Growing Tomatoes In New Jersey: Everything You Need To Know

You wonder whether New Jersey is a great place for growing tomatoes at home and also want to get additional information on how to grow tomatoes in New Jersey in the best possible manner?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you everything you need to know to make your tomato gardening project in New Jersey a real success.

Not only will you learn what types of pests you might have to keep away from your plants but you will also learn how climatic conditions in New Jersey will affect your tomato project and much more.

After reading this article, you will be able to avoid many mistakes other people often make when it comes to growing tomatoes in New Jersey and may also be able to give some useful tips and tricks to your loved ones.

Without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Do tomatoes grow well in New Jersey?

While climatic conditions for growing tomatoes in New Jersey are not really great since you will have lots of rain and cool weather in this region, you will still be able to grow decent tomatoes in New Jersey as long as you follow the advice in this article and also care well for your plants in general.

How long does it take to grow tomatoes in New Jersey?

It takes most people between 14 and 19 weeks to grow tomatoes in New Jersey from seed to harvest.

If you want to shorten this period, you may not want to rely on seeds but rather get seedlings from the store to see much quicker results.

How big do tomato plants grow in New Jersey?

Even though climatic conditions may not be perfect and your plants may not grow as big in New Jersey as for people growing tomatoes in Arizona and other hotter regions, you should still give your plants at least 7 feet in the vertical so they can develop in a healthy manner and provide decent results at the end of the growing cycle.

Can you expect great yields when growing tomatoes in New Jersey?

While climatic conditions are not perfect for growing tomatoes in New Jersey, you will still be able to get decent yields as long as you care well for your plants and avoid many mistakes other people make when growing tomatoes in this region.

When to grow tomatoes in New Jersey?

Before growing tomatoes outdoors, you should wait with sowing the seed until you no longer expect frost in your region.

In most parts of New Jersey, this is between April and May.

However, if you want to start your growing project earlier, you can do so by pre-growing tomato seedlings indoors and transplanting them outdoors later in the year.

Can you grow tomatoes in New Jersey in winter?

You should not try to grow tomatoes in New Jersey in winter since winters are often pretty cold and lighting conditions are rather poor so you would have to rely on a heated greenhouse or other energy-intensive options and this would just not be worth it in most cases.

Can you grow tomatoes in New Jersey multiple times per year?

Due to rather long winters in the New Jersey region, it may not make sense to strive for multiple tomato harvests per year.

Instead, you will often be better off focusing on just one single batch of tomato plants during main season to get the best results.

What tomato varieties grow best in New Jersey?

When growing tomatoes in New Jersey, you should choose a variety that is well-adapted to cool and rainy weather. You will find the most popular ones below:

• Glacier Tomatoes
• Winterkeeper Tomatoes
• Sub Arctic Tomatoes
• Spring Tomatoes
• Husky Tomatoes
• Legend Tomatoes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Zebra Tomatoes
• Celebrity Tomatoes

Is it better to grow tomatoes in New Jersey from seeds or seedlings?

While growing tomatoes from seed would be the better option if you want to have the full growing experience, growing tomatoes from seedlings may make sense if you are a rather impatient person and want to see the results of your labor rather quickly.

Should you start growing tomatoes in New Jersey indoors?

If you want to harvest your tomato plants as early as possible, starting to grow tomatoes indoors around March makes quite a lot of sense since you can grow your seedlings to a healthy size and when it gets warmer and you no longer expect spring frost, you can transplant your tomato seedlings outdoors and may be able to harvest the far earlier compared to just sowing the seeds in May.

How to water tomato plants in New Jersey?

Since New Jersey is a rather cool state where rain is quite common, you may not have to water your plants as often as in many other hotter states where rain is rather rare.

However, you should still check whether your plants need water on a regular basis so they get everything they need to grow in a healthy manner.

Do you have to protect tomatoes against the sun in New Jersey?

Since tomato plants in New Jersey are not exposed to high radiation at the beginning of the growing cycle, there is no need to actively protect your plants from the sun and you can just let them grow and once they get bigger, they will also get more resistant to the sun in a completely natural manner.

Will wild animals feed on tomatoes in New Jersey?

Rabbits, deer and many other wild animals may try feeding on tomato plants in New Jersey sooner or later and it is on you to protect your plants properly so you don’t have to share your harvest with those hungry intruders.

Tomato pests & plant diseases in New Jersey

You may also have to deal with stink bugs, aphids and many other unpleasant pests when you try to grow tomatoes in New Jersey.

Fortunately, there are simple but yet effective ways how to keep away tomato pests and plant diseases.

When to harvest tomatoes in New Jersey?

When starting to grow tomatoes outdoors from seed in May, you will usually be able to harvest your tomatoes between August and September.

If you want to see results earlier in the year, you may either want to rely on seedlings from the store or pre-grow tomato seedlings in early spring indoors and transplant them outdoors later.

Additional Information for Growing Tomatoes at Home

Now that you got most of the information you need to grow tomatoes in New Jersey in a great manner, it’s time to actually do it on your side!

However, if you feel like you want to get even more information about growing tomatoes at home in general, you may also want to have a look at my tomato grower’s guide.

If there are specific questions left, I also suggest you check out my growing tomatoes FAQ section where you will find answers to most questions people often have when it comes to growing tomatoes in their garden or on their balcony.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato

Own research.

About the Author

My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my own plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.

In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.