Gardening
All You Need to Grow Tomatoes Are—Wait for it—Tomatoes
You probably already knew this, but just in case you didn't, here's how.
Photo by Erin Alexander
All kinds of magic happens in the kitchen. Flour and water become a bubbling, leavening sourdough starter. Beer stands in for yeast in the ultimate homemade pizza dough hack. And vegetable scraps regrow themselves with just a bit of water and sunlight.
Miraculous little tricks like these have earned more appreciation as the days/weeks/months of quarantine continue to drag on. I thought I knew most of them already, but it turns out there's been one sitting right under my nose all this time—and it has me saying, duh, of course this works.
Did you know you can grow tomatoes at home using fresh tomatoes? I know, I know, it's obvious. But it was a revelation to me that you could slice up just about any tomato, plop it in some dirt, shower it with water, sunlight, and lots of love, and—voilà!—after about two weeks you'd have bright-green seedlings ready for replanting.
Even better, this exciting news comes just in time to grow your own for summer (mayo-slicked tomato sandwiches, here you come).
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The handy video below shows you how. All you need are fresh tomato slices (cut about 1/4-inch thick), a gardening pot with holes for drainage, and vegetable-friendly potting soil—you can also use a mix, like the one shown in the video. We didn't have any gravel in the house, but my mom (who has the greenest of thumbs and impeccable taste) says you don't necessarily need it.
Fill up the pot almost all the way to the top with your potting soil, leaving a few inches of room, and place your tomato slices directly on the soil, in a circular pattern. Cover the tomato slices with a light layer of soil—you don't want them buried too deep in there. Move the pot to a spot that gets a mix of sun and shade, and water the pot daily so that the soil stays moist (but not drenched).
Those lil' tomato seeds will start to germinate in one to two weeks. According to the video, by day 15 or so, you should have dozens of thriving baby seedlings. You'll want to pick out a few of the strongest-looking seedlings of the bunch and transfer them to a larger pot so they can grow into full-fledged tomato plants. For more tips, check out this short-and-sweet guide from Gardening Know How—and always feel free to post any questions down in the comments below (my mom and I will do our best to answer!).
We planted ours just the other day, so stay tuned to see whether or not they sprout! I've got a good feeling about this...
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Written by: Erin Alexander
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50 Comments
OliviaThomas
October 24, 2023
It is impossible to imagine any garden without tasty, aromatic tomatoes. Most tomatoes are grown from seedlings. You can also grow excellent tomato seedlings at home. To do this, you need to take into account several important nuances; at one time, this article https://gardeniaorganic.com/how-many-tomato-seeds-per-hole/ helped me a lot to understand everything in more detail. Tomatoes are demanding of nutrients and during the growing process they greatly deplete the soil, therefore, it is very important to fertilize the soil with organic fertilizers for the winter to prepare the soil for planting next spring.
Bobbie
June 4, 2020
My kids and I geminated about a dozen Flavor Bomb plants from one slice of a tomato last March. We grew them indoors until planting outside in the ground at the end of May and had an abundance of delicious cherry tomatoes starting mid-July. We did the same thing this year and are looking forward to another bumper crop.
Susie W.
May 31, 2020
Commercial tomatoes aren't what you want for a home garden. Despite this article's cheery assurance that all you have to do to grow luscious tomatoes is sprout seeds and transfer seedlings to larger containers, tomatoes are not that easy to grow. They are hot weather plants, need a lot of sun (not too much), careful watering, are subject to ailments, and need a LOT of root room. A mature vine, when stretched out, can be 20' long - every inch of vine needs equivalent roots. Every year, my neighbor plants a tomato seedling in a 5 gallon bucket (with drainage holes) next to my tomatoes planted in a garden. We water and feed them equally. Every year, my plants grow and bear; his don't. He asks: "What am I doing wrong?" My response: "It's all about the roots". Tomatoes in containers: go with cherry tomatoes. Whatever you do, buy seedlings from a nursery - you'll save yourself a lot of heartache.
BonnieC.
May 31, 2020
Now this I COMPLETELY disagree with. You & your neighbor's situation is just your personal situations. It definitely does NOT pertain to everyone. For over ten years now I've been growing a large container garden on my wraparound deck & every year I have a wonderful harvest - tomatoes included & not just "cherries". This year I have 14 seedlings in large 24" pots/tubs, including cherries, U.S. & Italian heirlooms, & hybrids. I expect, as usual, better-than-usual yields from all of them so long as I give them appropriate water & regular feedings. At the same time I'm also growing several different varieties of eggplants & hot peppers, lettuces, herbs, broccoli & cauliflower (from which I've just gotten my 2nd harvest), cucumbers, zucchini, seedless melons, & this year for the first time, corn, using a sweet corn variety that was especially bred for containers.
No "heartache" here.
No "heartache" here.
Susie W.
May 31, 2020
If you've been successful growing all that in pots, good for you: you must be attending them daily. My experience has been: drill holes in a 5 gallon bucket, fill with soil, plant, water, feed - wonder why plants don't thrive.
Smaug
May 31, 2020
Well- a five gallon nursery container (which is usually about 3 1/2 gallons) is small for anything but patio tomatoes; a true 5 gal is a little better. I grow mine in 15 gal containers- which are probably closer to 12- and they do very well. I'd prefer to plant them in the ground, but gophers. At any rate, container growing does take some work and knowhow- they need a lot of feeding, and almost always some supplemental calcium in containers. As far as starts, tomatoes are quite easy from seed and the varieties available are nearly infinite. The financial side is a little murky- you'll typically pay $3-5 for a packet of 20-30 seeds, so if you only want one or two plants, you can probably buy seedlings cheaper (if the variety is available), but the seeds can generally be carried over for a few years with careful storage. You can sometimes get bargain seeds of the commonest varieties at drugstores and such- not very dependable, but if you want something common like Sweet 100's, your chances are fair. Of course it's too late for seeds for this season; seedlings you find this late are likely to be scraggy and potbound, but that doesn't matter all that much for tomatoes as long as they aren't actually diseased; plant them deep and the root system will come around quickly.
BonnieC.
May 31, 2020
Tomato seeds are an excellent value. I have some that are over ten years old that still provide me with 80%-90% germination.
BonnieC.
May 31, 2020
Five-gallon containers is okay for the "Patio" & "Micro" types, but any other varieties - including cherries - do need larger containers.
Any yes - I do attend to everything daily. With container culture one has to. But I find it enjoyable & it does reward me with an awful lot of food.
Any yes - I do attend to everything daily. With container culture one has to. But I find it enjoyable & it does reward me with an awful lot of food.
Lauren B.
June 1, 2020
I’ve grown tomatoes in 5 gallon spackle buckets: and assortment of cherries, beefsteak sized hybrids, and heirlooms. You need to water more frequently but I got tons of fruit. It was a mistake for the neighbor to do everything identically to the in ground crop and expect the same results. If you are going to grow in bucket with a pole for support, you need to figure out how to prevent the pot from tipping over.
Melissa S.
February 27, 2021
Well, this is absolutely not true. I have seen great success with this method and tomatoes are one of the easiest foods to grow! I've grown from seed, from this method, and from nursery starter plants and I can honestly say that I have better luck from the seed and this way, than from the starters. I have never had a root system that was even close to as large as the plant.
Starters from nurseries often come with disease and insects that infest your whole garden. Try lots of different methods! You might be surprised.
Starters from nurseries often come with disease and insects that infest your whole garden. Try lots of different methods! You might be surprised.
Carol
May 22, 2020
Would it be possible to freeze some tomatoes from this year's crop and use the frozen seeds next year?
Smaug
May 22, 2020
The seeds would probably survive it, but better to just dry them out and store them in a cool, dark place. Frozen tomatoes are great for sauce, by the way- I still have a few from last year; way, way better flavor than you ever get from canned tomatoes.
Brook
May 22, 2020
I have been growing tomatoes using this method for 5 years. I’m in zone 7, so I start them late Feb/March under a small grow light & ground them after last frost. You will get A lot of plants from this method! I have done this with “ grape, cherry & heirlooms”- purchased from super market or farmers market. They are indeterminate plants - so they will grow upwards of six feet & produce until its too cold for the plant to survive . Every year , I yielded, hundreds of tasty, beautiful tomatoes. Each plant yielded the same variety as its parent plant, including the heirloom. I honestly wouldn’t go back to seeds or starter plants. While it’s likely too late to use this method in many zones this year- you can archive it for next Feb. Happy planting!
Eric A.
May 22, 2020
Can I freeze a tomato I grow this year, then next spring thaw, slice and plant it?
Brook
May 25, 2020
In early November, I pull up the tomato plants -there are always a few runaways. I have never had a tomato plant sprout from the over-wintered seeds that were left behind-so not sure if seeds from a saved thawed tomato would work, but heck give it a go. I’m going to try it .
Smaug
May 21, 2020
I'm surprised this article popped up again, but desperate times- anyway, yes, it's a bit late to start tomatoes, even in California where we often harvest until Thanksgiving; maybe cherry tomatoes. But plenty of time for squash, which is more a plant kids can appreciate; grows really fast, with giant leaves and flowers (and giant squash if you aren't careful). You'll probably need to buy seeds, or cadge them from a friend- best to soak overnight in warm water, they germinate easily with some warmth. Young plants can be quite productive; I just ate my first zuchs of the season; I'll probably start a second crop in midsummer. One variety I can recommend for pots is Poquito; excellent small, almost spherical fruit and a relatively small plant.
Smaug
May 21, 2020
I'm surprised this article popped up again, but desperate times- anyway, yes, it's a bit late to start tomatoes, even in California where we often harvest until Thanksgiving; maybe cherry tomatoes. But plenty of time for squash, which is more a plant kids can appreciate; grows really fast, with giant leaves and flowers (and giant squash if you aren't careful). You'll probably need to buy seeds, or cadge them from a friend- best to soak overnight in warm water, they germinate easily with some warmth. Young plants can be quite productive; I just had my first zuchs of the season; I'll probably start a second crop in midsummer. One variety I can recommend for pots is Poquito; excellent small, almost spherical fruit and a relatively small plant.
Debreese
May 21, 2020
As a long-time tomato gardener, this is a cool idea but could be disappointing in practice. Most tomatoes need a long time to grow before they fruit. If you do this now, you’ll only have tiny seedlings in early June, and then they’ll have several months before they fruit. The seedlings you buy in the stores now were likely started in February to insure enough time for a good harvest before frost. Better off to buy large seedlings now for tomatoes this year and save this for a fun kids project.
jane D.
May 21, 2020
so sorry for the triple post!
it kept just turning grey and didn't show up!
again, i apologize!
it kept just turning grey and didn't show up!
again, i apologize!
jane D.
May 21, 2020
i keep the tomatoes we bring home from the grocery store in a hanging basket by the back patio slider. tomatoes-on-the-vine, usually.
before we can eat them all, there are seedlings growing inside the remaining tomatoes... some even breaking through the skin and growing straight up into the light!
and it's not like it's one or two seeds that have sprouted... it's ALL of them! looks like something out of "alien"!
i have a bachelor of science degree in horticulture, so i knew it wouldn't work, but i planted one of the tomatoes in my big raised bed, figuring that the seedlings would get nutrients from the tomato flesh (as happens with volunteers) and they did grow for a couple of weeks! then, competition got fierce and they all died back...
was fun while it lasted!
before we can eat them all, there are seedlings growing inside the remaining tomatoes... some even breaking through the skin and growing straight up into the light!
and it's not like it's one or two seeds that have sprouted... it's ALL of them! looks like something out of "alien"!
i have a bachelor of science degree in horticulture, so i knew it wouldn't work, but i planted one of the tomatoes in my big raised bed, figuring that the seedlings would get nutrients from the tomato flesh (as happens with volunteers) and they did grow for a couple of weeks! then, competition got fierce and they all died back...
was fun while it lasted!
jane D.
May 21, 2020
i keep the tomatoes we bring home from the grocery store in a hanging basket by the back patio slider. tomatoes-on-the-vine, usually.
before we can eat them all, there are seedlings growing inside the remaining tomatoes... some even breaking through the skin and growing straight up into the light!
and it's not like it's one or two seeds that have sprouted... it's ALL of them! looks like something out of "alien"!
i have a BS in horticulture, so i knew it wouldn't work, but i planted one of the tomatoes in my big raised bed, figuring that the seedlings would get nutrients from the tomato flesh (as happens with volunteers) and they did grow for a couple of weeks! then, competition got fierce and they all died back...
was fun while it lasted!
before we can eat them all, there are seedlings growing inside the remaining tomatoes... some even breaking through the skin and growing straight up into the light!
and it's not like it's one or two seeds that have sprouted... it's ALL of them! looks like something out of "alien"!
i have a BS in horticulture, so i knew it wouldn't work, but i planted one of the tomatoes in my big raised bed, figuring that the seedlings would get nutrients from the tomato flesh (as happens with volunteers) and they did grow for a couple of weeks! then, competition got fierce and they all died back...
was fun while it lasted!
Rosemary T.
May 21, 2020
I didn’t read all the comments and perhaps you posted this in February but if you live in the northeast the only tomatoes you are growing this summer are from plant’s you purchased at a nursery or seeds you started in late winter in the house.
jane D.
May 21, 2020
i keep the tomatoes we bring home from the grocery store in a hanging basket by the back patio slider. tomatoes-on-the-vine, usually.
before we can eat them all, there are seedlings growing inside the remaining tomatoes... some even breaking through the skin and growing straight up into the light!
and it's not like it's one or two seeds that have sprouted... it's ALL of them! looks like something out of "alien"!
i have a BS in horticulture, so i knew it wouldn't work, but i planted one of the tomatoes in my big raised bed, figuring that the seedlings would get nutrients from the tomato flesh (as happens with volunteers) and they did grow for a couple of weeks! then, competition got fierce and they all died back...
was fun while it lasted!
before we can eat them all, there are seedlings growing inside the remaining tomatoes... some even breaking through the skin and growing straight up into the light!
and it's not like it's one or two seeds that have sprouted... it's ALL of them! looks like something out of "alien"!
i have a BS in horticulture, so i knew it wouldn't work, but i planted one of the tomatoes in my big raised bed, figuring that the seedlings would get nutrients from the tomato flesh (as happens with volunteers) and they did grow for a couple of weeks! then, competition got fierce and they all died back...
was fun while it lasted!
Lauren B.
May 21, 2020
This is a fun thing to try but if you’re serious about getting tomatoes, meh. Especially inside. Actually a neighbor was getting rid of an Aerogarden hydroponic grow system so I adopted it, retrofitted it and got Orange Hat Microtomato seeds and we are picking cherry tomatoes that are growing in a windowless bathroom! Excellent flavor although the skins are a little thick. If you are committed to the method described in the article please only use sterile soilless starting mix. Put your seeds on something warm like on top of the fridge cuz germination occurs more swiftly with bottom heat. As soon as they germinate (check ‘em 2x daily) they need to go into intense light and slightly open whatever plastic you had on to keep a humid environment and make it a little more open gradually. As soon as the seedlings have a couple of pairs of leaves you can transplant the # you need. When you do this, plant them deeply, up to the first set of leaves. I use Solo cups with a drainage hole in the bottom that I make with a soldering iron. I reuse these for years. Plant them deep and tomato plants will develop extra roots all along the buried stem. As others have stated, using seeds from a store tomato will get you plants with the traits of the ancestors, it is a crap shoot. Plus the tomatoes are harvested while they are green and while they are in the shipping container they are sprayed with ethylene gas to start the ripening process and seeds need to have thoroughly ripened for them to be viable. Maybe this’ll be better if you get an heirloom tomato from some expensive store...also remember that they really need 6+ hours of full sun to produce fruit. And don’t think that the sprouts you aren’t going to grow can be eaten - TOMATO FOLIAGE IS POISONOUS! LOL sorry this is so long.
If you run a fan on the slowest speed and from far away for an hour or so a day it is less likely you will experience any fungus problems and seedlings’ stems will be more stocky.
If you run a fan on the slowest speed and from far away for an hour or so a day it is less likely you will experience any fungus problems and seedlings’ stems will be more stocky.
FS
May 21, 2020
OK, now that everyone's vented their spleen about how this method is substandard etc hybrids etc rot, allow me to say this: calm down, guys. Everything ya'll posted is true, but here's something that was overlooked: gardening should be FUN. Growing tomatoes from tomato slices looks like a fun project, I'm going to try it. What's the harm in trying something new? At worst it's not going to work out. I usually grow heirloom and good hybrids from seed, sometimes I'll buy seedlings at the local big box stores. Home Depot and Walmart often carry seedlings of heirloom varieties.
BonnieC.
May 21, 2020
I think YOU need to calm down & reread the article.
Several posters - myself included - admitted that it would be a fun project, especially for children. But that the article went beyond that - suggesting that it was a way to have tomatoes "just in time to grow your own for summer (mayo-slicked tomato sandwiches, here you come)".
That is simply NOT true on several levels.
Several posters - myself included - admitted that it would be a fun project, especially for children. But that the article went beyond that - suggesting that it was a way to have tomatoes "just in time to grow your own for summer (mayo-slicked tomato sandwiches, here you come)".
That is simply NOT true on several levels.
FS
May 21, 2020
I'm perfectly calm. You are not. Don't tell me you get triggered by some good natured ribbing?!
William D.
May 21, 2020
Just because you can grow tomatoes using this method doesn't mean you should.
Joanne O.
May 21, 2020
Just breezed through this article, so maybe you did mention this:
most grocery store tomatoes are of a hybrid variety. Unlike our (OG) Heirlooms, these hybrids will not grow the same tomato qualities. Hybrids are rouge. Wonky. Unpredictable.
My unsolicited advice: only grow tomatoes from seed with true heirloom varieties if you don't want a shitty tomato crop.
most grocery store tomatoes are of a hybrid variety. Unlike our (OG) Heirlooms, these hybrids will not grow the same tomato qualities. Hybrids are rouge. Wonky. Unpredictable.
My unsolicited advice: only grow tomatoes from seed with true heirloom varieties if you don't want a shitty tomato crop.
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