Plant record

Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum

Tomatoes are not invited outside just because one afternoon got charming. Wait for warm nights and willing soil.

Rankspeciesderived
GenusSolanumSolanaceae
Species anchorSolanum lycopersicumThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score92/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Start indoors 5 to 8 weeks before last frost.

Transplant after frost and after soil warms.

Space-saving method: grow with cage support.

Plant intelligence

Use one square per plant and watch neighbors as it matures.

foodvertical

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: vining or bush fruiting crop

Germination: 5-10 days

Sow depth: 0.25 inches

Record score

92/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence97Solanum lycopersicum in Solanaceae; 3 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness921 per square with cage support.
Timing and care depth922 planting windows, 55F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down1003 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence70Food crop with companion context.
Source readiness94Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificSolanum lycopersicumFamilySolanaceaeLookup namesTomato, Solanum lycopersicum, garden tomato, cherry tomato, slicer tomato

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit1 per square
92Use one square per plant and watch neighbors as it matures. Support: cage.
Season behaviortender
92Indoor start. Transplant. One main planting.
Care loadsteady water
74Cold soil stalls roots. Protect from late frost and wind. Soil minimum 55F.
Bed ecosystem rolefood, vertical
70Food-first crop with companion context.
Variety depth3 options
100Match variety to support: indeterminate vines need a tall cage or trellis; determinate plants stay more contained.

Species and variety notes

Match variety to support: indeterminate vines need a tall cage or trellis; determinate plants stay more contained.

Celebritycultivar
64small-bed fit

A practical slicer when predictability matters.

Best use: general garden use. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

slicer, determinate, disease resistance70-75 days
San Marzanogroup
64small-bed fit

Worth growing where the goal is sauce more than snacking.

Best use: general garden use. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

paste, sauce, indeterminate75-85 days
Sungoldcultivar
64small-bed fit

A tall, productive cherry tomato that earns its vertical space.

Best use: general garden use. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

cherry, indeterminate, very sweet57-65 days

Companions

basil, marigold, parsley, onion

Cautions

Cold soil stalls roots.

Protect from late frost and wind.

External enrichment

Cached name: Solanum lycopersicum. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

Michigan State University Extension

Michigan vegetable-garden timing, frost awareness, and practical garden planning.

Source reference

Cornell Vegetable Growing Guides

Crop-specific vegetable growing guidance.

Source reference

University of Minnesota Extension

Upper Midwest vegetable guidance, cold-climate timing, and succession ideas.

Source reference

Back to plant library