I hope by now that your tomatoes are mostly planted in their forever homes and settling in well. By this point, they should be starting to grow quickly, putting on lots of new leaves, new shoots (called suckers), and maybe even forming flower sets. And now comes one of the biggest tomato questions: what do I do with all these extra shoots?

Let’s talk about watering, suckers, pruning, and early growth.

First off, if your plants aren’t in the ground yet or are not growing a ton yet, that’s okay. I would get them in the ground sooner rather than later. And for the first week, it’s completely normal for plants to droop a little, stall out for a bit, grow slowly, and lose a couple of lower leaves.

This is called transplant shock. Your tomato is adjusting to a completely new environment and putting most of its energy underground right now. Even if you don’t see a ton happening above the soil, the plant is building roots and getting established. Once those roots settle in and nighttime temperatures warm up a bit more, tomatoes usually take off very quickly. You can help a droopy plant by giving it some shade during the sunniest parts of the day, watering it with kelp emulsion, and making sure the soil stays moist.

Watering

For the first couple of weeks after planting, I like to keep the soil consistently moist but not soaking wet. For in-ground plants, I’m usually watering every 3-4 days depending on the weather. Containers dry out much faster and may need water every day or every other day if it’s warm or windy.

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is watering too lightly and too often. Tomatoes prefer deeper waterings that encourage roots to grow down into the soil. Another thing to avoid is huge swings between bone dry and soaking wet. That inconsistency can lead to issues like cracking and blossom end rot later in the season. I put my finger down into the soil, and if I feel moisture and damp soil (NOT mushy/muddy), that is good. Bone-dry soil is not good.

Once the plant is well established (about 5-6 weeks in), I water deeply and infrequently (it depends on so many factors, but for my system I’ll water every 5–6 days very deeply). This allows the roots to run deep, which helps during heatwaves later in the summer.

There are three main things I do during the first few weeks after planting.

Remove lower leaves

Remove any leaves touching the ground. Lower leaves tend to get splashed with soil, stay wet longer, and pick up disease first. As my plants grow taller, I continue removing lower leaves (just by pinching them off) to improve airflow around the base of the plant. Your plant will be producing a ton of leaves and won’t miss a few lower down on the plant.

Remove suckers (new shoots)

For the next month or so, I usually remove many of the suckers (new shoots) that form in the “armpit” between the main stem and a branch—especially the lower ones. If left alone, suckers will grow into full branches that produce flowers, fruit, and eventually make the plant much bushier. Removing suckers (by pinching them off) helps create a taller, more manageable plant. It improves airflow, reduces disease pressure, and directs more energy into upward growth. It also makes plants easier to trellis, stake, harvest, and honestly just walk around later in the season.

Because we live in the Bay Area and often deal with cooler mornings, fog, and moisture, airflow is especially important. Dense plants can trap moisture on the leaves and create a better environment for fungal diseases. That’s one of the main reasons I tend to prune more aggressively early in the season.

That being said, there’s no single “correct” way to do this. Leaving suckers usually means a bushier plant with more total growth and often more overall fruit production (which I have done and it was great haha). The tradeoff is that the plant can become pretty chaotic and harder to manage by midsummer.

Personally, I usually do a mix. I prune more heavily early on—especially the lower 3–4 suckers—and then later in the season I’ll often let some upper suckers continue growing. Choose your own adventure.

Remove the first flower sets

Another thing I do early on is pinch off the first 1–2 flower sets. I know—it feels wrong. You finally have flowers and tiny baby tomatoes forming, and now I’m telling you to remove them. But early in the season, I’d rather the plant focus on building strong roots, stems, and leaves instead of rushing into fruit production immediately. A bigger, healthier plant now usually means more tomatoes later.

Think about support

At this stage, I’m also getting all my support systems in place (we all need it). Tomatoes are vines, not bushes, and they’ll need support as they grow. I usually put support systems in around weeks 3–4 of the plant’s life. I also make sure to mark when I planted the tomatoes in the ground in my calendar. It’s a way for me to track how my tomatoes are doing compared to other years.

There’s also no single “right” way to support tomatoes. If you only have a few plants, the easiest option is probably a large tomato cage PLUS an 8-foot stake (or furring strip). To be honest, most tomato cages are pretty terrible for indeterminate tomatoes. They usually outgrow them by midsummer, and it becomes kind of a mess. But if you pound in an 8-foot stake alongside the cage, you can continue tying the tomato upward as it grows. As you install the cage and stake, be careful not to damage the roots.

Here are some other support methods:

• Single stake method — One tall stake (usually 6–8 feet) with the tomato trained to one main stem (remove most suckers) and tied up as it grows. Great for compact gardens and good airflow.

• Florida weave — A row system where twine is woven between stakes to support multiple plants at once. Efficient and popular for larger plantings.

• String trellis / tomato clips — Plants are clipped or tied to vertical hanging strings. Super clean, space-efficient, and commonly used in greenhouses.

• Cattle panel / fencing trellis — Tomatoes are tied to a metal livestock panel or wire fence. Very sturdy and works great for sprawling plants.

• A-frame trellis — Two panels leaned together into a tent shape. Good for tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and maximizing vertical space.

• Tripod stakes — Several bamboo poles tied together like a tripod. Looks nice and works well for a few plants.

• Overhead string system — A more advanced version of string trellising where plants are lowered and leaned throughout the season. Common in commercial greenhouse tomato production.

There’s no need to install support right now, but now is the time to start thinking about it. For me, I used large tomato cages with 8-foot stakes. I also used to have a huge trellis where I used strings and tomato clips, but it collapsed over the winter, so I think I’m going back to the Florida weave (which I’ve done in the past and works really well). I’ll probably put it in next week.

This week’s Tomato Club list:

• Keep newly planted tomatoes consistently moist

• Remove lower suckers if you want a more manageable plant

• Pull off leaves touching the soil

• Consider pinching off the first flowers

• Add support systems or start thinking about what you want to do

I want to know how your plants are doing. The very cold and wet April was quite the shock for our little transplants, but I hope by now they’re in the ground and thriving with tons of new leaves. Post pictures and comment below or in the chat. Here’s my garden update from May 7.

If you have tomato plants from me that didn’t make it or are struggling, I still have a few left if you want to come pick them up free of charge. Send me a DM on Instagram (@spencercooks) or message me here.

Happy tomato,
Spencer 🍅

I took a day off from tomatoes on Monday, and then on Tuesday I planted out my garden. I planted most of the tomatoes for this year, lots of dahlias (from my friend Tim of Tim’s Dahlias), cucumbers, winter squash, herbs, and more flowers. I still have some space to fill, and we’ll see what goes there. I updated my Tomato Plant Google Doc (we’re not shocked) and need to see what varieties I’m missing. Each year, I tell myself I need to cut back on tomatoes… we’ll see if that happens.

Just for context, my garden is in San Leandro at my family’s place but I now live in Oakland (where I don’t have a garden) so I’m not there regularly. You’ve also seen my friend Allison’s garden (with the greenhouse and beautiful natives)—that’s where we grew all the tomato starts.

I know that some of you have planted your tomatoes already, and that’s great! I wanted to share what I did when planting them in my own garden. I want to set them up for success so they can grow into big, beautiful plants and produce a ton of fruit later in the summer.

Recap: Where to plant and how to amend

In my last post, I talked about amending your soil and where to plant. If you didn’t do that, don’t worry—here’s a quick recap. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, so I like to build really rich soil before planting. I add organic fertilizer (I love Happy Frog Organic Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer), bone meal for calcium, worm castings for extra nutrients, a thin layer of composted chicken manure (about half an inch to an inch), and then a two- to three-inch layer of compost on top. I lightly scratch it all in with a rake, but I follow a no-dig approach, so I let the worms and soil biology do the work (plus I’m lazy and it’s easier). If you’re working with a brand new bed, I would go a step further and mix everything into the topsoil so the nutrients are more evenly distributed.

Transplant shock

The idea is that your plants might be stressed as they are planted and moved into a new environment, so you want that transition to be as smooth as possible by keeping them as comfortable as you can. I water the plants before planting and let them sit for 10-15 min. It allows them to take a drink before going into a new place.

When to plant

I generally plant in the early morning or later afternoon when the sun isn’t as hot, which helps with transplant shock. Foggy days are perfect for planting. Avoid the heat of the middle of the day.

Here’s a video version so you can see the visuals of planting a tomato.

How to plant

For planting, I dig a hole about 8 to 12 inches deep (roughly twice the height of the pot). Into the hole, I add a little more worm castings and fertilizer. This year I’m also trying mycorrhizae, which is a beneficial fungus that helps roots absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. I mix everything around in the hole so it’s ready for the plant.

Flip the pot over and gently ease the plant out, supporting it with your hand. Check for a healthy root system—not root-bound, but nicely developed. Then pinch off the lower leaves (about halfway up the stem). Tomatoes like to be planted deep, so removing those leaves makes room to bury part of the stem.

Plant your tomato plants DEEP. Tomatoes will grow roots all along their stem, so when you plant them deeper, you’re creating a much stronger root system. I plant the tomato about halfway up the stem so only the top leaves are above the soil. More roots means better water and nutrient uptake, which leads to a bigger, healthier plant.

If your plant is a little leggy (tall and thin-stemmed), you can even plant it slightly sideways in the hole and then curve the stem upwards—the buried stem will root along its length and create an even stronger root system.

Then I place the plant in the hole, straighten it out, and backfill with soil. Remove any leaves/parts of leaves that are touching the ground - they’ll get wet and can cause disease. I lightly compact the soil around it—firm, but not too tight. And don’t forget to label your plant. If you’re growing a lot of varieties, you will forget what’s what.

After planting, I water it in deeply. This helps settle the soil, reduce transplant shock, and get the roots connected to the surrounding soil. For the first one to two weeks, I keep the soil consistently moist but not soaking wet while the plant gets established. I water every 2–3 days. After that, once the plant is more established, you can shift to deeper, less frequent watering (every 5–6 days). We can chat more about that later.

Try to keep watering consistent—big swings between very dry and very wet can lead to issues like cracking or blossom end rot (often from inconsistent watering; shows up as a brown spot on the blossom end).

Spacing

Ideally, plants are spaced about 18–24 inches apart. Admittedly, I do plant them closer in some of my beds to fit more in. Closer spacing means more plants, but it also means smaller plants and less overall fruit production per plant. It’s a tradeoff. Good airflow is also important, especially in the Bay Area—if plants are too crowded, moisture can get trapped on the leaves and lead to disease.

Mulch

I also like to add a one- to two-inch layer of mulch—straw, leaves, or compost. This helps retain moisture, regulate soil temperature, and prevent soil from splashing onto the leaves, which can spread disease. I was so tired after planting that I’ll do this later. As I mentioned in the past post, you can find organic straw (not hay—hay has seeds) at Urban Farm Oasis in Berkeley. Buy way less than you think.

And in the past couple years, I learned that I have cutworms. Cutworms are caterpillars that live in the topsoil, they make C shape around the stem and chew through it like a beaver felling a tree. Because of that, I make little collars out of cut-up cups and place them around the plants until the stems are as thick as a pencil. At that point, the plants are sturdy enough and cutworms can’t take them out. You probably don’t need to do this, I wouldn’t worry.

A couple quick notes: don’t worry if your plants look a little beat up at first and are growing slowly. They’re putting energy into root growth. Once they get established, they’ll take off. You should see a lot of growth within a week. We’ll talk about support (cages, stakes, trellising) soon, but for now the focus is on building strong roots.

This week’s tomato list:

• Find a permanent home for your tomatoes in lots of sun and amend the soil

• Plant your tomatoes deeply and keep them moist (but not wet) for the next couple of weeks as they transition and recover

I want Tomato Club to be a place where we can all chat and share pictures, ideas, and questions. So feel free to chime in if you have an idea or want to help answer someone else’s question. I feel like whatever we put into this group, we’ll get out of it. Think of this as Facebook in 2010, when there was so much interaction. I want to build a community where we can get to know each other and maybe even have in-person meetups in the future (with our tomatoes, of course).

Happy tomato,
Spencer 🍅

It’s been so fun to see all the love for tomatoes and the plant sale this week. I went to the Cookbook Headnotes live event in the city yesterday (which was amazing) and ran into five or six people who are coming to buy tomatoes, and that honestly brought me so much joy. It’s been a really busy week - Allison (my friend who’s been helping me with this year’s sale) and I have been taking inventory, labeling everything, and moving plants around—plus working full-time—but it’s been so rewarding.

With the sale tomorrow, I wanted to share a quick guide on where to plant your tomatoes and how to get your beds ready.

Preparing for your tomatoes

Tomatoes thrive in full sun. Ideally, you want a spot that gets 8+ hours of direct sunlight each day. That said—this is the Bay Area. If you’re in Oakland, Berkeley, or SF, you might not get perfect all-day sun, and that’s okay. If you get 6–8 hours, you’re still in a good spot. If you’re under that, I’d lean toward cherry tomatoes. They need less energy to produce fruit, set earlier, handle cooler temps better, and are just more reliable overall here. If your space isn’t perfect, just grow cherry tomatoes.

For beds or in-ground planting, I follow a no-dig approach. If your bed is already established, you don’t need to turn everything over. I lightly scratch amendments into the top layer and let water and soil biology do the work. If you’re working with a brand new bed, I would go a step further and mix everything into the top 10–12 inches of soil so the nutrients are more evenly distributed from the start.

Tomatoes can be grown in pots as well (though they’ll generally do best in the ground). Use at least a 5-gallon container (bigger is better), make sure it drains well, and use a high-quality potting mix like FoxFarm Ocean Forest.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders, so I like to give them a strong start. I add bone meal, Happy Frog organic tomato fertilizer, worm castings, composted chicken manure, and compost. Roughly speaking, it’s about 70% compost, 20–25% composted chicken manure, and around 5% worm castings, plus a generous sprinkle of fertilizer and bone meal. I like the EB Stone brand for these. I lightly scratch that into the surface and water it in well.

If you don’t want to get all that stuff, that is totally fine (I realize I’m a bit tomato obsessed), I’d get a bag of compost and some vegetable fertilizer. Dig a big hole and mix in lots of compost and throw in a handful of fertilizer. Don’t overthink it.

After the sale on Sunday, I’ll be planting my own tomatoes, so I’ll share a step-by-step guide on exactly how I do it early next week. Since all the tomatoes have been at my friend Allison’s backyard, I have had the time to properly clear (with help) and amend all my beds before the sale. Normally, it’s a rush get ready for the sale, then amend and plant the beds and it takes me a couple weeks to recover. Just sharing this because it makes me happy.

For supplies, you’ll need a shovel, more fertilizer (and bone meal), and optionally mycorrhizae—beneficial fungi that help roots establish faster and take up water and nutrients more efficiently. I also like to add a 1–2 inch layer of mulch (straw, leaves, or compost). This helps retain moisture and prevents soil from splashing onto the leaves, which can spread disease. You can find organic straw (not hay—hay has seeds) at Urban Farm Oasis in Berkeley. Buy way less than you think—I got two bales for my 10 beds and used about a third of one bale.

This year’s plants

A quick note about the plants this year. We had a few intense rainstorms, some hail, and stretches of cold nights dipping into the 40s, and I don’t use a greenhouse. Because of that, some of the plants might not look perfect right now. But the stems are very strong, the roots are healthy, and they’ve been naturally hardened off. In a lot of ways, they’re tougher because of it. Once they get into the ground and the weather warms up a bit, they’ll take off and grow quickly. So if a plant looks a little beat up, don’t worry—it’s still a very good plant.

Quick reminder:
Tomato Plant Sale — Sunday, April 26, 12:00–1:30pm
Chez Panisse parking lot - there should be plenty of street parking nearby
Walk-ins welcome (payment via Venmo) — bring a box for your plants

Last Minute Presales (Closes Saturday at 8pm)

If you have bought tomatoes already, come to the back area and we’ll be able to help you with your order (jams and posters included).

In the front area, we’ll have plants for walk-in, this Chez Panisse poster my friend Lila made, and possibly some vintage David Lance Goines Chez Panisse Posters (we’re selling the seconds for a discount). I will not be selling ceramics this year, it’s been a busy year and haven’t taken the class.

And if you didn’t know, David Lance Goines made these iconic posters for Chez Panisse and Alice—one each year for our birthday, all hand-drawn and printed letterpress. He continued the series until his death in 2023. They’re a special part of Chez history and food culture, and once they sell out, that’s it. I’ve started to collect them.

• Some confirmation emails may show the wrong pickup time—please come between 12:00–1:30pm

• If you can’t make it, a friend can pick up for you

• All sales are final (these are living plants), and unclaimed orders will be forfeited

• We still have a lot of great plants available, including some smaller tomato plants at a discount, plus tiny basil starts and a few bags of Happy Frog Organic Tomato fertilizer.

Can’t wait to see you all tomorrow!

Spencer 🍅

Thank you so much for being part of this— it really means a lot. As a subscriber, you’re getting early access to the plant sale link (2 hours before it opens to the public).

Here’s the link: Spencer's Tomato Plant Sale

A few important notes:

• Because these are living plants, all sales are final. Please plan to pick up your order on Sunday, April 26. Any orders not picked up that day will be forfeited.

• The recent heavy rains and hail caused some minor brown spotting on some leaves due to edema (rapid water uptake). It’s purely cosmetic—new growth will be unaffected, and the plants will continue to grow healthy and strong.

• If the site is slow or crashing, don’t worry—there’s a limit on transactions per minute. Wait a bit and keep trying, and you should be able to get through.

Thanks again for being here and happy Earth Day! What a great day to order some tomato starts and plant a garden. I can’t wait to see what you grow this season. See you Sunday!

Happy Tomato!!
Spencer

The tomato plant sale is this Sunday and preorders open Wednesday, April 22 at 12pm (TOMORROW), and as a subscriber you’ll get early access to the link 2 hours before (I’ll send the link tomorrow morning)

This year I grew about 2,500 plants across 50 tomato varieties, along with other vegetables and flowers. Many of these are unique or hard-to-find varieties that I’m really excited to share with you.

Make your orders using the link and then pick up your new plants on Sunday, April 26 (12:00–1:30pm) at the Chez Panisse parking lot (please bring a box).

A few important notes:

• Because these are living plants, all sales are final. Please plan to pick up your order on Sunday, April 26 (a friend can pick up for you). Any orders not picked up that day will be forfeited.

• We plan to have plants available for walk-ins as well.

• The recent heavy rains and hail caused some minor brown spotting on some leaves due to edema (rapid water uptake). It’s purely cosmetic—new growth will be unaffected, and the plants will continue to grow healthy and strong.

• If the site is slow or crashing, don’t worry—there’s a limit on transactions per minute. Wait a bit and keep trying, and you should be able to get through.

I’ll send the early access link Wednesday morning at 10am. Set your alarms.

Thanks again for being part of this—it really means a lot.

Happy Tomato 🍅
Spencer

Welcome to Tomato Club! It brings me so much joy to see all of you here. I’m really excited about the potential of this tomato-centric community.

First off, I’m very new to Substack and still figuring out how it all works. Feel free to give me feedback and tips.

Second off, I’m not a natural writer. I studied zoology in college and honey bees in grad school—not writing. But I’m excited to flex this skill a bit. But again, feedback and tips.

So every year I end up growing many, many varieties of tomato (as you already know). Last year it was 55 varieties and 75 plants (my highest yet) and I also tell myself that I need to cut back each year. Some are ones I grow every year, and some are newer ones I’m excited about. Part of the fun is seeing what actually does well here in the East Bay—and part of it is just growing things that you can’t get at the grocery store and at the farmer’s market.

TL;DR: In today’s post, I want to talk about all the varieties of tomato that I have growing this year, narrow it down to my 6 favorites, and let you know which ones do really well in the Bay Area. Then you can choose which ones you want to grow.

Most of my favorite tomatoes come from Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms here in Northern California—he’s known for breeding some of the most beautiful tomatoes out there (the blue/purple anthocyanin ones, metallic-looking ones), but more importantly, ones that actually taste great and perform well for home growers.

Without further ado, here are my top 6 varieties of tomato.

Brad’s Atomic Grape
Probably the most visually striking tomato I grow. Long, striped, almost metallic-looking fruit. It’s very productive, with healthy plants and wispy leaves. The fruit holds well on the vine and has a really balanced, slightly sweet flavor. One of the best tomatoes to get people obsessed with—and I am very obsessed.

Dark Galaxy
This one looks like outer space—deep crimson red with speckled black striping. Flavor is rich and a little more savory than sweet. The plant does well and is quite productive. It’s a great salad-size tomato.

Blue Gold
A really beautiful bicolor (red and yellow on the inside) with those blue anthocyanin shoulders. It leans more mild and sweet, and does surprisingly well in our climate compared to other larger slicers.

Lucid Gem
Super vibrant—golden yellow, red, almost glowing. This is one of my favorites for fresh eating. It’s got that clean, bright tomato flavor and performs consistently year to year. It’s also a bicolor tomato —red and yellow on the inside!

Blue Gold Berry
Small cherry, super productive, and handles our cooler nights well. Sweet, snackable, and one of the easiest wins in the garden. When you remove the calyx (the green star-shaped stem), you’ll see a star printed tan line on these guys.

Blue Green Zebra
A twist on the classic Green Zebra (from Tom Wagner) with darker shoulders and a little more complexity. Great balance of tart and sweet, and does well even when the weather isn’t perfect.

While these are my top 6 tomatoes, it is really hard for me to choose which is why I end up growing 50 varieties. Here are the rest of them. I did bold my second favorites.

• Alice’s Dream — insanely beautiful red— yellow tomato with a blue blush

• Andy’s Polish — dense, meaty paste tomato, great for sauces and roasting. This one is very cold/fog tolerant (seeds from Scott at Stony Brook Farm)

• Barry’s Crazy Cherry — insanely productive clusters of small light yellow cherries (they look like grapes), sweet and very dependable. I LOVE this tomato.

• Berkeley Tie Dye — iconic striped slicer with great flavor, does best in full sun

• Black Strawberry — deep red and green striped cherry, complex flavor and solid producer

• Blue Beauty — striking dark shoulders, a classic blue beefsteak tomato and loves full sun

• Blue Pear — unique pear shape with blue shoulders, really fun to grow

• Blush — elongated golden cherry with red striping, super sweet, crack-resistant, and reliable, wispy light green leaves

• Brandywine — legendary heirloom flavor, loves warm climates

• Cherokee Green — rich, savory green-when-ripe tomato, best in warmer spots, one of the tastiest tomatoes in my opinion

• Cosmic Burst — productive medium fruit, handles cooler temps better than most slicers

• Cosmic Eclipse — darker fruit with metallic stripes and specks. It’s beautiful and used to be in my top list but I’ve had plants not do as well so it’s been demoted.

• Dirty Girl — it’s an early girl that’s been bred to be open pollinated (not owned by Monsanto), balanced flavor and very reliable production. We use these a lot to make tomato confit (future recipe alert)

• Eye Candy — bright, attractive fruit, good snacking tomato with steady yield

• Gargamel — dramatic striping and color, more of a visual standout than top producer. Looks similar to Dark Galaxy.

• Golden Hour — warm golden cherry type, one of the only micro tomatoes I grow. It only grows to about 10–20 inches, so it does well in a pot (which is rare for tomatoes).

• Green Zebra — classic tangy green tomato, very adaptable and reliable in the Bay

• Indigo Cherry — firm-skinned cherry with blue shoulders, very tough plant and consistent producer

• Indigo Kumquat — small, tangy-sweet fruit, very productive and handles cooler weather well. I really love this one.

• Kyle’s Italian Pear — traditional paste tomato, good for sauces, moderate yield. Seeds from Kyle Hagerty at @urbanfarmstead

• Lucky Tiger — elongated striped cherry, great balance of sweet and tangy, very Bay-friendly

• Marina’s Praise — orange heart-shaped tomato, it’s variegated when younger

• Matt’s Wild Cherry — tiny currant-sized fruit, wildly productive and nearly indestructible. This grows sooo tall and produces a TON of fruit. Great for the colder areas.

• Midnight Roma — darker paste tomato, solid for cooking and decent yields. From Row 7 Seeds.

• Olive Copper — muted earthy tones, still evaluating flavor and production

• Painted Lady — soft pastel colors, moderate yield, nice for fresh eating. Also variegated potato leaf type!

• Piennolo — classic Italian storage tomato, holds well after harvest and tolerates dry conditions. Really fun to grow!

• Pink Berkeley Tie Dye — excellent flavor, but needs warmth and sun to perform consistently. I think this tastes better than Berkeley Tie Dye.

• Purple Bumblebee — striped cherry with great flavor, productive and very dependable. I would definitely grow this in Oakland, Berkeley and SF.

• Queen of the Night — dramatic dark fruit red and black fruit, slower and less consistent producer

• Raspberry Burst — bright pink fruit, only grows 2 feet tall so great for a pot

• Rebel Starfighter Prime — stunning appearance, but can be slower and less reliable here if I’m honest but still striking looking

• San Marzano — classic sauce tomato, does okay but not amazing in cooler climates

• Sart Roloise — beautiful purple and yellow, great flavor with decent reliability. My plants don’t always do well otherwise it would be in my favorites.

• Showstopper — this one is new to me from Brad Gates. Beautiful, tasty and stores well.

• Solar Vortex — wild striping and color, this is new this year from Brad Gates. It’s stunning and I hope it does well. Definitely worth a Google.

• Spoon — extremely TINY currant tomato, super prolific and thrives in almost any condition. I highly recommend this tomato. This is my friend Pablo’s favorite tomato, I grow it for him.

• Stripes of Yore — gorgeous yellow with black almost purple stripes, but can be variable in production

• Sungold — ultra-sweet orange cherry, incredibly productive and one of the easiest to grow. It’s popular for a reason. I would honestly grow Tim’s Taste of Paradise instead.

• Sunrise Bumblebee — gold, pink and orange striped cherry, similar reliability to purple, great snacking tomato. I love the bumblebee series

• Tim’s Taste of Paradise — intensely sweet, fruity cherry with umami depth, nearly lost heirloom revived and refined by Wild Boar Farms, now a vigorous, crack-resistant, and highly productive standout that many prefer over Sungold.

• Valencia — classic golden orange slicer, mild and sweet, does best in warmer spots.

• Wagner Blue Green — earthy green tomato with blue shoulders, moderate production

• Wooly Kate Yellow — fuzzy-leaf novelty variety, more interesting than productive. New to me this year.

Cherry Tomatoes & Cooler Microclimates

Although we do get sun in the Bay Area, many cities—especially Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco—don’t consistently get the 12+ hours of full sun that tomatoes love. Tomatoes rely on long, sunny days to generate the energy they need to produce large fruit.

If you’re gardening in a lower-sun or foggier area, cherry tomatoes are usually the better choice. Because the fruit is smaller, they require less energy to produce, so they tend to set earlier, handle temperature swings better, and are simply more reliable overall.

• Matt’s Wild Cherry

• Purple Bumblebee

• Spoon

• Sungold

• Sunrise Bumblebee

• Blue Gold Berry

• Barry’s Crazy Cherry

• Blush

  Thanks for reading! Subscribe to Tomato Club so we can grow and cook tomatoes in real time.

Non-tomato plants
Even though tomatoes are the focus of my garden, I grow a ton of other vegetables, fruit, flowers and herbs. I chose these because I really like these varieties and grow them in my own garden for the most part (and they’ll be available at the sale).

• Chamomile, Zloty Lan — delicate, calming flowers; chamomile for tea. New to me!

• Charentais Melon — small French melon with intensely sweet, fragrant orange flesh; one of the best-tasting melons you can grow. It does need more heat.

• Cosmos Mix (Apricot Lemonade / Apricotta) — airy, soft apricot and peach-toned flowers; long blooming and great for pollinators.

• Costata Romanesco — ribbed Italian zucchini with exceptional flavor; best picked young when tender. Very prolific!

• Cucamelon — tiny watermelon-lookalike fruits that taste like cucumber with a hint of citrus. They start slow but then take off and are VERY productive. Needs something to climb (a large tomato cage works great).

• Cucumber Richmond Green — crisp, refreshing cucumber similar to lemon cucumber but green; great for fresh eating. New to me.

• Double Sun King Sunflowers — large, bright yellow double blooms; bold, cheerful, and great for cutting. My most favorite sunflower; my one plant produces like 30-40 flowers!

• Glass Gem Corn — stunning multicolored kernels; more ornamental, but can be used for popcorn or grinding

• Golden Zucchini — bright yellow zucchini, easy to grow and very productive with tender skin

• Green Globe Artichokes — classic large artichokes; perennial and rewarding if you have the space

• Honeynut Squash — small butternut-type squash with deep sweetness and rich, concentrated flavor. Great squash to grow for the bay area (needs less sun; just like cherry tomatoes)

• Lemon Cucumber — round, yellow cucumbers with a mild, refreshing flavor and thin skin

• Lettuce Leaf Basil — large, tender leaves with classic basil flavor; great for pesto and salads

• Marigold Colossus Bicolor Red Gold — bold red and gold blooms; great for pollinators and companion planting with tomatoes

• Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia) — vibrant orange flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds

• Opal Basil — deep purple basil with a slightly spicier flavor; beautiful and aromatic

• Purple Ball Basil — compact, globe-shaped basil; perfect for pots and tidy garden edges

• Strawberry Blonde Calendula — soft pink, peach, and cream tones; edible flowers with a long bloom season

• Suyo Long Cucumber — long, ridged Chinese cucumber; crisp, sweet, and very productive. My favorite cucumber to grow and eat!

• Tim’s Dahlias — grown from seed from Tim (@timtast1c on IG) who works for California Academy of Sciences. Dahlias don’t grow true to seed and each plant is unique and a bit of a surprise. I am to tomatoes what Tim is to dahlias. He has 200 varieties and he has graciously shared some seeds with me. So grow these mystery dahlias and send me the pictures. It’s like a create your own variety situation. I’m very excited about these!

• Tromboncino Squash — long, curved Italian squash with excellent flavor; vigorous and prolific. You can harvest when 18 inches long and eat like a summer squash (much tastier than zucchini) OR wait until they are much, much bigger and they start to turn into a winter squash (a bit bland to be honest - but quite the conversation piece

So what are you going to grow?
Now that you have all this information on my tomatoes, it’s time to think about what you want to grow in your garden. Think about the space you have, how much sun it gets and how many plants will fit (about 18 inches apart). We’ll talk more about how to prep your area on the next post.

I would choose a few off my favorites list and then look through the bigger list (do a little googling) and see what speaks to you. Full disclosure for the sale, I grow the most of my favorites (80+ plants of each), and then 1-2 trays (18-36) for most of the others and some of the varieties I only have a few plants (those will be listed under Modern Heirloom and you can choose the day of - first come, first served).

Choosing which tomatoes to grow is a fun process. What works well for me—and what I love—might not work for you. You’ve got to choose your own adventure. Every year something surprises me, and that’s honestly one of my favorite parts of growing tomatoes.

Just a reminder that the Tomato plant sale is on Sunday, April 26 at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Presales are Wednesday, April 22 on the Chez Panisse website at 12pm. BUT since you’re in Tomato Club, I’ll email you the link at 10am. That’s right, you get first pick.

I’d love to hear what tomatoes you’re planting or what’s worked well for you in the Bay Area. Leave a comment or let’s talk in the chat area (once I figure that out). It will help others too!

More soon,
Spencer 🍅

Hi everyone,

We’re all about to plant our tomatoes at the same time—so I thought, why not grow them together?

For the past five years, I’ve grown thousands of tomato plants in my backyard and shared them through these sales. What started during the pandemic as a way to get people into gardening and thinking about where their food comes from has slowly turned into something really special—a day where tomato-loving people come together to talk about plants, cooking, and growing food. It brings me a lot of joy.

Last year, I grew about 1,000 plants and they sold out in a couple of hours. This year, I’m growing around 2,500 (which is a little crazy). But what I keep thinking about isn’t just the sale—it’s what happens after.

We all go home and plant our tomatoes… and then we each figure it out on our own.

This year, I don’t want to do that.

What is Tomato Club?

Tomato Club is a place for all of us, tomato-loving-people, growing tomatoes this summer to stay connected.

We’re all starting at the same point, growing through the same stages, dealing with the same weather, the same wins and frustrations—and I thought it would be really fun (and helpful) to share that in real time.

Each week, I’ll send out a post with:

• what your plants should be doing

• what to focus on that week

• things to watch out for

• what I’m seeing in my own garden

• and eventually lots of recipes and ways to use your tomatoes

Nothing too complex, nothing overwhelming—just simple guidance to help you nurture your tomato plants.

Subscribe now

But more than that…

I want this to be a space where people actually share what’s happening.

• Post photos of your plants.

• Ask questions.

• Show what’s working (and what’s not).

Whether it’s your first time growing tomatoes or you’ve been growing them for decades, I want you to be a part of it.

And eventually… we eat

At some point, if all goes well, we’re all going to have more tomatoes than we know what to do with.

When that happens, we’ll start cooking.

I’ll share recipes, simple things I like to make at home, maybe some ideas inspired by what we cook at the restaurant, and hopefully you’ll share what you’re making too.

Because the whole point of this is that food is meant to be shared.

Who this is for

If you’re coming to the plant sale—this is for you.

If you’re growing tomatoes anywhere else—this is also for you.

If you just like food and want to follow along—you’re welcome here too.

A quick intro

My name is Spencer. I’m am East Bay native, I cook at Chez Panisse, and I’ve been growing tomatoes for many many years. It’s one of my favorite things to do, and over time it’s become a way to connect with people—through plants, through food, through shared meals. Food brings people together.

This is just an extension of that.

Let’s grow together

The plant sale is on April 26, and after that we’ll really get started.

For now, let me know if you’re planning on growing tomatoes this summer and what your favorite varieties are.

Glad you’re here 🍅

—Spencer

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