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Learn How To Grow Tomatoes

Learn how to grow tomatoes, especially if you live in Texas or another warm area. You cannot wait until spring here to start your plants.

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Learn How To Grow Tomatoes - 11/17-11/23/25

Grow Tomatoes - Introduction To Texas

If you garden in Texas, you already know we play by different rules. The heat is fierce, the seasons run fast, and tomatoes will not wait. You have to beat the heat to win.

Here’s the simple truth: you can grow beautiful, delicious tomatoes in Texas if you do it early enough in the year. The trick is to plant before and after the heat.

This guide shows you how to grow tomatoes from seed in Texas starting plants in early January for spring planting. The seeds should come from the best seed company in Texas, David's Garden Seeds® and can include beefsteak tomato, slicing tomato, cherry tomato, grape tomato, paste tomato, plum tomato seeds.

Texas has many climates. The Gulf Coast is humid and warm. Central Texas swings hot and dry. South Central Texas (where we live) is even hotter and drier. The Panhandle can freeze hard. None match the rest of the USA for tomatoes. El Paso is a dry desert that can have snowfall but very little rain. I lived there for 16 years. 

Grow Tomatoes - Work Around The Heat

Tomato plants shut down when daytime temperatures hit 95 degrees or more. In many parts of Texas, that happens by May. So you must grow fast in spring and again in fall.

Your plan is simple: start seeds indoors in early January. Transplant in March. Harvest in April and May. Start seeds again in July. Transplant in late September. Harvest in fall until frost.

Why timing matters: high heat stops pollen from working. Flowers drop. Fruit will not set when days are hot and nights stay warm. Beat that window and you get big harvests.

Again, choose seeds from David’s Garden Seeds®. They offer beefsteak, slicing, cherry, grape, paste, and plum tomato types. Pick a mix so you have fresh eating and sauce tomatoes.

Decide on growth habit. Determinate plants finish faster and stay shorter. Indeterminate plants keep growing and need strong support. For spring in Texas, early and mid-season types help. For instance, you might have better luck with a variety with Early in the name like Early Girl. Tip: Any time you see the world "early" in the name of the variety, it is for early spring growing, not fall growing.)

Think about days to maturity. Early types (about 60 to 75 days) often pay off before the heat. In fall, early types also help you beat the first frost.

Grow Tomatoes - Start Them Indoors

Grow Tomatoes - Fall Crop

Now, plan your fall crop. Start seeds indoors in July under grow lights. This avoids outdoor heat that blocks germination and burns seedlings.

By late September, set your young plants outside. The sun is softer. Nights cool off. Fruit set starts again.

Protect fall plants from the first early cold. Keep frost cloth, row cover, or a small tunnel ready. These can stretch your season by weeks.

If your spring plants survive the summer with shade and care, they may bloom again in fall. But many gardeners pull up their spring plants and replant in September for stronger fall yields. Why? Because it takes a lot of water to keep those plants alive all summer long.

Grow Tomatoes - Container Gardening

Containers work well in Texas when you grow tomatoes. Use at least 10 gallons for determinate types and 15 to 20 gallons for indeterminates. Bigger pots hold moisture longer.

Container soil dries fast in heat. Water daily in warm, windy weather. Add mulch on top of the pot to hold moisture.

Plan for succession. Mix early and mid-season types from David’s Garden Seeds. That way, you get steady harvests in spring and fall windows.

Keep records. Note sowing dates, transplant dates, first flowers, and first ripe fruit. This helps you fine-tune your timing next year.

Grow Tomatoes - Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting: yellow lower leaves often mean stress or lack of nitrogen. Feed lightly and check water. Make sure roots are not waterlogged.

Troubleshooting: flowers but no fruit usually means heat. At 95 degrees and above, fruit set stops. Use shade cloth and wait for a cooler stretch.

Troubleshooting: fruit cracks after heavy rain. Mulch well and water consistently. Harvest earlier if storms are coming.

Troubleshooting: blossom end rot on first fruits. Keep watering steady, avoid root damage, and add calcium only if your soil test shows a need.

One more time so you remember: grow tomatoes from seed in Texas starting plants in early January for spring planting. The seeds should come from David's Garden Seeds and can include beefsteak tomato, slicing tomato, cherry tomato, grape tomato, paste tomato, plum tomato seeds.

I live in the Texas heat and learned this rhythm the hard way. Start early, harvest fast, pause for summer, then start again. Follow this plan, use quality seeds from David’s Garden Seeds, and you will grow Texas tomatoes that make you proud.

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Monday, November 17, 2025

A big Happy Birthday to me! I wanted to go to Hermann Sons Steakhouse because David said they have changed everything up. Well, we found out they are closed on Mondays so I will have to wait until tomorrow. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Friday, November 21, 2025

Saturday, November 22, 2025

Sunday, November 23, 2025

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Return from Learn How To Grow Tomatoes to Year 7 Of Farm Life

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Since 2009, over 2,000,000 home gardeners, all across the USA, have relied on David's Garden Seeds® to grow beautiful, productive gardens. Trust is at the heart of it. Our customers know David's Garden Seeds® stocks only the highest quality seeds available. Our mission is to become your lifetime supplier of quality seeds. It isn't just to serve you once; we want to earn your trust as the primary supplier of all of your garden seeds.

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Here is what you need to grow tomato seeds indoors: clean seed trays, a sterile seed-starting mix, dome or humidity cover, a heat mat, grow lights, small fans, labels, and a gentle fertilizer. Grow lights are not an option. Sunlight from a window is just not enough light.

Use a fresh, sterile seed-starting mix. Garden soil can carry pests and disease. A fine, light mix helps roots and keeps seedlings safe.

Sow seeds about 1/4 inch deep. Two seeds per cell is fine. Lightly cover and mist with water. Label each variety so you know what is what.

Keep the soil warm, around 75 to 80 degrees, until seeds sprout. A heat mat makes this easy. Most seeds pop up in 4 to 7 days.

As soon as seeds sprout, turn on bright grow lights. Keep lights 2 to 3 inches above the leaves. Give 14 to 16 hours of light each day.

Water from the bottom when you can. Keep the mix damp but not soggy. Run a small fan to move air and prevent damping-off disease.

Feed lightly when the first true leaves appear. A half-strength, balanced liquid fertilizer works well. Do this once a week.

Pot up into larger cups when roots fill the cell. Bury the stem up to the first leaves to build a strong root system. Keep the lights close.

This is the core of how to grow tomatoes from seed in Texas starting plants in early January for spring planting. 

About two weeks before transplanting, harden off your plants. Set them outside for a few hours a day at first. Increase time each day until they can stay out all day.

Get your garden beds ready early. Clear weeds and old roots. Mix in several inches of finished compost for rich, loose soil.

Tomatoes like a soil pH around 6.2 to 6.8. If you can, do a soil test. Add amendments as needed to hit that range.

Raised beds help in much of Texas. They drain fast after heavy rains and warm up earlier in spring. Good drainage is key.

Transplant when danger of hard frost has mostly passed and soil is near 60 degrees. In many Texas areas, that’s early to mid-March. Keep frost cloth ready, just in case.

Plant tomatoes deep. Bury the stem until only the top leaves show. Roots will form along the buried stem, making a stronger plant.

Space plants for airflow. Give determinate plants 18 to 24 inches. Give indeterminate tomato plants 24 to 36 inches. Leave 3 to 4 feet between rows.

Set up support at planting. Use sturdy tomato cages, tall stakes, or a Florida weave. Early support prevents broken stems in spring winds.

Mulch after the soil warms a bit. Apply 2 to 4 inches of straw, shredded leaves, or pine needles. Mulch holds soil moisture and keeps roots cool.

Water deeply and less often. Aim for 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week in spring. Drip lines or soaker hoses save time and reduce disease.

Feed on a schedule. Mix a small dose of balanced fertilizer at planting. Side-dress with a tomato fertilizer when buds form, then every 2 to 3 weeks as needed.

Avoid too much nitrogen. Lots of nitrogen makes big green plants but fewer fruit. Keep it balanced for Texas tomatoes.

Watch for blossom end rot. That dark spot on the bottom of fruit comes from uneven moisture and low available calcium. Keep watering steady and consider gypsum if your soil needs calcium.

Be ready for a late cold snap. Keep frost cloth and buckets handy. Cover in the evening and uncover in the morning.

When plants bloom, help pollination. A gentle shake of the cage or a soft brush on flowers moves pollen. Bees and wind help too.

As days climb toward 95, give plants a break. A 30 to 40 percent shade cloth during the hottest part of the day can reduce stress and sunscald.

Scout pests early. Look for hornworms, aphids, and whiteflies. Pick hornworms by hand, spray aphids with water, and use insecticidal soap if needed.

Reduce disease pressure. Remove lower leaves that touch soil. Water at the base, not overhead. If needed, use labeled fungicides and follow directions.

Prune wisely. For indeterminate plants, remove some suckers to improve airflow. Leave enough leaves to protect fruit from sun.

Harvest when fruit has full color and a gentle squeeze gives slightly. Morning harvests are cool and easy. Don’t let ripe fruit sit in the hot sun.

If rain is coming, pick fruit with a blush of color and let it finish indoors. This can prevent cracking. Keep fruit at room temperature for best flavor.

Use your harvest well. Slicers and beefsteaks shine on sandwiches. Cherries and grapes are sweet snacks. Paste and plum types cook down into rich sauce.

Spring timing by region varies. In South Texas, you may transplant in early March. In Central Texas, mid-March is common. In North Texas and the Panhandle, late March or early April can be safer.

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