Tantalizing Tomatoes: Planting Season Is Here

It’s time for tomato planting, and we’re getting our school garden beds ready for a delicious transformation. Come fall, these spaces will be bursting with gleaming, ruby-red gems—perfect for hands-on seed exploration and giving students a tasty way to learn about seasonal planting and eating.

At Ground Education, we love planting cherry tomatoes so there’s always plenty to pick and sample right off the vine. Our two current favorites are true crowd-pleasers:

✨ Sun Gold
A consistent winner in taste tests across the country, Sun Gold produces small, golden-yellow fruits (about 1 inch) with an irresistible sweet-tangy flavor.

🍒 Sweet Million
These bright red cherry tomatoes (1–1.5 inches) are known for their balanced taste and strong disease resistance, making them both reliable and delicious. Both varieties are incredibly productive—most school gardens only need one plant to keep the harvest going strong!

🌡️ When to Plant
Tomatoes are warm season crops that thrive in cozy conditions. Make sure nighttime temperatures stay consistently above 50°F before planting them outdoors.

Tips for Tomato Success (From Our Head Horticulturist!)

📅 Timing Matters
In Southern California, the best planting window runs from April through the end of June.

🌱 Build Healthy Soil
Tomatoes love well-draining soil enriched with compost or other organic material.

💧 Water Wisely
Once established, water deeply but not too often—consistent, infrequent watering is key.

☀️ Soak Up the Sun
Plant tomatoes where they’ll get at least 6+ hours of full sun each day.

🔄 Rotate Your Crops
Change planting locations each year to help prevent pests and diseases from taking hold.

🌱 Plant Deep for Strong Roots
Bury seedlings deeper than they were in their pots, leaving just the top two leaves exposed. Got a tall, leggy plant? Lay it sideways in a shallow trench and cover the stem—roots will grow along it!

🪴 Support Early
Add a trellis or cage at planting time. Tomato plants can grow 5–7 feet tall and waiting too long can damage them.

🌎 Choosing the Right Varieties
There are thousands of tomato varieties out there! Local independent nurseries often carry seedlings suited to your region. For example, growers in the Greater Long Beach area can find great options nearby, while hotter inland areas like Riverside or San Bernardino may require different varieties better suited to higher temperatures.

🛡️ Decoding Disease Resistance
Ever notice letters on plant tags or seed packets? These codes tell you what diseases a tomato can resist—choosing resistant varieties helps ensure a healthy harvest.

V = Verticillium Wilt
F = Fusarium Wilt
N = Root Knot Nematodes
T or TMV = Tobacco Mosaic Virus

From prepping the soil to tasting that first sweet bite, tomatoes offer endless opportunities for learning (and snacking!). Whether you’re growing in a school garden or at home, now’s the perfect time to dig in and get growing. 🌿🍅