- 1). Fill a seed tray with lightweight soil and plant your Jersey tomato seeds six to eight weeks before the last spring frost date. Cover with soil lightly and sprinkle with water. Keep the soil moist by spraying it with water. Place the tray in a warm location with indirect light.
- 2). Transplant your tomato seedlings into individual plant pots once the first true leaves have developed. Grow the seedlings at 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Expose the seedlings to sunlight to prevent growing leggy, weak plants.
- 3). Transplant outside after all danger of spring frost has passed. Plant the stem up to the first set of leaves. Keep your tomato plants 2 feet apart and in rows 3 to 4 feet apart. Cage all the tomato plants to provide support when fruit develops.
- 4). Spread 3 to 4 inches of clean straw mulch around each Jersey tomato plant. This helps hold moisture in the soil, keeps the soil temperature even and helps control weeds.
- 5). Water slowly and deeply to help the tomato plant form deep roots. Water the soil directly around the tomato plant without splashing the leaves and fruit. Cracked fruit is caused by moisture on the fruit while the temperature is hot.
- 6). Sidedress with 1/2 cup of 5-10-5 fertilizer to each tomato plant. Work the fertilizer into the top inch of soil around the plant and then water thoroughly. Feed when the fruit are 1 inch in size and then again when the first fruit is ready for harvest.
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