Containers Choice Pink Tomato

Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in seed-starting mix kept at 70 to 75°F for germination in 5 to 10 days. Provide bright light as soon as seedlings emerge to prevent legging. Thin or transplant into individual pots once the first true leaves appear.

Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors after the last frost date when soil temperature reaches at least 60°F, spacing plants 24 inches apart. Bury the stem deeper than it was growing indoors; tomatoes form roots along buried stem sections, anchoring them more firmly.

Pick fruits when they reach full pink color throughout, not just on the shoulders, and yield slightly to gentle thumb pressure. In the 70 to 79 days following transplant, you'll see most fruit ripen within a 2 to 3 week window. Harvest in the morning when fruits are cool, and twist gently or use pruners to avoid damaging the branch. If frost threatens before all fruit ripens, pick fruits at the 'breaker stage' (when the first blush of pink appears) and ripen them indoors on a sunny windowsill.

As a determinate variety, Containers Choice Pink naturally stops growing at a fixed height and doesn't require the aggressive pruning indeterminate types demand. Remove only damaged or diseased lower leaves to improve air circulation and reduce disease pressure. Pinch off suckers (shoots that form where branches meet the main stem) only if the plant becomes dense enough to trap humidity around fruit.