Most tomato problems don’t start in the garden — they start on the seed packet.
If you’ve ever had big, healthy tomato plants with very little fruit, tomatoes that never fully ripen, or a season that ends in disappointment, one small detail on the tomato seed packet is often the reason.
👉 Read the full breakdown here: https://nextlevelgardening.tv/blog/the-seed-packet-detail-that-ruins-tomato-yields-%28and-how-to-plan-tomatoes-the-right-way%29
👉 Get help planning this for your location with our
FREE GardenGuide: https://www.gardenguide.com
In this video, I explain what “days to maturity” really means on tomato seed packets, why most gardeners misunderstand it, and how this single mistake can quietly ruin tomato yields before the season even begins. You’ll learn how to use seed packet information the right way so your tomatoes actually produce.
This video covers tomato seed packet mistakes, days to maturity explained, and how to choose tomato varieties that actually fit your growing season.
This is one of the most common tomato growing mistakes I see every year — especially among gardeners who feel like they’re doing everything right.
🌱 In this tomato gardening video, you’ll learn:
– What “days to maturity” actually means for tomatoes
– The most common tomato seed packet mistake gardeners make
– Why big tomato plants don’t always produce fruit
– How seed packet timing affects tomato yields
– How to choose tomato varieties that match your growing season
– A simple way to plan tomatoes for better harvests
🍅 Related tomato and seed starting videos:
How to Start Tomato Seeds the Right Way: https://youtu.be/ed8OR49Bj4k
Tomato Mistakes That Cost You Fruit: https://youtu.be/FJfqRE2rDd0
My Top Ten Tomato Growing Tips: https://youtu.be/FZbBCn7irvM
Best Tomato to Grow in Your Zone: https://youtu.be/gz870oGY6Hg
📅 Want help planning tomatoes the right way?
CHAPTERS
0:00 The Seed Packet Mistake That Costs You Tomatoes
0:58 What “Days to Maturity” Really Means
2:21 Why Your Real Tomato Season Is Shorter Than You Think
5:11 Determinate vs Indeterminate: Timing Matters
6:03 How Temperature Affects Tomato Production
7:42 Choosing Tomatoes That Actually Finish
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25 Comments
If your tomato plants have ever looked amazing… but barely produced, this is probably why.
I put together a step-by-step written guide + downloadable worksheet that walks you through figuring out your real productive growing time and choosing tomato varieties that actually finish in your season.
👉 Read it here: https://bit.ly/4q0Si8z
If you want help dialing this in for your specific location, that’s also why I built GardenGuide — it takes the guesswork out of timing.
👉 https://www.gardenguide.com
Let me know in the comments where you garden and what tomatoes you’re growing this year 🍅
Those green tomatoes are sliced and canned for use all winter 😋
Last year was my first time gardening. A lot of the tomatoes split, had blossom end rot, or the birds got to them before I could. Oh, and those pesky tomato hornworms got to munching before I realized I had them. This year I’m going to get some bird netting and work on figuring out a watering schedule. Still not sure how to fix the blossom end rot, though. The soil I used last year wasn’t the best, so that’s going to change too. Oh, I also found out I can’t use granular feed because the ants went crazy and killed the transplants I used it on. Good times. 😅
Excellent points! I am rethinking tomatoes in general. And laughing because things always take 2x longer than the seed pkts say. (never had a radish in 25 days) ..makes perfect sense now.
Thank you for this video! You’ve helped me tremendously. 😊
Yuuuup! Def did this mistake the first years of gardening and learned the hard way!
If you grow in part shade, you can easily add 1.5 months to your large tomatoes ripening… and its a good idea to choose a cultivar that does well in an area several planting zones colder than the one you are in!!
Fastest producing tomatoes I have found so far are the 42 days! They take more like 55 in my area, but they truly ARE fast growers and producers! Very prone to diseases though… but since they live so fast and short it might not be much of a problem, and they are pretty resilient producers even when ravaged by disease. Production is just okay BUT, the plants are so small and take so little space, that you can crowd a lot of them together and get a good production. Taste is just fine. Not amazing, but def better than grocery store tomatoes.
Priceless info here! Thank you 💗
Tomatos in the desert actually thrive in dappled shade all season. They are a jungle fruit and they grow on the floor of a jungle so think about that
I just pulled my romas a few weeks ago. I had cut off all the leaves was going to let the fruit ripen on the plant. It was taking awhile so I looked into it and unless I misinterpreted something, the leaves are needed to convert energy into sugars for the tomatoes. The tomatoes have a really floral taste to them. You live and you learn I suppose
Does the days to maturity assume a standard sized transplant? In other words, would starting it earlier indoors and having a larger plant at transplant help? Or is that a hard limit?
As usual, thanks for your info! We live in Norcal(Sacramento) and have never heard of any of those varieties you mentioned. Best producer for us has been Better Boy and for all around Purple cherokee is good but smaller volume and later harvest.
I've been known to plant tomatoes I think look pretty and sometimes it ends up those ones took longer than my growing season cause I didn't pay attention to how long they take.
Well no wonder I've been confused. I'm in zone 4 VT and the tomatoes have been a challenge – everything really. I start them inside in mid-March, then move them to my little plant house at the end of April, and then into the raised containers after Mother's Day. I want to grow Amish Pastes because of their lack of seeds and taste, but they barely make it before we start losing sun and warmth. I'm tempted to install grow lights on the trellis. Last fall, I draped frost cloth over the top of the trellis to cover a ton of green ones that were still trying. I did this until about Oct. 20th since we were staying in the 30's. Every morning when I'd go out to uncover them, I'd find a bunch of slow-motion bumble bees on the leaves who had taken cover there. Eventually I picked the green ones and brought them in to ripen in the kitchen. They just don't taste the same though. So, it looks like maybe I need to start even sooner and maybe pot up from the party cups while inside with maybe more robust grow lighting? LOL I just need a full-on greenhouse.
We still haven't had any frost! Our first frost date is supposed to be Dec 17th. Our last first date is supposed to be Feb 2nd. Not sure what to think, last year, our summer weather was late.
I would like to see Brian address this, and what to do.
The biggest problem I see is a lot of people do not understanding how to grow. I understand you like passing blame, but this does not solve anything!
Regarding myself, I tried growing tomatoes in 2025, and I was able to grow a couple of tiny tomatoes. I am talking about to the point where my tomatoes were hard to see, so for me growing tomatoes in 2025 was a failure.
I believe learning is the key to success in anything we do in life. If you failed in some way to grow tomatoes, or something else then you probably did something wrong, and YOU DO NOT KNOW IT!
I learned this (basically) the hard way many seasons ago. That's why I've switched mostly to hardy, frost tolerant plants, and determinate (paste, usually) tomatoes. Lots of root crops – carrots, parsnips, potatoes (of course!) turnips, etc. Oh – and radishes in the spring, for an early harvest reward. Thanks for the video and Happy New Year!!
Awesome video, Thanks.
Just what I needed. I have also learned I need to start my tomato seed earlier in my bright, sunny southern windows ( no grow lights/heat); the days are shorter & the sun is slanted. They take longer!
Good information thank you
Thanks for the info. I'm in Southeast Alabama and need to get going on my seed choices! I started looking at your web site and it seems VERY helpful. Thank you so much for all you do!❤
Here in Georgia, we barely have any spring….we spring directly into summer! Sometimes it is so wet that it is ridiculous and during the summer it's so hot it's scorching them . Hopefully we will put a shade cloth. I would like a pergola, maybe on the left side of the beds and hopefully it will help the right side as well. In the summer from close to noon time to when the sun touches the trees it's scorching hot and humid, I don't want to be outside at all! Definitely neglected…. I barely go to water. I finally convinced my husband to put drip irrigation but he didn't finish nor connect it to the water supply. He says that it's a waste of money! I say it's a waste of money not to have it and a danger of heat stroke! If I could have moved better I would have done it myself! I put irrigation for 2 yards in California…now I have to wait for it to be done…😮💨
Have a blessed day 🙏💖🤗
As always, great video with tons of well-presented information. Timely as get ready to do spring seed order. Thanks and Happy New Year to Emilie, Noah, families, and of course, Joel 🎇
I appreciate the planner! Very helpful!
After a teriffic harvest off my determinate tomatoes 2 years ago I switched to indeterminate and got bit by the frost dates just like you are describing.
Great info! I watched this to see if there was something I am not aware of. Most videos on tomatoes only teach me info if it's on specific varieties.