Start planting indoors

Plant tomatoes indoors to start. Transplant out doors about 3-4 weeks after your average last spring frost. The exact date will depend upon what climate zone you live in.

Moving outdoors

Transplant outdoors around mid April or after the first frost. Do not move tomatoes outdoors directly instead spend about 4 to 5 days letting the plants sit outside during the warmth of the day. Bring the plants in during the night. This will allow them to adjust to the changing climate outdoors. Once you transplant give them a good amount of water for the first week as the adjust.

During growth

Tomatoes like a lot of water, however always water at the roots. Getting the leaves wet can promote disease and bug infestation. Fertilize 2 to 3 times a during the season with chicken manure.

Trimming excess leaves and stocks that do not contain fruit will promote larger and sweeter tomatoes. Prune the excess leaves and stocks every couple of weeks. The unwanted stems are refereed to as suckers (as the suck the energy out of the plant) Below is an image of what you should prune.

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Longer Season

You can plant your first batch starting indoors as listed above but you can also plan directly in the soil after the first frost. This will increase your harvesting season by having staggered plantings.