Tomato Culture & Growing Information

Tomato Culture

Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before planting outside. Sow seed 1/4-inch deep in shallow containers in a sterilized seed-starting mix. Keep moist. Tomato seedlings emerge in 7 to 14 days. Bottom heat may be needed. Transplant to individual pots when seedlings have at least 2 pairs of leaves. “Harden” seedlings to the outside before transplanting.

“Determinate” vs. “Indeterminate”

Tomato plants are either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate types grow to a certain height and then stop, yielding their harvest over a short 4 to 6-week period. Indeterminate types grow and flower throughout the season, producing smaller harvests at any one time, but bearing over a much longer season.

Tomato Disease Resistance

Many tomato variety names in this catalog are followed with letters like “VFFNT,” which indicate the diseases to which this particular variety is naturally resistant. Check with your local extension service to determine which diseases might affect your crop. Then choose appropriate varieties from this list which indicates the resistance you need: V: Verticillium Wilt F: Fusarium Wilt, Race 1 FF: Fusarium Wilt, Races 1, 2 FFF: Fusarium Wilt, Races 1, 2, 3 N: Nematodes T: Tobacco Mosaic Virus A: Alternaria Stem Canker St: Stemphylium Gr. Leaf Spot Tswv: Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Eb: Early Blight Lb: Late Blight Tylc: Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus