Tomatoes - State by State Garden

Tomato Hornworms on Tomatoes: How to Spot Them and Get Rid of Them

A tomato plant that looks fine one day and has bare stems the next usually has a fat green caterpillar hiding in the foliage. Tomato hornworms feed on leaves and fruit, and they blend in so well that most gardeners find them late. Knowing what they look like, where they sit and what to do about them saves the plant.

Tomato Hornworms: What You See

Look for a thick green caterpillar on the stems and leaves, and check the signs below.

A pointed horn at the rear end of the body gives the larva its name.
Eight V-shaped marks run along each side of the body, and the horn is fairly straight and blue-black.
Full-grown larvae can reach four inches in length, big enough to spot once you know where to look.
Leaf blades are chewed first at the top of the plant, with the damage moving down the stems.
Droppings on a few leaves are sometimes the only clue that a caterpillar is feeding nearby.
Fruit can be chewed as well as foliage.

Small larvae feed unnoticed in thick, lush foliage, then strip vines quickly as they near the end of their feeding cycle.

Tomato Hornworms or Something Else?

Two other things can be mistaken for the caterpillar on your plant. One is a close relative that feeds on the same crop. The other is damage you find without seeing any caterpillar at all.

Check the markings on the body and the color of the horn together before deciding, since either one alone can mislead.

Looks like	How to tell them apart
Tobacco hornworm, a green caterpillar on tomato leaves	Red horn and straight diagonal stripes on the sides, where the tomato hornworm has V-shaped marks and a blue-black horn
Chewed leaves with no caterpillar in sight	Look for droppings on the leaves below the damage, then search the stems and the undersides of leaves near the top of the plant

The tobacco hornworm is a sphinx moth larva too, and it feeds on tomatoes in much the same way. Whichever one you find, the control steps are the same.

What Causes Tomato Hornworms, and Where It Is Worst

The caterpillars are the larvae of large sphinx moths, and only the larvae feed on tomato plants. Besides tomatoes, they damage eggplant, potato and pepper plants. They overwinter as pupae in earthen cocoons, which means the next generation starts in the soil where the plants grew.

Hornworms turn up wherever tomatoes grow. In a state like Kansas, where two generations of tomato and tobacco hornworms appear each season, the caterpillars can be present well before anyone notices.

Large caterpillars can strip a plant fast. In Illinois, one or two worms can defoliate a five-foot tomato plant in less than three days.

How to Treat Tomato Hornworms

Handle them early, and work in this order so the plant keeps its leaves.

Inspect the plant from the top down, so that you find the freshly chewed leaves and droppings that point to the caterpillar.
Look along the stems and under the leaves near the damage, because the green body blends in with the foliage.
Pick off every caterpillar you find, so that the feeding stops right away.
Drop them into a container of soapy water, so that they do not crawl back onto the plants.
Check the plant again soon, since small larvae are easy to miss in thick foliage.
Ask your state extension office before using any spray, since it knows which products are approved where you live.

Hand picking is enough for a few plants. Look closely at the fruit too, because the caterpillars feed on it as well as on the leaves.

How to Prevent Tomato Hornworms Coming Back

Because the pupae overwinter in the soil, prevention follows the garden year.

In early spring, before planting, turn the soil in the tomato bed so that overwintering pupae in their earthen cocoons are exposed.
Once the plants are growing, check them regularly from the top down, since young larvae feed unseen in lush foliage.
In Kansas, look again for droppings and chewed tops, because a second generation can follow the first.
In fall, clear the old vines and loosen the soil, so that pupae are not left sheltered in the bed.

Rotating the tomato bed with other crops is also sensible, since eggplant, potato and pepper are hosts as well.

Where This Comes From

The details here come from university extension and cooperative extension publications in Kansas, Arizona, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Your state extension office can confirm timing and approved controls for your area.

Common Questions

Do Hornworms Eat Tomato Fruit?

Yes. They feed on both leaves and fruit, so check the tomatoes as well as the foliage.

Do Hornworms Feed on Plants Other than Tomatoes?

They also damage eggplant, potato and pepper plants.

Do the Moths Hurt Tomato Plants?

No. Only the larvae feed on the plants, and the adults are sphinx moths.

When to Start Tomato Seeds Indoors in Newfoundland and Labrador

Seed trays on a bright windowsill are one of the first signs of spring for a tomato grower, long before the garden thaws. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the sowing window opens in March and runs into April, so the trays have time to fill out before planting.

When Should You Start Tomato Seeds in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Start tomato seeds indoors in March or April, with mid-March to mid-April as the sweet spot. Timing here follows the dates of the nearest comparable climate, so confirm local timing with a garden centre, a garden society or the provincial gardening groups.

Step	When in Newfoundland and Labrador	Why
Sow seeds indoors	March to April (mid-March to mid-April)	Seedlings need six to eight weeks indoors before they go out
Plant outside	May to June (late May to early June)	The danger of the last frost has to be gone first
Harden off	In the one to two weeks before planting	Plants adjust to sun and wind outdoors

Frost dates vary a lot across a province. At St. John’s, the average last spring frost falls on May 30, which means that in one year out of two frost arrives later. Treat it as the middle of a window, never a safe date. Northern and upland districts, including Labrador, run weeks behind. Potting up into larger containers happens as the seedlings outgrow their first cells, a little before the hardening-off stage.

How to Start Tomatoes from Seed

The gestures are simple, and each one follows the season, from the first sowing to the day the plants go outdoors.

In March or April, fill clean trays with fresh seed-starting mix, sow the seeds shallowly and keep the mix moist but never soggy.
Once the seeds are sown, set the trays somewhere warm, because warm mix wakes the seeds faster than a cool room does.
As soon as seedlings show, move them under bright light, such as a sunny south window or a grow light, so the stems stay short and sturdy.
When the seedlings outgrow their cells, pot them up into larger containers, handling them by the leaves rather than the fragile stem.
In the one to two weeks before planting, set the plants outdoors a little longer each day to harden them off.
In late May to early June, plant out once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to about 60°F (16°C).

Cold soil stalls a tomato even after the frost is over, so waiting a few extra days at planting time costs the plant very little.

What Happens If You Start Tomato Seeds Too Early

Seedlings sown too early outgrow their trays before the garden is ready for them. They turn tall, thin and floppy, reaching for light, and they can become rootbound in small cells while they wait for the weather to turn.

That wait is real in Newfoundland and Labrador, where planting out happens in late May to early June. Sowing in March or April keeps the plants compact. A stocky seedling with a thick stem settles into the garden faster than a leggy one that has been waiting indoors for weeks.

Where to Get Seed-Starting Advice in Newfoundland and Labrador

Canada has no county extension offices, so local advice comes from the province and from growers nearby. The provincial Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture is the starting point for questions about growing food in the province.

Visit a local garden centre in late winter to ask which tomato varieties suit your part of the province and when to sow them.
Join a local garden society before sowing season, since members know how your district’s spring runs compared with St. John’s.

Common Questions

Do Tomato Seeds Need Heat to Sprout?

Warmth in the seed-starting mix helps seeds germinate, so a warm spot indoors works better than a cool windowsill. Once seedlings appear, they need bright light more than extra heat.

Can You Plant Tomatoes Outside in May in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Late May is the start of the planting window, and it can run into June. Wait until the frost danger is truly over and the soil has warmed, and in cooler districts expect to wait toward the later end of that range.

Which Tomato Varieties Are Worth Trying?

Look for varieties with disease resistance, since many modern tomatoes are bred for it. A local garden centre can point you to the ones that ripen reliably in a short, cool season.

Best Tomatoes to Grow in Manitoba

A tomato plant that sits in cold soil in May just stalls, so the best varieties for a Manitoba yard are the ones that ripen early, shrug off disease and keep growing in cool weather. Northern plains and Prairie gardeners lean on a handful of dependable names for the yard.

Best Tomatoes to Grow in Manitoba

Manitoba is not a place where tomatoes grow themselves. The season is short and spring frost lingers, with the mean last frost in Winnipeg falling on May 23. That is only the midpoint, so in one year out of two the frost comes later. Northern and upland districts run weeks behind Winnipeg. Varieties that tolerate cool weather and resist disease are the ones that tend to do well on the Prairies.

Celebrity

Celebrity is one of the popular, reliable tomatoes on the northern plains. Its determinate vines resist many diseases, and the fruits are flavorful and resist cracking. Compact vines that finish together suit a short Manitoba season.

Early Girl

Early Girl is widely available, and gardeners like its extra-early yields of bright red, delicious fruits. Early ripening matters here because every week of warm weather counts. Plant it out once frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed.

Mountain Fresh Plus

The Mountain series, including Mountain Fresh Plus, is famous for growing well in cool climates and resisting diseases. That makes it a sensible pick for cool Manitoba springs and for gardens where leaf diseases return in damp summers.

BadaBing

BadaBing is one of the first varieties to resist Septoria leaf spot, the most common tomato disease on the northern plains. If spotted lower leaves have troubled your plants before, a resistant variety saves you a lot of trimming and worry.

Purple Heirloom Hybrids

A newer hybrid carries the special flavors of two purple heirlooms but ripens earlier, sets more fruit, resists cracking and fights diseases. It is a good way to enjoy dark, rich tomatoes without waiting out a long season.

Trying Several Varieties

You may have to try different tomatoes before finding the ones that do well in your own spot. Seed catalogs often give information that helps you choose varieties that avoid problems, so read the disease and ripening notes before you order.

How to Choose Tomatoes for Your Manitoba Garden

Start with the problem your garden already has. A cold spring, a damp summer or a shaded patio each points to a different kind of tomato.

Whatever you choose, the timing is the same. Start seeds indoors in April, or in late March to mid-April, then plant outside from May to June once frost has passed and the soil has warmed.

Your situation	What suits it in Manitoba	Why
Cool spring and short season	Early Girl	Extra-early yields of bright red fruits
Cool weather overall	Mountain Fresh Plus	The Mountain series grows well in cool climates and resists diseases
Leaf spot in past summers	BadaBing	One of the first to resist Septoria leaf spot
Little time for care	Celebrity	Determinate vines resist many diseases and the fruit resists cracking
Want purple heirloom flavor	The purple heirloom hybrid	Ripens earlier and resists cracking and disease

If none of these fits, a seed catalog’s notes on disease and ripening will help you narrow the choice. Small-space growers can use the same varieties, since the choice depends on climate and disease more than on garden size.

Tomato Buying Mistakes to Avoid in Manitoba

Buying Plants Too Early

Garden centers may offer tomato plants well before the weather is safe. Frost kills tomatoes, and cold soil stalls them. Keep plants indoors and harden them off outdoors for one to two weeks. Plant them out only after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to about 60°F.

Choosing Late, Disease-Prone Varieties

A variety with no disease resistance and a slow ripening habit can leave you with spotted leaves and green fruit when the season closes. Pick names known for early fruit and disease resistance, such as Early Girl, BadaBing or the Mountain series, and check the catalog notes first.

Ignoring Seed-Starting Timing

Seedlings started too early turn leggy, and seedlings started too late are small at planting time. Start them indoors about six to eight weeks before they go into the garden, which in Manitoba means April, or late March to mid-April. Trust the plants rather than a frost date alone, because in Winnipeg the May 23 average only marks the middle of the risk.

Where to Get Tomato Advice in Manitoba

Local conditions differ across the province, so a nearby source helps. Manitoba has no county extension office, so look to the provincial ministry and to people who garden near you.

Manitoba Agriculture is the provincial ministry to ask about growing vegetables in your region, and a call before spring planting will help.
Local garden centers and garden societies know which varieties suit your neighborhood, so visit them in early spring.

Common Questions

Can You Plant Tomatoes Outside in Manitoba in May?

Yes, May and June are the planting months, once the soil is warm and frost has passed. On the Prairies, that frost-free point can fall anywhere from mid-May to mid-June.

Do Tomato Plants Need Hardening Off?

Yes. Set seedlings outdoors for one to two weeks before planting so they adjust to wind and sun.

How Do You Find Which Varieties Will Do Well in Your Yard?

Try a few different tomatoes and keep what performs. Local garden centers and garden societies can point you toward varieties that fit your area.

Thrips on Tomatoes: How to Spot Them and Get Rid of Them

A silvery, flecked sheen on tomato leaves, with tiny black specks scattered across it, usually points to thrips. These slender insects feed on the plant’s cell contents, and the damage shows up well after the feeding starts. Spotting the signs early and cleaning up the growing space are what keep a small problem from spreading.

Thrips: What You See

Thrips are small enough that the damage gets noticed before the insect does, so look at the leaves first.

Silvery, flecked patches and black specks of frass sit on the surface of fully expanded leaves.
The insects themselves are thin, yellowish-orange and about the size of metal filings, with fringed wings.
Young fruits can carry small indentations where females laid their eggs.
Flowers and leaves may come out deformed, because the plant cells collapse where thrips have fed.
Scarring and distorted growth can follow on new tissue.

In Maryland, the first symptoms can take 2 – 4 weeks to appear after adults begin feeding, so the insects are often well settled by the time you notice.

Thrips or Something Else?

Several tomato problems leave pale or spotted leaves, so one clue is never enough. Pair what the leaf looks like with where it shows up and what you find when you look closely.

A hand lens helps, because thrips leave a distinctive trail of black flecks that other causes do not.

Looks like	How to tell them apart
Mite damage, with stippled, discolored leaves	Mites also stipple the leaf, but thrips add black frass flecks on the damaged surface and slender, fringe-winged insects on the plant.
Tomato spotted wilt virus, with spotted, stunted foliage	Thrips carry this virus, so flecking plus stunting means checking for the insects too.

Because thrips can pass spotted wilt virus to tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, flecked leaves on a stunted plant deserve a close look rather than a quick guess.

What Causes Thrips, and Where It Is Worst

Thrips build up fast. A female lays kidney-shaped eggs inside plant tissue, the young pass through two larval stages and then a prepupa and pupa stage, and the adults feed and lay more eggs. There can be up to eight generations in a year.

Warmth speeds all of this up. In Maryland, when the weather is warm, the life cycle can be as short as 2 weeks, so a few insects become a crowd quickly.

Protected growing spaces such as greenhouses and high tunnels see a lot of trouble. Western flower thrips feed on cucumbers, peppers, lettuce and tomatoes under cover, and problems there often trace back to poor sanitation before planting.

How to Treat Thrips

Work in order, starting with the cleanup and then moving to the plants themselves.

Check the leaves with a hand lens, so that you confirm the black flecks and slender insects before doing anything else.
Remove weeds and old plant debris around the tomatoes, because these shelter thrips and let them move onto your plants.
Pull and bag the worst-damaged leaves, which takes away tissue where eggs are already laid.
Keep watching new growth regularly, since feeding damage appears well after the insects arrive.
Contact your state extension service about what is approved and legal in your state if the population keeps climbing, because label rules differ from place to place.

In a greenhouse or high tunnel, sanitation before planting does more than almost anything done later, so clear the space thoroughly before the next crop goes in.

How to Prevent Thrips Coming Back

Prevention follows the season, and most of it is cleanup done before thrips have a chance to build up.

Before planting, clean out greenhouses and high tunnels thoroughly, removing old plants and weeds that carried thrips through the cold months.
Before transplanting, inspect seedlings for flecking and black specks so that you do not bring thrips in with them.
Keep weeds down around the beds, because warm weather lets thrips breed quickly.
During the growing season, check the leaves regularly for silvery flecks, since symptoms trail the feeding.
Clear spent tomato plants and debris, so nothing is left to harbor thrips into the next year.

Most thrips problems found in protected growing spaces came down to skipped sanitation, which makes the cleanup the easiest part to control.

Where This Comes From

This guidance draws on university extension research from Maryland, Utah and North Carolina on thrips in tomatoes and other vegetables.

Rules on what you can use differ by state, so confirm details with your state’s extension service.

Common Questions

Can Thrips Kill a Tomato Plant?

Thrips mainly damage leaves, flowers and young fruit, but they can also carry tomato spotted wilt virus, which harms the plant more seriously. Early detection limits both problems.

Do Thrips Live Inside Tomato Flowers?

Thrips feed on flowers and leaves, and deformed blooms are one sign of their feeding. Check new growth closely when flowers look distorted.

Will Thrips Spread to My Peppers and Eggplants?

They can. Thrips feed on a wide range of vegetables, and the virus they carry affects peppers and eggplants as well as tomatoes, so inspect nearby crops too.

When to Plant Tomatoes in Ohio

Tomato transplants that sit in a cold, wet bed in April tend to stall, while those set out after the weather settles take off fast. In Ohio, the right moment is a matter of weeks, and it follows the frost and the soil more than the calendar on the kitchen wall.

When Is the Best Time to Plant Tomatoes in Ohio?

Plant tomatoes outside in May, after the danger of frost has passed, with April and June as fallback months when the spring runs early or late. Frost kills the plants outright, cold soil holds them back, and long stretches of heat keep large-fruited types from setting fruit.

In March and April, seeds go into trays indoors, so the plants are ready when the garden is.
In April, a warm spell can tempt you, but planting then only works when frost is truly behind you and you can cover plants if the night turns cold.
In May, transplants go into the ground once the soil has warmed to about 60°F and every frost warning is gone.
In June, planting can still be done, which helps if a late frost took the first set or the garden was not ready earlier.
By mid-October, frost returns and ends the season, so ripening fruit should be picked before the first night that threatens it.

These months fit zone 6a, where in Columbus the last spring frost falls between May 5 and May 15 and the first fall frost between October 5 and October 15. Ohio spans USDA hardiness zones 5b to 6b, so a garden in the colder parts of the state may wait a little longer than one in the milder parts.

When to Start Tomato Seeds for Ohio

Sow seeds indoors in March or April, and late February is also fine if you have a bright spot and want an early start. Seedlings are started about six to eight weeks before they go into the garden, which lands them at planting size just as May arrives.

Starting too early gives you tall, leggy plants that crowd their trays and struggle once they reach the soil. The page on starting tomato seeds indoors in Ohio walks through trays, light and timing in more detail.

How to Plant Tomatoes in Ohio

Good planting is a short run of steps, each one protecting the plant from something specific.

Before planting, harden off the seedlings outdoors for one to two weeks, so leaves toughened by sun and wind do not scorch when they leave the windowsill.
When the soil has warmed to about 60°F and frost is past, set the plants out, because roots in cold ground barely grow.
At planting, bury the stem deep, since the buried part sprouts extra roots that anchor the plant and help it find water.
At the same time, push in a stake or set a cage, so the support goes in before the roots spread and can be damaged by it later.
After planting, water the soil well and keep water off the leaves, because wet foliage invites disease.
Once the soil is warm, spread mulch around the plants to hold moisture and keep soil from splashing up onto the lower leaves.

Before planting, clear out old tomato debris from the bed, and choose varieties with disease resistance. Resistance to Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt is built into most modern tomato varieties, and it is worth checking the label for it.

When to Seed, Plant and Harvest Tomatoes in Ohio

The year for a tomato in Ohio runs from a tray on a windowsill to the last picking before frost. Each job has its own window, and each one is set by what the plant needs at that point.

Task	Best timing in Ohio	Why then
Start seeds indoors	March to April, or late February	Seedlings reach planting size in six to eight weeks
Plant transplants outside	May, or April and June if needed	Frost is past and the soil is near 60°F
Harvest before frost	Before the first fall frost, which comes October 5 to October 15 in zone 6a in Columbus	Frost damages fruit and kills the vines

A second planting in summer is not part of the usual Ohio routine, so one well-timed spring planting does the work. When frost threatens in autumn, pick the fruit that has begun to color and finish ripening it indoors.

Where to Get Tomato Advice in Ohio

Ohio State University Extension runs offices in every county, and the staff there can help with problems that a calendar cannot solve.

Your county extension office can arrange a soil test, which shows what the bed needs before you plant in May.
Bring a leaf or stem with spots, wilting or odd color to the same office for a disease diagnosis, ideally while symptoms are fresh.

Common Questions

Can You Plant Tomatoes in Ohio in June?

Yes. June planting is a workable fallback if frost took an early set or the garden was not ready in May. The plants will start later, so give them steady water and mulch right away.

Should You Use a Cage or a Stake for Tomatoes in Ohio?

Either one works. A cage holds a bushier plant on its own, while a stake suits a plant you tie up as it grows. Set whichever you choose at planting time.

What Do Tomato Leaves Need to Stay Healthy in Ohio?

Dry foliage matters most, so water at the soil line. Clean beds and resistant varieties lower the odds of the soilborne diseases that affect Ohio tomatoes.

Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes: Causes and Fixes

A dark, sunken patch on the bottom of a green tomato is a common sight in summer, usually on the first fruit of the season. That patch is blossom end rot, a disorder of the fruit that comes from how the plant gets its calcium. The causes are easy to trace once you know where to look, and most fixes are simple garden habits.

What Causes Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes?

Blossom end rot is a calcium shortage inside the developing fruit. It rarely means the soil lacks calcium. More often the plant cannot move enough of it to the fruit because the roots are stressed by swings between wet and dry soil.

It first appears as a sunken, brownish black spot 1⁄2 to 1 inch in diameter on the blossom end, the side opposite the stem. The spot can widen and turn leathery as the fruit grows.

Climate and soil change how likely it is. Hot, dry spells dry the root zone quickly, and acidic soil holds less usable calcium. Where summers are hot and humid, a stretch of extreme heat can trigger the problem even in gardens that were fine in cooler years.

How Do You Fix Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes?

The fixes follow the season, starting with the soil before planting and ending with the habits that keep roots steady.

Test the soil, so you know whether lime is needed, since a pH test every 2-3 years is the usual rhythm.
If your soils tend to be acidic, work lime into the soil in fall, giving it time to react before spring planting.
Only when a test shows low calcium and the pH is already right should you till in gypsum before planting, at the rate the soil test report gives.
Water deeply and regularly so the whole root zone is wet, which in dry-summer climates means every 7 to 10 days.
To check moisture, push a finger a few inches down into the soil, and water once it feels barely damp.
Spread mulch around the plant bases, so the soil holds moisture through hot, dry stretches.

Pick off fruit that already has the spot, because it will not recover and the plant puts its energy into the rest. Healthy fruit set later often comes out clean once watering and soil are steady.

Does Blossom End Rot Change with Soil and Climate?

Advice differs by region more than by tomato variety. The range of target soil pH shows this, as do the watering rules, which are written for very different summers.

Whatever you grow, a soil test report is the best guide for your own ground, since the right pH target varies from place to place.

What changes	Why it matters
Target soil pH, from 6.0 to 7.2 depending on the region	Calcium is easier for roots to take up in the right pH range, and a test tells you where your soil sits.
Rainfall in humid regions, with at least 1 inch of water per week as rain or irrigation	When rain falls short during fruit development, you make up the difference with a hose.
Dry summers in the Pacific Northwest, where deep watering every 7 to 10 days is common	Rainless weeks mean the root zone depends on you, so a slow soak matters.
Hot, dry spells in the Northeast, where 1-2 inches of water a week plus mulch is advised	Mulch slows evaporation, which keeps moisture from swinging between extremes.

In practice, set your pH goal from a local soil test and your watering from the weather. The same two habits apply across the country, only the numbers shift. Heavier fruit and long heat waves put extra strain on the plant, so extra care with moisture in those weeks pays off.

What Mistakes Make Blossom End Rot Worse?

Watering in Shallow Sips

Light, frequent sprinkling wets only the top of the soil, so the roots stay shallow and dry out fast. The cost is uneven calcium delivery and spotted fruit. Water slowly enough to soak the root zone to a depth of 2 feet, then let the soil rest before the next watering.

Hoeing Close to the Stem

Cultivating near the plant cuts fine feeder roots, and those are the roots that carry calcium upward. The damage is invisible until fruit starts showing spots. Keep hoes and cultivators more than 1 foot from the base of the plant, and pull nearby weeds by hand.

Adding Calcium Without a Soil Test

Dumping gypsum or lime on the bed without testing can waste money and push pH the wrong way. If the pH is off, lime fixes it. If the pH is right but calcium is low, gypsum fits. A test result tells you which case you have, and a rate of 1 pound of gypsum per 100 square feet is a typical starting point in a calcium-poor bed.

When Should You Act on Blossom End Rot?

Act at the first sunken, dark spot on a young fruit, since that tells you moisture or soil needs attention right away. Soil work such as lime waits for fall or the weeks before planting, but watering and mulch can change today. Each state has its own months for tomato work.

Your state’s tomato page lists the months for planting out, so you can plan the soil work ahead of it.
Check there before fall, since that is when lime goes in and has time to settle before the next season.

Common Questions

Can You Eat a Tomato with Blossom End Rot?

Yes, once you cut away the dark, sunken spot and any soft flesh beneath it. The rest of the fruit is fine to eat. If the rot has opened the skin and mold has set in, toss it.

Does Blossom End Rot Spread from One Tomato to Another?

No. It is a nutrient and moisture problem inside each fruit, so it does not pass between plants like a disease. Several fruit on one plant often show it at once because they all develop under the same dry or wet conditions.

Will a Plant with Blossom End Rot Keep Producing Good Tomatoes?

Often it will. Fruit that sets after the soil moisture steadies tends to come out clean, while the early fruit that already has the spot will not heal. Keep the soil evenly damp and the plant has a good chance of turning around.

When to Start Tomato Seeds Indoors in Texas

Tomato seedlings on a sunny windowsill in the weeks before spring are a welcome sign that a Texas garden season is starting. The sowing date depends on when the plants will go outdoors, and in Texas that date shifts a lot from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast. Count backward from your planting date.

When Should You Start Tomato Seeds in Texas?

Start seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before the transplants go into the garden. For spring tomatoes in Central Texas, planting runs from March to April, so sowing happens well ahead of that, indoors, in the cooler months.

A colder spot like the Panhandle plants later and a warm one like the Gulf Coast can plant earlier, so the sowing date moves with them.

Step	When in Texas	Why
Sow seeds indoors	Six to eight weeks before planting out	Seedlings reach a good size just as the garden is ready for them
Harden off	One to two weeks outdoors before planting	Plants adjust to wind, sun and cooler nights before they face the garden
Plant spring tomatoes	March to April	The danger of frost is behind us and the soil has warmed up enough for planting.
Plant fall tomatoes	July to August	Fruit has time to ripen before the first expected frost, about 100 days away

Potting up has no set date. It happens when the seedlings outgrow their first cells. For a fall crop, the same six to eight weeks of indoor growing applies before the July to August planting.

How to Start Tomatoes from Seed

The routine is simple, and each stage depends on the one before it. Work in this order through the season.

At sowing time, fill clean containers with fresh seed-starting mix, moisten it and keep it in a warm spot, because tomato seed sprouts slowly in cool mix.
As soon as the seedlings break the surface, move them under strong light or into your sunniest window so the stems stay short and sturdy.
While they grow, water gently and regularly so the mix stays lightly moist but never soggy, which invites damping off.
When the seedlings have their first true leaves and crowd their cells, pot each one into a larger container and bury the stem a little deeper, since tomatoes root along buried stems.
For one to two weeks before planting, set the plants outside for a little longer each day, starting in shade, so the leaves toughen up.
Once March to April arrives and the soil has warmed, move the plants into the garden, and use the same steps again for a fall crop planted from July to August.

Skipping the hardening stage is the most common reason for sunburned, stalled transplants.

What Happens If You Start Tomato Seeds Too Early

Seedlings started too soon get tall, thin and floppy while they wait for warm weather. They reach for the light, stretch out and fill their pots with roots. Once planted, they take longer to settle than a younger, stockier plant would.

Waiting for the garden also leaves you juggling pots when a late cold snap threatens. Younger seedlings are easier to move around and to protect.

Starting early still makes sense in Texas for one reason. In hot summers, large-fruited tomatoes keep flowering but stop setting fruit once nights stay around 80°F. Plants need to be in the ground early enough to set their crop before that heat arrives. The goal is a plant that is sturdy at planting time, not one that is simply large.

Where to Get Seed-Starting Advice in Texas

Local conditions vary across the state, so a nearby office can tell you what suits your area. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension covers every county with free, research-based gardening advice. The state’s extension service is built around exactly these questions.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension site has tomato guides and variety lists, worth reading before you order seed.
Your county extension office can tell you the planting window that fits your part of Texas, so call before you sow.

Common Questions

Which Tomato Varieties Do Well in Texas?

Extension variety lists for Texas include Bella Rosa, Bush Early Girl and Picus, a Roma type that sets fruit in the heat. All three carry disease resistance, which matters in soils where wilts and nematodes build up.

What Does Days to Maturity Mean on a Tomato Seed Packet?

Bush Early Girl is listed as a quick-maturing variety, which suits a short season. Bella Rosa needs longer to ripen its first fruit.

Do Resistant Tomato Varieties Avoid All Diseases?

No. Newer varieties resist tomato yellow leaf curl, but they can still catch other virus diseases. Look at the letters on the seed packet or plant tag to see which diseases a variety resists.

Best Tomatoes to Grow in Minnesota

Tomato plants in Minnesota spend the first weeks of the season waiting on the weather, and the right variety makes that wait pay off. Cool-tolerant, early and disease-resistant tomatoes do best here. A handful of dependable varieties suit the way Minnesota summers start slowly and turn humid.

Best Tomatoes to Grow in Minnesota

Tomatoes that cope with cool weather, ripen early and shrug off common leaf diseases earn their place in Minnesota gardens. No single variety wins in every yard, so plan to try a few and keep the ones that perform in your soil and microclimate. Seed catalogs often note which varieties avoid particular problems, which helps narrow the list.

Celebrity

Celebrity is among the popular, reliable tomatoes, and its determinate vines resist many diseases. The fruits are very flavorful and resist cracking, which matters after a dry spell followed by a heavy rain.

Because the vines are determinate, they stay a more manageable size than sprawling types. Give them room anyway and stake or cage them early.

BadaBing!

BadaBing! is one of the first varieties to resist Septoria leaf spot, a very common tomato disease. Watch the lower leaves for spots and yellowing, and check with your local extension office for help identifying the problem.

In a humid summer that resistance can keep the plant covered in healthy foliage and the fruit shaded. Consider it if leaf spot has hit your garden before.

Early Girl

Early Girl is widely available, and gardeners like its extra-early yields of bright red, delicious fruits. In a state where the season starts late, ripe tomatoes sooner are a real advantage.

It is a sensible pick for a first harvest while slower varieties are still green.

Mountain Series

The Mountain series, including Mountain Fresh Plus, is famous for growing well in cool climates and resisting diseases. That description fits Minnesota, where cool nights can slow other tomatoes.

Look for these at local garden centers in spring, or order seed ahead and start them indoors.

How to Choose Tomatoes for Your Minnesota Garden

Your garden conditions narrow the field quickly. A cool, short season, a humid summer with leaf disease or a wish for early fruit each point to different varieties.

Where you garden matters too. The Twin Cities are the milder south of the state, and northern Minnesota has a tighter season, so earlier varieties matter more as you go north.

Your situation	What suits it in Minnesota	Why
Cool nights and a slow start to summer	Mountain series, including Mountain Fresh Plus	Known for growing well in cool climates
Want ripe tomatoes early	Early Girl	Extra-early yields of bright red fruits
Humid summer and leaf spot trouble	BadaBing!	One of the first varieties to resist Septoria leaf spot
Cracked fruit after heavy rain	Celebrity	Fruits resist cracking and the vines resist many diseases

If none of these fits, or you are unsure, grow several kinds side by side for a season. Seed catalogs describe which problems each variety avoids, and a few trials show which ones do well in your yard.

Tomato Buying Mistakes to Avoid in Minnesota

Planting Too Early

Tomatoes are killed by frost and stall in cold soil, so a warm April afternoon is a poor guide. Plants go out after all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed, to about 60°F. In Minnesota that means May or June.

Setting plants out sooner risks losing them overnight. If a store has plants on display early, buy them later or keep them indoors until planting time.

Skipping Disease Resistance

Choosing only on fruit picture or familiar names can leave you with a plant that struggles through a humid summer. Resistance to leaf spot or cracking is worth looking for on the tag or in the catalog.

If a variety did poorly last year, swap it for one bred to resist the problem you saw.

Buying Without Knowing Plant Size

A small pot hides a plant that may grow into a large, sprawling vine. Read the tag for whether it is determinate, like Celebrity, with a more contained habit. Plan space and a cage or stake before you bring it home.

Starting your own gives you more choice. Sow seed indoors in April, though March works too, about six to eight weeks before planting out.

Where to Get Tomato Advice in Minnesota

University of Minnesota Extension publishes guidance for home gardeners, and your county extension office can point you to local help. Use them before you buy plants or seed.

The state extension website explains tomato growing and common problems, and spring is a good time to read it before shopping.
Your county extension office can advise on varieties that suit your area, so call before planting season starts.

Common Questions

When Is the Last Spring Frost in the Twin Cities?

Frost risk in the Twin Cities runs from April 17 to April 30 in spring. Tomatoes should still wait until the danger has fully passed and the soil has warmed.

Do Store-Bought Tomato Plants Need Hardening Off?

Yes. Seedlings, whether bought or homegrown, are hardened off outdoors for one to two weeks before planting so they adjust to sun and wind.

Which Tomatoes Should You Plant in Northern Minnesota?

Northern Minnesota has a shorter season than the Twin Cities, so lean toward Early Girl and the Mountain series. Both are suited to cool conditions or early yields.

When to Plant Tomatoes in Georgia

Tomato transplants in Georgia go into warm spring ground, and the same gardeners often return in midsummer to set out a second round for fall. The state stretches from mountain ridges to the coastal plain, so the right week depends on where your yard sits.

When Is the Best Time to Plant Tomatoes in Georgia?

Spring transplants go in from March to April, with May still workable inland, and a second planting for fall goes in during July.

In March, the Coastal Plain can start setting out transplants from mid-month, as soon as the frost danger has passed and the soil has begun to warm.
In April, gardens across most of the state are ready, and the plants get time to flower before summer heat arrives.
In May, inland yards can still take transplants, though the plants have less time to set fruit before the heat.
In July, set out seedlings started in June for a fall crop, and early August is the last chance for it.
In late fall, frost ends the crop, so fruit is picked or ripened indoors before it arrives.

These windows exist because frost kills tomato plants outright and cold soil holds them back, while hot weather stops fruit from setting. In Atlanta, the last spring frost falls between March 11 and March 29, and the first fall frost arrives between November 13 and December 1. Georgia spans USDA hardiness zones 6a through 9b. North Georgia and the mountains freeze several weeks earlier in fall than Atlanta, and the coastal plain runs milder, so shift your timing a little toward your own corner of the state.

When to Start Tomato Seeds for Georgia

Mid-February is the time to sow tomato seeds indoors in Georgia. That timing gives the seedlings six to eight weeks to grow sturdy before they go out in March or April.

Sowing much earlier produces tall, leggy plants that wait on the windowsill for warm weather. For the full seed-starting routine, see the page on when to start tomato seeds indoors in Georgia.

How to Plant Tomatoes in Georgia

Good planting is mostly patience and a few simple habits, done in this order.

Before planting, harden the seedlings off outdoors for one to two weeks, so the leaves toughen to sun and wind instead of scorching.
After the last frost, wait until the soil has warmed to about 60°F, because tomatoes sit and stall in cold ground even when the air feels mild.
At planting time, set each transplant deeper than it grew in its pot, since the buried stem sends out extra roots and anchors the plant.
Right away, push a stake or cage in beside the plant, while the roots are small enough that nothing gets damaged.
After planting, water the transplant in well, so the soil settles around the roots and the plant recovers from the move.
Once the soil is warm, spread mulch around the plants to hold moisture and keep soil from splashing onto the lower leaves.

Georgia summers are hot and humid, so plant early enough that the first flowers open before nights stay near 80°F. Large-fruited types keep flowering in that heat but stop setting fruit.

When to Seed, Plant and Harvest Tomatoes in Georgia

The year runs in three stretches: seeds in February, transplants in spring, and a second planting in summer for fall fruit.

Harvest has no fixed month. It follows the plants, and in fall it ends when frost threatens.

Task	Best timing in Georgia	Why then
Sow seeds indoors	February, around mid-month	Seedlings reach planting size in six to eight weeks
Plant spring transplants	March to April, or into May inland	Frost is past, soil is warm, and fruit sets before peak heat
Plant for fall	July, or early August at the latest	Seedlings started in June reach the garden with time to ripen fruit
Harvest before frost	Once fruit colors, and before the first freeze	Frost kills the plants and damages fruit left on them

Pick green fruit and bring it indoors when a freeze is forecast, since the fall crop has little margin once cold nights arrive.

Where to Get Tomato Advice in Georgia

University of Georgia Extension has local guidance for tomato growers across the state, and each county has an office staffed to answer garden questions.

Visit University of Georgia Extension for planting guides and seasonal advice written for Georgia gardens.
Contact your county extension office for a soil test, ideally before spring planting so you know what the bed needs.
Take a leaf or stem sample to the same office when spots or wilting appear, so the disease can be identified before you treat anything.

Common Questions

Can You Plant Tomatoes in Georgia in July?

Yes. July is the time for a fall crop, using seedlings started in June. Fruit from these plants ripens in cooler weather and tends to be large and attractive.

What Kind of Tomato Handles Georgia Heat?

Look for descriptions that say heat-set, hot-set or heat-tolerant. Early varieties such as Early Girl, Celebrity and Super Sweet 100 ripen in 50 to 65 days from transplanting, which helps them finish before the worst of summer.

Why Do Tomato Plants Flower but Not Set Fruit?

Blossoms drop when nights stay warm, and the plant keeps growing without producing fruit. Check whether the plant is large-fruited and whether summer nights have turned hot. Both point to heat, and fruit usually returns when the weather cools.

Early Blight on Tomatoes: Signs, Treatment and Prevention

Brown spots with ringed centers on the lowest tomato leaves, usually once the plants are growing well and the weather turns warm and wet, point to a fungal disease that returns to many gardens year after year. The fungus lives over in garden debris, so cleanup and watering habits matter as much as anything you spray.

Early Blight: What You See

The disease announces itself on the oldest foliage first, near the soil, and works upward from there.

Brown spots on the lowest, oldest leaves show concentric rings inside them, like a target, when you look closely.
Young spots are small, less than 1/16 inch across, and each one is ringed by a yellow zone.
Spots also appear on stems, where they are roughly circular and brown.
As spots enlarge they can join together and kill whole leaves.
Fruit can be infected too, and plants stripped of leaves leave fruit open to sunscald.

In warm, rainy weather the damage spreads fast enough to cost you yield and fruit quality.

Early Blight or Something Else?

Several leaf problems put brown spots on tomatoes, and a single clue rarely settles it. Pair what the spot looks like with where it starts on the plant before you decide.

Ringed, target-like centers on the lowest leaves, with a yellow halo, fit early blight. A spot without rings, or one that begins high on the plant, needs a second look.

Looks like	How to tell them apart
Other leaf spot diseases	Spots stay plain brown with no concentric rings inside, whereas early blight spots show target-like rings on the oldest leaves first.
Sunscald on fruit	Pale, bleached patches appear on fruit exposed after leaves are lost, but early blight shows ringed brown spots on the leaves and stems of the same plant.

Yellowing of old leaves can also come from plain age or watering trouble. If those leaves lack brown ringed spots, early blight is not the cause.

What Causes Early Blight, and Where It Is Worst

A fungus called Alternaria solani causes early blight. It is present worldwide wherever tomatoes grow and is found throughout the United States, so no region is spared.

The fungus survives on infected debris in the soil, on seed, and on volunteer tomato plants. It also lives on related plants such as Irish potato, eggplant and black nightshade. Spores reach tomatoes by wind or splashing rain, and in Pennsylvania this happens in spring.

The fungus needs a wet surface to germinate and grow. Low leaves that drip with morning dew give it ideal conditions, which is why warm, damp summers, and plantings with foliage touching the soil, suffer most.

How to Treat Early Blight

Once spots appear you cannot reverse them, but you can slow the spread by working in this order.

Pick off the lowest spotted leaves and bag them, so that spores are not splashed from them onto healthy foliage.
Clear fallen leaves from the soil beneath the plant, because the fungus survives in crop debris.
Pull any weeds near the bed, especially black nightshade, since the fungus lives on them too.
Water at the base of the plant in the morning and keep the leaves dry, so that the fungus lacks the wet surface it needs.
Ask your state extension office which fungicides are approved for home tomatoes where you live, and follow the label if you choose to use one.

Throw diseased material in the trash or burn it where allowed, rather than composting it, since spores can persist in debris.

How to Prevent Early Blight Coming Back

Prevention follows the garden year, because the fungus carries over from one season to the next on leftovers.

In early spring, before planting, remove old tomato debris and volunteer tomato seedlings, since spores spread to new plants by wind or splashing rain.
Once the soil warms and plants go in, keep the lowest leaves from touching the ground, because splashing soil carries spores up into the foliage.
Through summer, water at the soil line early in the day so that morning dew and wet leaves do not linger.
Whenever weeds such as black nightshade appear nearby, pull them, as they host the fungus.
After the season ends in fall, clear every leaf and stem from the bed so that nothing is left for the fungus to survive on.

Avoid planting tomatoes right after potatoes or eggplant in the same spot, since they share the fungus.

Where This Comes From

The descriptions here draw on guidance from university extension services and a state agricultural experiment station. Local conditions vary, so check with your state’s extension service before you choose a treatment.

Common Questions

Can You Eat Tomatoes from a Plant with Early Blight?

The fungus can infect fruit, so cut away any spotted areas. Fruit that is unblemished and firm is usually fine to use, but quality drops when the plant loses many leaves.

Will Early Blight Kill a Tomato Plant?

Severe attacks strip a plant of leaves, which cuts yield and leaves fruit exposed to sunscald. Catching spots on the lowest leaves early keeps the damage from climbing the plant.

Can Early Blight Spread to Potatoes and Eggplant?

Yes. The same fungus lives on Irish potato and eggplant, so keep an eye on those crops if tomatoes nearby show spotted leaves.