Growing Tomatoes In North Dakota: Everything You Need To Know

You want to know whether you could grow great tomatoes in North Dakota at home?

Of course, you can! However, there are still some important factors you have to take into account when growing tomatoes in North Dakota that I want to address for you in this article.

Not only will you have to adjust your watering behavior but you will also have to keep away certain pests specific to this region.

After reading this article, you will be a real expert when it comes to growing tomatoes in the North Dakota region and may also be able to avoid some common mistakes in this regard.

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

Do tomatoes grow well in North Dakota?

Tomato plants don’t grow really well in North Dakota since climatic conditions are pretty cold and your plants may just not get as much sun as in many other states.

Consequently, you may have a harder time growing tomatoes in North Dakota compared to people growing tomatoes in California and other hotter and sunnier regions.

How long does it take to grow tomatoes in North Dakota?

It will usually take you between 15 and 20 weeks to grow tomatoes from seed to harvest in most parts of North Dakota.

However, please note that this also greatly depends on the tomato variety you want to grow as well as on your individual skill level when it comes to gardening in general.

How big do tomato plants grow in North Dakota?

Even though climatic conditions may not be excellent for growing tomatoes outdoors in the North Dakota region, your tomato plants can still reach a significant size and you should give them at least 8 feet of space in the vertical so your plants can grow well and will not be space-constrained.

Can you expect great yields when growing tomatoes in North Dakota?

While climatic conditions may not be perfect for growing tomatoes in North Dakota, you can still get pretty decent tomato yields as long as you follow the advice in this article and my grower’s guides.

When to grow tomatoes in North Dakota?

Since winters are pretty long, you should wait with growing tomatoes outdoors until you no longer expect frost and this can be as late as May or even June in some cold years.

Can you grow tomatoes in North Dakota in winter?

Growing tomatoes in North Dakota in winter is not a great idea at all since winters are pretty cold and long and you would have to spend lots of money on energy operating a heated greenhouse and this would just not be worth it in most cases.

Can you grow tomatoes in North Dakota multiple times per year?

Due to pretty long winters and rather short growing seasons, you may not want to grow multiple tomato batches per year.

Instead, I suggest you focus on just one single tomato yield and care as best as possible for your plants to see the best results possible.

What tomato varieties grow best in North Dakota?

If you want to grow tomatoes in North Dakota, you should choose a tomato variety that is pretty resistant to cold weather early in the year. Those include:

• Husky Tomatoes
• Golden Nugget Tomatoes
• Glacier Tomatoes
• Beefmaster Tomatoes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Legend Tomatoes
• Spring Tomatoes
• Zebra Tomatoes
• Siletz Tomatoes
• Pixie Tomatoes

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

Since winters are pretty long and growing seasons rather short, it may be better to grow tomatoes from seedlings instead of seeds in the north Dakota region since you would see results earlier in the year and would not be at great risk that your plants will not get ready until winter frost arrives.

Should you start growing tomatoes in North Dakota indoors?

If you still want to grow tomatoes from seed, it definitely makes sense to pre-grow tomato seedlings indoors early in the year so they can get bigger and stronger and will have a head start when you finally transplant them outdoors between May and June when you no longer expect spring frost.

How to water tomato plants in North Dakota?

Since North Dakota is a rather cool place and it rains quite a bit, you may not have to water your tomato plants much early in the year.

However, once summer arrives and your plants get bigger, you may have to water your tomato plants even daily so they don’t dry up and can produce decent yields.

Do you have to protect tomatoes against the sun in North Dakota?

Protecting tomato plants from the sun is not necessary in North Dakota since radiation is not really a problem for your plants in the early months of the year and once summer arrives, your plants will be big enough so they can deal with radiation and heat on their own.

Will wild animals feed on tomatoes in North Dakota?

Deer, rabbits and mice are only some of the hungry animals that may want to have their share of your tomato plants and it therefore makes sense to install a fence so your plants will be protected to a certain extent.

Tomato pests & plant diseases in North Dakota

Aphids, stinkbugs and thrips are just some of the unpleasant pests you may have to deal with when growing tomatoes in North Dakota.

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

When to harvest tomatoes in North Dakota?

If you start growing tomato seeds outdoors between May and June, you will be able to harvest your plants between October and November.

If you want to shorten the growing period, you may rather want to rely on seedlings from the store instead of growing tomatoes from scratch.

Additional Information for Growing Tomatoes at Home

I hope this article has been interesting and helpful to you and you got lots of important information on how to grow tomatoes in North Dakota in a proper manner.

If you want to learn more about growing tomatoes in general, you may also want to have a look at my detailed tomato grower’s guide.

For specific questions, I suggest you also check out my growing tomatoes FAQ section where you find answers to the most common questions people often have about growing tomatoes at home.

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.