!

[@christopherc.4349]

Try Everglades tomatoes. They are small but so good. They grow great in Florida with all our heat. You will have to start them from seed because they are not found in nurseries.

[@leslietinyhousebuilderwann3851]

What do you do when tomatoes get bottom rot? My brother has tried everything and my mom thinks that this farm has a disease that rots the bottoms of tomatoes. Help please anyone?

[@Gkrissy]

This sounds like blossom end rot and it’s usually attributed to not enough watering. My bell peppers had this issue because of the heat wave in the summer.

[@GardenerScott]

Blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency and is most often caused by too much or too little water.

[@johnmyers8855]

Every plant seems to start off great then bottom leaves start to have black spots. Nothing i do seems to stop this

[@ogreunderbridge5204]

Seems like my tomato plants attracts some small black, annoying, unslappable flies. What outside chemical warfare could get rid of them ?

[@GardenerScott]

Try using yellow sticky traps.

[@chrisfisher3900]

Unless you’re in west Texas. The sun fries everything

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Very helpful information on tomatoes. There is nothing like home grown tomatoes. Cheers, Scott! ✌️