How to Grow Highness
Wikimedia Commons
Highness
Solanum lycopersicum 'Highness'
vegetableHighness is a determinate (bush-type) tomato variety bred for compact growth and disease resistance, making it ideal for containers and small spaces. It produces medium-sized, flavorful red fruits with excellent disease tolerance, particularly to early and late blight. This modern cultivar is popular among home gardeners seeking reliability and productivity in limited growing areas.
When should you plant Highness in your zone?
Get a personalized planting timeline — when to start seeds, transplant, and harvest — based on your USDA zone and local frost dates. Free to start.
Example Highness timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)
-
Plant Highness
Around Apr 17Near Pittsburgh's average last spring frost.
-
Tend & protect
Late spring–summerWatering, feeding, and pest-watch reminders.
-
Harvest Highness
Around Jun 24≈ 68 days after planting
Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact Highness dates for your own zip code.
Growing Conditions
Soil
Growing Zones
Find your zone →Thrives in zones 5-9; can be grown in zones 3-4 with season extension and in zones 10+ with shade in intense heat
Sign up free to see if Highness grows in your zone — and get a personalized planting timeline.
Get my Highness timeline →Growth Stages
Seedling (0-3 weeks)
3 weeks indoorsSmall plants with 2-4 true leaves emerge. Cotyledons are followed by increasingly compound leaves.
Provide bright light (grow lights 3-4 inches above seedlings), maintain 70-75°F, keep soil moist but not soggy, ensure good air circulation to prevent damping off.
Vegetative (3-6 weeks post-transplant)
4-6 weeks after transplanting to field/containersPlant develops bushy, compact growth habit with multiple branches. Leaves are abundant and dark green.
Harden off plants before transplanting outdoors. Space 18-24 inches apart. Water consistently and provide support structure (stake or cage). Prune suckers if desired (less critical for determinate types). Apply mulch around base.
Flowering (4-7 weeks post-transplant)
3-4 weeks; flowers appear continuously on determinate typesYellow flower clusters appear in leaf axils. Plant continues to grow but focuses energy on reproduction.
Maintain consistent watering to prevent flower drop and blossom end rot. Feed with balanced or slightly phosphorus-rich fertilizer. Avoid excess nitrogen which promotes foliage over flowers. Ensure pollination (shake plants gently or allow wind/insect pollination).
Fruiting (7-12 weeks post-transplant)
4-6 weeks ripening phaseSmall green fruits develop behind faded flowers. Fruits mature from green to red over 20-30 days. Determinate habit means most fruit ripens within a concentrated window.
Continue consistent deep watering. Once fruits set, you can reduce nitrogen and increase potassium and phosphorus. Monitor for pests and diseases closely. Remove lower leaves after fruit sets to improve air circulation (do not over-defoliate).
Harvest (12-16 weeks post-transplant)
3-4 weeks of peak harvestFruits fully ripen to bright red. As a determinate variety, most fruits mature simultaneously, creating a concentrated harvest window.
Pick fruits at full color for best flavor, or at the 'breaker stage' (first blush of color) if you need to extend harvest. Highness fruits are relatively crack-resistant compared to indeterminate types. Remove spent vines after main harvest ends.
Companion Planting
Plan your garden →Plant with:
Avoid planting near:
Common Pests
-
Hand-pick larvae; encourage parasitic wasps; use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) if infestation is severe
-
Use reflective mulch; spray insecticidal soap or neem oil; introduce parasitic wasps (Encarsia formosa)
-
Increase humidity and air circulation; spray with water; use miticide or neem oil if severe
-
Highness has good resistance, but remove lower infected leaves, avoid overhead watering, apply copper fungicide if needed
-
Highness shows good resistance; ensure excellent air circulation, avoid overhead watering, use fungicide containing chlorothalonil or copper if outbreak occurs
-
Spray strong water stream; use insecticidal soap; release ladybugs or lacewings
Uses
Fresh eating and salads
CulinaryHighness tomatoes have good flavor for a determinate variety, making them suitable for fresh slicing in salads, sandwiches, and platters. Their medium size and crack resistance make them ideal for market sales and home use. [source]
Sauces and preserves
CulinaryWith a concentrated harvest window, Highness is excellent for making tomato sauce, paste, and canning projects. The compact plant means easier access for bulk harvest. [source]
Container and small-space gardening
HouseholdHighness's determinate, compact growth habit makes it the premier choice for container cultivation on patios, balconies, and small yards. A single plant in a 5-gallon container produces abundant fruit. [source]
Antioxidant-rich fruit
MedicinalTomatoes are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant with cardiovascular and anti-cancer potential. Highness provides these benefits in a compact, accessible plant form. [source]
Pollinator support
WildlifeTomato flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and beneficial insects. The abundant flowering of Highness supports local pollinator populations. [source]
This is not medical advice. LizPlants is not a medical resource. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before using plants medicinally.
Harvest Tips
Highness fruits are ready to pick when they turn bright red and yield slightly to gentle pressure. As a determinate variety, most fruit ripens within 2-3 weeks, so prepare for a concentrated harvest. Pick fruits with 1/2 inch of stem attached. Highness has good crack resistance compared to other varieties. Fruits picked at the breaker stage will continue to ripen indoors. For maximum flavor, allow fruits to vine-ripen fully in warm conditions.
Fun Facts
- 🌱 Highness is a determinate variety, meaning it sets and ripens nearly all its fruit within a 2-4 week window—perfect for processing but very different from indeterminate varieties that produce fruit all season.
- 🌱 The name 'Highness' reflects the plant's disease resistance breeding; it was selected for tolerance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans), the pathogen that caused the Irish Potato Famine.
- 🌱 Tomatoes are botanically berries produced from a flower's ovary, making Highness technically a fruit—yet in 1893 the U.S. Supreme Court declared them vegetables for tariff purposes.
Gardening Terms
New to gardening? Learn about terms used in this guide:
Join 30,000 gardeners planning their gardens with LizPlants.
Get your personalized Highness planting timeline
Tell us your zip code and we'll calculate exactly when to start Highness seeds, transplant seedlings, and harvest — based on your USDA zone and local frost dates. Includes calendar reminders and printable task lists. Free to start.
Get my Highness timeline →