A tomato plant can take to days to grow from seed to ripe fruit. Germination takes 7 to 10 days under ideal conditions. Seedling growth takes 57 to 60 days until transplant. Flowers usually form within 21 days after transplant. Mature fruit will be ready for harvest 49 to 64 days after the flowers appear. Of course, you might need to start seeds indoors and choose fast-maturing tomato varieties if you live in a cold area with a short growing season.
Remember that the time to maturity days to maturity listed on a seed packet is telling you the time from transplant to mature fruit not from seed to mature fruit! When starting your own plants, it will take to days for tomatoes to grow from seed to mature fruit.
There is a good visual that shows the stages of tomato plant development on Research Gate. You can learn more about the lowest temperature that tomato plant can tolerate at various stages in my article here.
There is a PDF graphic of temperature ranges for tomato plant s on this page. Tomato seeds will take 6 to 11 days to germinate under ideal conditions.
Ideal soil moisture simply means that the soil stays wet, but not soggy or soaked. If the soil dries out, the seeds might succumb to drought before they germinate. A great way to keep the soil wet for seed germination is to use a spray bottle. This method makes it difficult to over water.
A humidity dome is another way to maintain moisture levels to help seeds germinate. You can learn more about humidity domes in my article here. The ideal soil temperature for tomato seed germination is 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit 18 to 29 degrees Celsius. According to the University of California, tomato seeds can germinate in as little as 6 days when soil temperatures are 77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.
On the other hand, tomato seeds can take up to 43 days 6 weeks! A soil temperature above 95 degrees Fahrenheit 35 degrees Celsius will also prevent tomato seeds from germinating. Of course, the time to seed germination can vary a bit depending on the tomato variety. Remember that tomato seeds that are more than 3 years old will see a decline in germination rate. You can learn more about tomato seed germination in my article here. After seed germination, tomato seedlings will need 57 to 60 days 8 to 8.
When you transplant tomatoes into the garden, all risk of frost should be long past. Since it takes 7 to 10 days for tomato seeds to germinate, that gives us the figure of 57 to 60 days for seedling growth. This means that tomato seeds should be started indoors 42 to 57 days 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost date. An indeterminate tomato plant continues growing and fruiting until a frost occurs and can grow as tall as 14 feet in the meantime, depending on the variety.
The fruits of these types of tomatoes generally take longer to fully ripen. They average around 3 feet tall, though, so they may still require caging. Flower clusters form at the ends of stems, with plants producing their entire crop at one time.
Another tomato-classifying factor is how many days it takes for the fruits to ripen. Plants are usually divided into three groups: early season, midseason and late season. Early-season types are ready for harvest anywhere from 40 to 60 days and are good choice if you have a short growing season:. Late-season cultivars are usually ready to be harvested in approximately 80 days or longer and require a long growing season:. Tomatoes grow and flower best during warm conditions.
Their preferred temperatures are 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 60 to 70 F throughout the night. Blossoms and developing fruits are very sensitive to temperature extremes, such as temperatures below 55 to 60 F and above 90 F, which negatively affect pollination, inhibit the formation of fruit, and delay plant growth and fruit ripening. To keep them growing at their best, plant tomatoes in full sun and rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.
Top tip — make sure to give your plants plenty of tomato food fertilizer during their fruit-bearing stages. They especially need a balance of phosphorus and potassium to aid in the ripening and growing process.
There are multiple ways to encourage your tomato to bear fruit faster. Mostly, it all depends on choosing the right variety for the location that you live in.
Providing your tomato plant with proper care and maintenance will also encourage it to grow faster, meaning that it could result in it bearing fruits earlier. Tomatoes typically need 1 to 2 inches of water a week, but this can be altered depending on the temperate of your environment.
The soil should be slightly moist to touch, but not totally dry or saturated. In the height of summer, your tomato plant may need to be watered as frequently as twice a day, but if the days are cooler it may be as little as twice a week. Many gardeners even add mulch or peat moss to the soil of their tomato plants to ensure that moisture is retained for longer.
Tomato plants also need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day, but your plant will thrive best with 8 hours or more. Aiding with the pollination of your tomato plant may also help to encourage the fruits to grow faster. The wait can especially be lengthened if you live in an area with little wind to circulate the pollen on your plant.
This process can be helped along by simply shaking the branches of your tomato plant a few times a day, which will naturally increase the pollen circulation. Additionally, some gardeners choose to cross-pollinate their tomato plants by hand.
You can do this by using a fine brush or even just a popsicle stick.
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