I love tomatoes. They’re delicious, healthy, and the perfect refreshing snack in the summertime. They’re also incredibly versatile—and surprisingly easy to grow, once you know these few important and surprising tomato facts that could change your harvest.
From pasta sauces to salads, tomatoes are one of the most widely used fruits (yes, I said fruits) in cooking. They’re also one of the most popular garden crops—thanks to how easy they are to grow. But with just a little extra knowledge, you can boost your harvest and grow even more flavorful, productive plants.
5 Surprising Tomato Facts
1. Tomato Plants Can Grow Roots Along Their Stems:
That’s right—those little hairs along the tomato plant’s stem? They can all turn into roots! When you bury the stem deep into the soil (or lay it sideways in a trench), the plant will grow extra roots along the buried portion. More roots mean a stronger, healthier plant—which often leads to a bigger, better harvest.
2. Tomato Plants Aren’t Big Water Fans:
While watering any plant is important, including tomatoes, too much water can do more harm than good. Overwatering can lead to problems like root rot, blossom drop, and fruit splitting. It can even affect ripening; if the plant is too stressed, the fruit may stay green longer or ripen unevenly. (I just learned this recently.)
A soggy soil also makes it more difficult for the plant to take up nutrients, which can impact the quality of the fruit. To avoid these issues, water deeply but infrequently, and do it in the morning so the plant has time to dry before nightfall. This helps encourage strong root growth and reduces the risk of disease.
3. They Are Self-Pollinating, But Still Need Help:
Self-pollinating simply means that the flower has both the female and male parts that are required to help the fruit to develop. However, even though tomatoes can pollinate themselves, they still rely on pollinators like bees and butterflies to move the pollen around effectively.
If you don’t notice any pollinators visiting your plant, a simple, gentle shake of the plant can help move the pollen around. Another way is to use a paintbrush to gently brush the inside of each flower—mimicking a pollinator—to encourage the fruit to set.
4. Flowers, But No Fruit?:
Try adding some crushed eggshells to your soil! Tomato plants sometimes suffer from a calcium deficiency, which can lead to problems like blossom-end rot or poor fruit development—even when the plant has plenty of flowers.
To help, save your eggshells and bake them at 200* F for 15-20 minutes to dry them out. Then, crush them up in a blender or food processor and sprinkle the powder into the planting hole if transplanting or around the base of established plants.
You can also use garden lime as a more concentrated source of calcium. Just make sure you are watering consistently since calcium can’t be absorbed properly without enough moisture (but remember—not too much water, either!).
5. Tomatoes Still Green? No Worries!
We’ve talked about how sometimes tomatoes don’t ripen the way they should. The good news is—even if your tomatoes are still green, you can still pick them, and they’ll ripen off the vine!
If you are noticing that your tomatoes have stopped growing and are not turning red, go ahead and harvest them. Put them in a paper bag with a ripe banana, and in just a few days, you’ll have beautiful, red (or whatever color you planted) tomatoes. Just be careful not to forget to check the bag… (Don’t ask me how I know this.)
*BONUS Fact: Give Your Plants a Pep Talk:
Ok, Ok. I know this one sounds a bit silly. But the truth is, plants love it when you talk to them. Plants respond to gentle vibration. (Want to know more about how our words have power? Check out this post!) When you speak calmly, or gently brush the leaves, it mimics natural forces like the wind.
This subtle movement encourages a sturdier root system—leading to sturdier, healthier, and ultimately more productive tomato plants. So go ahead, have a little chat with your tomatoes. They just might thank you with a bigger harvest.
Small Facts, Big Harvest
Growing tomatoes doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether it’s giving them a little shake, chatting with your plants, or sneaking some crushed eggshells into the soil, these small tomato facts could change your harvest for the better leaving you with stronger, healthier and fuller plants.
Do you have a favorite tomato-growing tip or a fun fact I didn’t mention? I’d love to hear it—drop it in the comments below! And thanks so much for reading!
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