Growing Tomatoes In Kansas: Everything You Need To Know

You think about growing tomatoes at your home in Kansas but want to get additional information on what things you should account for when it comes to growing tomatoes in this region in the best possible manner?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you everything you need to know to grow tomatoes in Kansas without making many mistakes many other people often make.

After reading this article, you will know how to account for specific climatic conditions, how you should adapt your watering behavior, how to get rid of pests on tomato plants in Kansas and much more.

Moreover, at the end of this article, you will also find links to additional resources that will help you become a better tomato gardener in general.

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

Do tomatoes grow well in Kansas?

Since climatic conditions to grow tomatoes in Kansas are often pretty good since you will be able to offer many hours of sun and lots of warm weather to your plants, your tomato plants may be able to grow really well as long as you water your plants properly and also fertilize them in a decent manner.

How long does it take to grow tomatoes in Kansas?

It takes most people between 14 and 17 weeks to grow tomatoes in Kansas from seed to harvest.

However, please note that this also greatly depends on the tomato variety you want to grow and on the overall conditions you provide to your plants.

How big do tomato plants grow in Kansas?

If you care well for your plants, you may be able to grow your tomato plants to up to 8 feet in the vertical and you should therefore make sure that your plants get enough space so they will not be space-constraint later in the growing process and can develop optimal yields.

Can you expect great yields when growing tomatoes in Kansas?

While people growing tomatoes in Kansas may not get the same great yields compared to people growing tomatoes in California or other regions where climatic conditions may be even better on average, you will still be able to get decent yields even if you are still new to gardening if you follow the advice in this article and my grower’s guides in general.

When to grow tomatoes in Kansas?

The best time to start your tomato growing project in Kansas outdoors is between April and May when you no longer expect spring frost anymore.

However, if you want to pre-grow your plants indoors, you can start as early as March and transplant your seedlings outdoors later in the year.

Can you grow tomatoes in Kansas in winter?

Growing tomatoes in Kansas during cold winter months is not a good idea at all since your plants would not get enough natural sunlight and not the right climatic conditions to grow well outdoors and you would therefore have to use a heated greenhouse and artificial lighting which would consume lots of energy, would be bad for your pocket and also for our environment.

Can you grow tomatoes in Kansas multiple times per year?

Since winters in Kansas can be pretty cold and tomato plants may not grow well later in the year, you may rather want to focus on one single batch of tomato plants during the main season so you will be able to get one main decent harvest in late summer or early fall.

What tomato varieties grow best in Kansas?

When growing tomatoes in Kansas, you should choose a tomato variety that is used to cool weather conditions early in the year but also gets along with hot weather later on in the growing process. You will find some suitable varieties below:

• Roma Tomatoes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Early Girl Tomatoes
• Zebra Tomatoes
• Legend Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Brandywine Tomatoes
• Beefsteak Tomatoes
• Manitoba Tomatoes
• Nugget Tomatoes

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

If you want to get the full growing experience, it would be better to grow tomatoes from seed instead of seedlings since you would just be able to experience every step in the growing cycle without missing out on the first steps as would be the case if you just rely on seedlings.

Should you start growing tomatoes in Kansas indoors?

Pre-growing tomato seedlings indoors can make quite a lot of sense if you want to harvest your tomato plants rather early in the year since you could start as early as March, transplant your tomato seedlings outdoors in late April and harvest your plants around July.

How to water tomato plants in Kansas?

While you would often be fine by just watering your tomato plants a few times per week during cool spring months when your plants are still pretty small, things change once your tomato plants get bigger and during hot summer months, you may have to water them almost daily if you don’t want your plants to dry up and your plants may not get natural precipitation through rainfall.

Do you have to protect tomatoes against the sun in Kansas?

Since the sun in Kansas may not be as intense in the early months of the year as in many other states in the US, you will also not have to actively protect your tomato plants from the sun since they will just grow decent if you let nature do its work and once radiation becomes more intense, your plants will already be big and strong enough so they will be perfectly fine as long as you water them in a solid manner.

Will wild animals feed on tomatoes in Kansas?

You should also know that wild animals like voles, rabbits, raccoons or deer may frequently try feeding on your tomato plants in Kansas and installing a fence around your tomato plants may therefore be a pretty good idea to protect your plants in a solid manner.

Tomato pests & plant diseases in Kansas

Since thrips, aphids, stink bugs, cutworms and many other pests may try to get their share of your tomato plants, you should also get some information on how to treat tomato pests and plant diseases.

When to harvest tomatoes in Kansas?

If you start growing tomatoes outdoors between April and May, you will usually be able to harvest them between late July and August.

However, if you pre-grow your tomatoes indoors earlier in spring and transplant your seedlings outdoors later on, you may be able to harvest your plants as soon as early July.

Additional Information for Growing Tomatoes at Home

I hope you got lots of helpful information out of this article so you will be able to grow tomatoes in Kansas at home in a perfectly fine manner.

If you also want to get better at growing tomatoes at home in general, you should also check out my tomato grower’s guide.

Moreover, you may also want to have a look at my growing tomatoes FAQ section where you will get answers to many questions that often come up in the tomato growing process.

Sources

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

Own experience.

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.