Growing Tomatoes Growing Tomatoes Site and Soil Choose a planting site which will get direct sunlight most of the day. Open airy sites allow good air flow which helps reduce foliage diseases and cold air injury. Tomatoes can be grown in most moderately to highly fertile soil types. Sandy loam soils which drain well and warm up quickly favor early crops but may require more watering in mid- to late season than heavier soils. Soil pH should be maintained in the 5.5 to 7.0 range by adding limestone as indicated by soil tests.
Tomatoes grow well in soils rich in organic matter.
Well-rotted manure or thoroughly decomposed compost can be worked into the soil before planting time, at rates up to two bushels of manure or four bushels of compost per 100 square feet. Varieties This warm-season crop is available in a wide variety of plant and fruit characteristics including earliness, plant form, disease resistance, and fruit color and shape. Varieties designated determinate often have a compact bushy plant form with limited growth after fruit initiation, while indeterminate varieties continue to grow and set fruit throughout the season. Varieties designated Fl, F2, V, etc. are resistant to various diseases. The average number of days from time of transplanting to maturity is also frequently given for each variety.