How Long to Grow Tomatoes? From Seed to Harvest

This post is all about how long does it take to grow tomatoes.

Published June 27, 2022
Updated April 27, 2025

Hey, home gardeners! You’ve planned your garden beds for the upcoming growing season, picked out tomato seedlings or dove into seed selection for a challenge, and transplanted those young tomato plants. Now, the waiting game begins—how long until you’re savoring ripe tomatoes from your homegrown tomatoes? Whether you’re growing cherry tomatoes, heirloom varieties, or plum varieties in a small space, understanding the tomato growth stages is key to a fruitful tomato harvest. As a gardener dreaming of a self-sufficient future, let’s explore the best way to time your harvest tomatoes, from seed germination to ripe fruit, with a warm, empowering vibe!

This post is all about how long does it take to grow tomatoes.

Table of Contents

How Long Does It Take to Grow Tomatoes?

The amount of time to grow tomatoes depends on the type of tomatoes and tomato varieties, as well as a number of other things that we’ll go over.

On average, the days to harvest for varieties of tomatoes range from 60 to 100 days, calculated from transplanting young plants into your garden beds to when ripe fruit is ready to eat. This applies to both tomato seedlings from garden centers and those grown from seed packets. However, the general rule for days to maturity is an estimate, influenced by:

Soil temperatures and daytime temperature (tomatoes love full sun and warm weather).
Soil moisture and rich soil fertility.
Time of year (late spring or early summer is the best time for planting).
Sun exposure (lots of fruit needs lots of sun).

For a head start, start tomato seeds indoors before the last frost date, especially in cooler climates, to ensure optimal conditions for fast-growing plants.

How Long After Flowers Do Tomatoes Grow?

Once your young tomato plants produce small yellow flowers, you know you’re on the right path! These flowers, appearing on the main stem or branches, mark where little green tomatoes will form. Pollination is the first thing—without it, flowers drop, and no fruit forms. Bees or a gentle shake (like a TikTok hack!) can help.

After pollination, petals and stamens fall, and tiny green tomatoes emerge within 2-3 weeks, growing slowly at first. By weeks 3-5, fruit production ramps up, and tomatoes grow quickly. When the plant reaches maturity, the first fruits begin ripening into those beautiful tomatoes we know! In warmer climates, expect first tomatoes by early July; in cooler climates, it may take a bit longer.

Identifying ‘Days to Harvest’

Check seed packets or plant tags from your local garden center for the days to harvest. For example, a San Marzano Roma seed packet might note 70-90 days from transplanting. This info, often on the front or back with sowing instructions, helps you plan your tomato harvest. Heirloom varieties or indeterminate tomatoes may take longer, while determinate tomato seeds often yield faster.

Tomato Varieties: Determinate vs. Indeterminate

Understanding the different types of tomatoes—determinate and indeterminate—is the best bet for predicting your tomato harvest. These categories affect fruit production timing and plant size, crucial for small space gardening or homestead prep.

Determinate Tomato Plants

Determinate tomato plants, or bush varieties, grow 2-3 feet tall, making them the best choice for small space or container gardening. They produce lots of fruit over a short period, ideal for a quick first harvest in early summer. These fast-growing plants don’t always need a support system, perfect for a low-maintenance home garden. Examples include:

Subarctic: A determinate variety, dubbed the “world’s earliest tomato,” yielding 4 oz red tomatoes in 42 days. Disease-resistant and great for cooler climates.
Cherry Falls Bush Cherry: Determinate, 55-65 days to 1-1.5 inch cherry tomatoes. Its 18-inch vines suit hanging baskets.
Glacier Bush: Semi-determinate, 55 days to harvest, growing 30 inches tall with continuous production into fall.
Bush Beefsteak: Determinate, 62 days for 6-8 oz deep red tomatoes, compact and bushy.

Indeterminate Tomatoes

Indeterminate plants, or vining varieties, grow 10-12 feet, needing a support system to keep fruit off the soil surface and reduce fungal diseases like early blight or tobacco mosaic virus. They produce first fruits mid to late growing season, spreading harvest over a long time until the first frost. These are great for gardeners wanting a steady supply of homegrown tomatoes. Examples include:

Golden Jubilee Pole: Indeterminate, 75-80 days for 6-8 oz golden tomatoes, low-acidity, and sweet. Grows 6+ feet.
San Marzano Roma Pole: Indeterminate, 70-90 days for 3-4 inch oblong red tomatoes, perfect for sauces.
Cherokee Purple Pole: Heirloom indeterminate, 80 days for 10-12 oz pinkish-purple tomatoes, with 6+ foot vines.
Brandywine: Heirloom indeterminate, 85 days for 1+ lb beefsteak tomatoes, pink to red.

Early, Mid, and Late Season Varieties

Tomato varieties are also categorized by when they produce ripe fruit: early, mid, and late season. Mixing these in your garden ensures a long harvest from early summer to the end of the growing season. Here’s a breakdown:

Early Season Varieties (Under 70 Days)

Early season tomatoes are the best defense for short growing seasons or cooler climates, yielding first tomatoes in 42-65 days. They may have less flavor but ripen 2-3 weeks sooner. Try:

Subarctic: 42 days, 4 oz tangy red tomatoes.
Cherry Falls Bush Cherry: 55-65 days, ornamental cherry tomatoes.
Glacier Bush: 55 days, great for containers.
Bush Beefsteak: 62 days, deep red fruit.

Mid-Season Varieties (70-80 Days)

Mid-season tomatoes, ready by late August or early September, offer a robust harvest. Transplant in late spring for best results. Try:

Golden Jubilee Pole: 75-80 days, sweet golden tomatoes.
Italian Roma Bush: 80 days, determinate, meaty fruit for canning.
San Marzano Roma Pole: 70-90 days, popular for sauces.
Cherokee Purple Pole: 80 days, heirloom with rich flavor.

Late-Season Varieties (80+ Days)

Late-season varieties take the longest but reward with meaty, flavorful fruit, ideal for sauces or fresh eating. Try:

Amish Paste: Indeterminate, large plum tomatoes for sauces or salads.
Brandywine: 85 days, 1+ lb beefsteak tomatoes, needing strong support.

Sowing the Seeds

On every packet of seed, it should tell you how exactly to sow your seeds. The packet includes the following information on it:

Where to sow the seeds – indoor versus outdoors. Unless you live in a mild climate, seed packets will recommend starting your seeds indoors and how many weeks to sow the seeds before transplanting them outside. For mild climates, you’ll be able to direct sow them outside.
Next, it specifies the days to emerge, meaning how many days it’ll take for the seed to sprout and come up from underneath the soil
Seed depth – the packet indicates how deep to sow the seed. Each type of seed is different. In general, larger seeds may be sowed deeper, while smaller seeds may be only pressed into the surface of the soil. For tomato seeds, they’re usually sowed about ¼ inch below the surface. Sowing the seeds at the correct depth is important. If they are sowed too deep, they may not have the energy to emerge out of the soil and hence no seedling.
Seed spacing – it tells you how far apart seeds need to be spaced when they are being sown.
Row spacing – how much space to have in between each row of plants. Seedlings grow into bigger plants and you’ll need the right amount of space to avoid overplanting.
Thinning – it will tell you whether or not to thin out the seedlings once they’ve emerged. Thinning out the seedlings helps to reduce overcrowding/overplanting of plants as well.

Factors that Affect Germination

How long it takes your seeds to germinate (sprout, grow, and put out shoots) can be affected by a few factors. Those factors can be:

Environmental, such as rain and temperature. Less than ideal conditions can cause the seed to either take longer to germinate or not germinate at all.
Old seeds may take longer to germinate or not germinate.
Immature seeds – there are seeds that may be too immature, meaning they don’t have all the parts necessary to be able to germinate.
Chemicals, pests, and pathogens – all three can kill off seeds.

If the right conditions are provided for the seeds, they will germinate. They’ll also need proper lighting and watering before they can be set outside. It can take a good 4 to 8 weeks for the seedling to continue to grow before it can be put outside. The number of weeks tomatoes will be growing indoors is determined by how many weeks from your last frost date you decide to start your seeds.

how long does it take to grow cherry tomatoes

When Can Tomatoes be Transplanted Outside?

The best way to set yourself up for success is to know your area’s last frost date. Putting tomatoes outside when it’s too cold will kill your plants! Determine your area’s frost date and count back the recommended weeks to sow. For example, a seed packet may recommend sowing seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost date.

As an example, let’s say you decide to sow your seed 6 weeks before your frost date. It took 5 days for your seeds to germinate. It’s now time to transplant, but first you have to harden off your plants. By the time the hardening of your plant begins, it’s already about 50 days old.

Hardening off plants is the process of slowly introducing them to the elements (the outside world). Plants that have been indoors can not be immediately put out in the sun, wind, rain, etc. Seedlings are very sensitive to the outdoor elements and if they are exposed to quickly they become sunburned, drowned out, and break from the wind.

Yes, plants get sunburn too! If the sunburn is too severe, they will die.

Hardening the plants takes about 7 to 12 days. So at minimum, your plants are about 57 days old since you sowed them.

Days to Harvest

At the time you transplant your tomato plant the countdown to a tomato harvest begins. Remember, days to harvest is calculated from the time of the transplant into your garden to the days the variety matures and produces ripe fruit that’s ready to eat.

The earliest tomato is the subarctic tomato. This variety is a determinate variety bred in Canada that is disease-resistant. It’s dubbed the “world’s earliest tomato” with an estimated harvest of 42 days! Subarctic produces 4 ounce red fruit that has a tangy flavor. The longest harvest can be about 110 days.

Factoring in all of the above, it can take about 100 to 167 days to grow tomatoes from start to finish from seed.

Tips for a Faster Tomato Harvest

Want ripe tomatoes sooner? Here are some hacks to speed up the growing process:

Start Indoors: Sow tomato seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date for a head start. Use a sunny spot or grow lights until true leaves appear.
Choose Early Varieties: Opt for determinate tomato seeds like Subarctic for a quick first harvest.
Maintain Soil Moisture: Keep soil moist but not soggy—an inch of water weekly prevents stress.
Use Organic Fertilizer: Boost growth with compost or liquid fertilizer to enrich rich soil.
Prune Lower Leaves: Remove lower leaves to improve air circulation and reduce fungal diseases.
Protect from Heat Waves: Shade plants during high temperatures to maintain flower production.
Avoid Cold Weather: Transplant after nighttime temperatures stay above 50°F to prevent stunted growth.

Why Tomato Timing Matters for Homesteaders

As the most popular vegetable, tomatoes are a staple for any home garden, especially for Cedar Homestead readers dreaming of self-sufficiency. Understanding the life cycle of determinate and indeterminate tomatoes helps you plan a smart garden that rivals the grocery store. Whether you’re harvesting cherry tomatoes in early July or heirloom tomatoes in late summer, timing your tomato harvest ensures a steady supply of fresh, flavorful fruit.

Ready to grow your own red tomatoes? Check your seed packets, pick a mix of tomato varieties, and start planting! Share your favorite type of tomatoes or harvest tips in the comments. Let’s make this growing season a juicy success with Cedar Homestead! 🍅🌿

This post was all about how long does it take to grow tomatoes.

How Long to Grow Tomatoes? From Seed to Harvest

How Long Does It Take to Grow Tomatoes?

How Long After Flowers Do Tomatoes Grow?

Identifying ‘Days to Harvest’