Tomatoes, from seed to sauce.
When to sow, plant out, pinch out and pick; how to spot blight, blossom end rot, leaf mould and whitefly; where the tomato came from, and why the US Supreme Court once ruled it a vegetable. For growers, families and schools wherever you grow. Every fact is checked against the RHS, Garden Organic, the University of Minnesota, Kew, Britannica and the court record, and where they disagree we show both.
The short version
Tomatoes are one of the most popular crops to grow. You can start them from seed indoors or buy young plants, then grow them outdoors or in a greenhouse, in pots or in the ground. RHS: How to grow tomatoes Garden Organic says there are hundreds of varieties, and calls tomatoes a great crop for someone new to growing. Garden Organic: Tomatoes growing guide
Cordon (indeterminate) tomatoes are vigorous, very tall plants that need tall supports. Bush (determinate) tomatoes are naturally more compact, great for smaller spaces. RHS: How to grow tomatoes Small-fruited varieties tend to be the easiest to grow, the fastest to fruit and the most prolific. RHS: How to grow tomatoes
Tomatoes grow particularly well in a greenhouse, usually giving an earlier and larger crop. Outdoors, these tender plants need a warm, sunny, sheltered site. RHS: How to grow tomatoes University of Minnesota Extension calls tomatoes the most popular homegrown vegetable. They need a long, frost-free season and full sun. University of Minnesota Extension: Growing tomatoes in home gardens
The wild tomato came from the Andes of South America, probably mainly Peru and Ecuador. Encyclopaedia Britannica: tomato The Spanish brought the tomato to Europe in the early 16th century. The Spanish and Italians seem to have been the first Europeans to eat it. Encyclopaedia Britannica: tomato
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Tomato printables
Fact-checked PDFs in A4 and US Letter, for tomato growers, families and schools, wherever you grow.
Grow-Your-Own Tomato Planner & Sowing Calendar
Tomato growers everywhere, from balconies to allotments
A month-by-month tomato calendar with RHS, Garden Organic and University of Minnesota timings side by side, a variety planner, a sowing and pricking-out tracker, cordon or bush planting plans, a side-shoot and truss checklist, a feeding and watering log and a season review.
Tomato Harvest Log & Plant Record Book
Gardeners, greenhouse growers and allotment holders
Record every plant: variety, sowing and planting dates, first flowers, trusses set, first ripe fruit, weekly pick weights and notes for next year, with a season summary page.
Tomato Pest & Problem ID Charts
Gardeners and greenhouse growers
Clear wall charts for blight, blossom end rot, splitting, leaf mould, glasshouse whitefly and hornworms, with what the RHS, Garden Organic and UMN Extension say to look for and do. Our own drawings, not ID photos.
Where Food Comes From: Tomato Worksheets for Kids
Ages 5 to 11, families and schools
Label a tomato plant, follow a tomato from seed to salad, a grow-a-tomato diary, fruit or vegetable? sorting, a word search and a true-or-false quiz where every answer is sourced.
Tomato Colouring & Activity Pack
Ages 3 to 9
Colouring pages of the tomato plant, flowers and trusses, a tomato cut in half and harvest day, plus a maze, spot-the-difference and design-your-own-tomato page.
Tomato History & Facts Poster Set
Classrooms, greenhouses and home
Poster pages: the tomato timeline from the 1500s to the early 1900s, fruit or vegetable? and the Supreme Court case Nix v. Hedden, the parts of a tomato plant, cordon or bush, and where the tomato’s names come from.
Best valueThe Complete Tomato Printables Bundle
All six packs plus a bundle guide, A4 and US Letter, in one download. $12.99 instead of $26.44 bought separately.