Tempting Tomatoes® ‘Garden Gem’ – Solanum lycopersicum

Seeds can be started indoors 5-6 weeks before the last frost in your area. Seeds should be planted about 1/8″ into the soil then transplant the seedlings outdoors after all risk of frost has passed. You can also direct sow into your garden or pots outdoors after the threat of frost has passed. However, starting seeds indoors will give you a substantial head-start for harvesting your first tomatoes.

When germinating the seeds, be sure to keep the soil temperature at 75-90° until the seeds sprout. The temperatures can be decreased a bit once the plants are up and growing. The number of days to germination is 5-10.

Once the seedlings are a few inches tall and growing well, you may want to thin out the number of seedlings. One plant in a cell or pot would be ideal.  If you are direct seeding into the ground, thin seedlings until they are 24 to 30 inches apart. Rows should be about 3 feet apart.

‘Garden Gem’ fruit ripens in about 60-65 days from transplant. If you grow them from seed, the first mature fruit will take 81 to 93 days.

Determinate tomatoes do not grow as large as indeterminate tomatoes.  You will need to use a tomato cage or staking of some sort to support the plants.  They will need to be kept from getting excessively dry. Consistent watering and regular fertilization will be key to keeping your plant in full production mode. They can be grown in containers, a minimum of 12 inches in diameter is suggested, but larger is better.  If grown in containers they will still need to be given support of a tomato cage or stake of some sort.  These plants are quite disease resistant and with proper care should provide fruit throughout the season.

The basics:

• Days to Germinate – 5-10 days
• Transplant to Harvest – 60-65 days
• Planting Depth – 1/8”
• Plant Spacing After Thinning – 24-30”
• Row Spacing – 36”
• Exposure – Full sun (6+ hours)