12 Tips for an Early Harvest in Tomato
While there's no magic wand that will make tomato plants go from seed to harvest in mere weeks, there are a few simple steps you can take to jump-start harvest season. It starts with various selections, followed by proper planting and maintenance. Preventing pests and diseases goes a long way to speeding up the harvest, and allows the harvesting of fruit that is not fully ripe and coloring indoors. Read on if you're wondering how to make tomato plants grow faster.
At one time or another, every tomato gardener has asked how to make tomato plants grow faster. Perhaps they are impatient to harvest or worry about whether their fruit will ripen before frost. Whatever your reasons for trying to speed up the growth of your tomato plants, below are 14 steps to help you grow a bountiful and early harvest.
1) Plant the tomato seedlings in the right place
Fast-growing tomato plants start with the right growing conditions. If plants struggle to grow, they may not reach their harvest potential. Here are 3 considerations to keep in mind when choosing a site to grow tomatoes:
Light – The most important element is the sun. A site that receives at least 8 hours of direct sunlight is ideal. Tomato plants in low light generally produce fewer fruits and are often late in the season.
Soil Type – Next, consider soil conditions. Tomato plants will struggle to thrive in hard, compacted clay soils. Light, sandy soils may not have enough organic matter or water retention to promote healthy growth. Rich, loamy soil is best. It retains soil moisture, provides nutrients, and drains well. If you don't have decent soil conditions, consider growing tomatoes in pots or raised beds.
Soil pH - Soil pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14 and is important to gardeners because pH affects the availability of plant nutrients. For tomatoes, soil pH should be between 6.0 and 6.8. You can test your soil using a pH soil test kit or send a soil sample to your local extension office for testing.
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2) Plant early maturing tomato varieties
If you flip through any seed chart, you'll notice that each tomato variety has 'days to maturity. This is the time it takes to go from seed, or in the case of tomatoes, from planting to harvest. Early Girl is a fast-maturing variety that is ready to pick within 57 days of planting. Choosing to plant a patch of early maturing tomatoes helps ensure you enjoy a home harvest earlier in the growing season. Other early varieties include Muskwich (60 days), Galahad (69 days), and Glacier (55 days). Cherry tomatoes mature quickly, with varieties like Sun Gold (57 days), Jasper (60 days), and Tidy Treats (60 days) being good choices for a quick harvest.
3) Start tomato seeds early for a quick harvest
General tomato growing advice is to sow tomato seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last expected spring frost. Young seedlings are then hardened off and transplanted into garden beds once the danger of frost has passed. However, for those wondering how to grow tomato plants faster and harvest earlier, sowing seeds indoors allows you to start the season with jumbo-sized transplants. That means making sure to give the seedlings everything they need to grow well: plenty of light (from a grow light or bright window), a 6- to 8-inch-diameter container, consistent humidity, and regular applications of liquid organic vegetable fertilizer. If early sown seedlings are light or water-stressed, the harvest may be delayed.
4) Keep tomato plants at the proper distance
Do not space tomato plants too close together. Proper spacing allows good air circulation and light exposure and can reduce the incidence of tomato diseases. Taking steps like smart spacing means less competition for water, light, and nutrients, resulting in healthier tomato plants.
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5) Preheat the garden soil before planting tomatoes
As mentioned above, tomatoes are a warm-season crop and do not grow well in cold temperatures or cold soils. The soil should be preheated by transplanting the tomato plants into a garden bed. Raising the soil temperature is easy. Cover the bed a week before your transplant (I do this when I start the hardening off process) with a piece of black plastic sheeting. Secure it with garden pins or rocks and place it on top of the soil. Keep your tomato seedlings in place until you're ready to put them in the garden.
6) Plant the tomato seedlings deep in the soil
Planting tomato seedlings deep in the soil may seem to delay plant growth, but the opposite is true! Once they are established, deeply planted tomato seedlings develop strong root systems that allow vigorous growth. When I transplant my seedlings into garden beds or containers, I remove the leaves from the lower half of the plants. I bury the seedlings so that half to two-thirds of the plant is under the soil.
7) Protect tomato plants with a greenhouse, mini tunnel, or cloche
Tender tomato plants are damaged by the cold wind, cold soil temperatures, or frost. If the garden is transplanted too soon, or cold weather settles back in after planting, plants are susceptible to cold damage or root rot. Keep newly transplanted seedlings warm using a greenhouse, mini-tunnel, or cloche-like structure. Every summer I grow about 20 tomato plants in my polytunnel. This gives me a 3 to 4-week head start on the planting season, allowing me to size and yield my plants weeks earlier than my garden crops. This extends the harvest period in autumn by another 3 to 4 weeks.
Cold temperatures can also reduce the amount of fruit set. For example, temperatures below 50 F (10 C) produce a poor fruit set. Temperatures below 55 F (13 C) will induce malformed fruit. The optimum temperature range for tomato fruit set is 65 to 80 F (18 to 27 C). Mini hoop tunnels make it easy and quick to set up tomato beds in the spring, covered with lightweight row cover or clear poly. Cloches, usually made of glass or plastic, are popped over individual plants. Water covers are cone-shaped covers made of plastic tubes that you fill with water. They provide excellent insulation for just-planted tomato seedlings but should be removed as soon as spring temperatures stabilize.
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| Garden Tips 1 | Garden Tips 2 | Garden Tips 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Home Garden | Tomato Garden | House Plants care |
| Indoor Plants care | Vegetable Garden | Container Garden |
| Herb Garden | Garden Pest | Garden care Tips |
8) Pinch the tomato suckers
I grow indeterminate, or vine, tomatoes vertically in garden settings. I pinch most tomato suckers growing on plants to control and manage their growth. Removing these vigorous shoots allows more light to reach the leaves, which promotes faster, healthier growth. Pinch off the suckers with your fingers or garden shears to help you focus on ripening the fruits that form on the vines instead of vegetative growth.
9) Support tomato plants with stakes or trellis
Growing tomato plants on sturdy stakes or trellises keep them off the ground and expose the plant to more direct sunlight. Plants grown in the ground are often flooded by shading the base and interior of the plant. It slows down the ripening rate. Instead, speed up the ripening process by placing tomato plants in wood chips, trellis, or a sturdy tomato cage. Both tenacious (bush) and non-tenacious (flag) tomato plants grow best when supported.
10) Mulch tomato plants with straw or organic grass clippings
There are many benefits to using organic mulch around the base of your tomato plants. Mulch retains soil moisture, reduces weed growth, and can prevent or slow the spread of soil-borne diseases such as early blight. However, if you apply mulch during the season, it will keep the soil cool and slow plant growth. Wait until plants are well established and soil temperatures are at least 65 to 70 F (18 to 21 C) before applying mulch.
11) Fertilize tomato plants regularly
Fertilizing tomatoes is another great way to encourage healthy growth and lots of fruit. My approach to fertilizing tomatoes is simple: I start with compost and add a 1- to 2-inch layer to the surface of the soil as I prepare the bed for planting. Next, I use a slow-release organic vegetable fertilizer when I transplant the seedlings. It provides a steady supply of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. I continue to apply liquid organic vegetable fertilizer once the plants begin to flower. I fertilize the plants with a liquid organic vegetable fertilizer every 2 weeks, following the package directions. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, as high nitrogen promotes vigorous leaf growth, but may delay or reduce flowering and fruit set.
12) Learn how and when to water tomato plants
Tomato plants affected by drought struggle to grow and produce fruit. They can also suffer from blossom end rot which delays the harvest of healthy fruits. Instead, water tomato plants regularly and deeply during the growing season. If you're not sure if you need water, stick your finger 2 inches down into the soil. If it's dry, grab your hose or run a soaker hose. I use a long-handled watering can deliver water to the root zone of my plants. It's important to water potted tomato plants frequently because they dry out quickly in the summer heat, stressing the plants. Learn more about how to water tomato plants.
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