Tomato Planting Advice

 

 
As May’s weather begins to moderate and the storms dissipate it’s time to start thinking about planting tomatoes. Tomatoes (and peppers) are warm weather crops, so temperature is an important factor when it comes to deciding when to plant. Tomatoes will do best if you wait until the nighttime temperatures stay consistently above 50° F and the soil temperatures are above 55° F before you plant. This year particularly, the soil moisture level must also factor into the “when to plant” decision.  Wet, soggy soil does not present the best conditions for establishing plants. An easy way to determine if soil is ready for planting is to grab a handful and squeeze it. If the soil crumbles like a cupcake when you open your fist, it’s okay to plant in. If it stays compacted, then it’s better to wait a little longer before you dig in the garden.  

Once the temperatures moderate, the soil dries out and your tomato plants have hardened off sufficiently, it’s time to plant.  To get the best from your tomato plants this year, pick the sunniest spot in the garden. Your tomato plants need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day; 8 hours a day is better. 

Choose a spot where you didn’t grow tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplant last year. Rotating your crops every year reduces the potential for diseases such as leaf spot, blight and wilt. 

If you don’t have enough space to rotate your crops, consider planting tomatoes in containers this season and plant a soil building crop such as peas and oats or winter rye where you grew tomatoes last year. Keeping the garden covered through the season will protect the soil structure and microbiome.  

 

To get the best harvest, it’s important to provide adequate space between tomato plants. Determinate tomatoes should be planted 24 to 30 inches apart. For indeterminate varieties, allow 36 inches between plants.   

Tomato plants have adventitious root systems. This means that the tomato plant can produce roots all along its stem. Trench-planting tomatoes places roots closer to the surface, in the soil’s warm zone. Tomato plants will develop more roots and the roots will stay warmer through the course of the growing season. Warmer, larger roots will give you more tomatoes.  

 

First, lay the plant on its side in the sun for a day or two. The top will curl up, making it easier to fit in the trench. While the plant is adjusting to being on its side, dig a trench about five to six inches deep and long enough to accommodate your tomato plant. You can add a small amount of Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable granular fertilizer to the bottom of the trench, then cover it with soil. This is to ensure none of the fertilizer comes in direct contact with the tomato plant roots.  

When it's ready, place your tomato plant in the trench and add enough soil to bury the stem. When you get to the top of the tomato, gently build up the soil until the top of the tomato is upright.  

Please note, if you are growing grafted tomatoes, they need to be planted straight down, while making sure the graft point at the soil line. 

 

Now that your tomato is planted, build a moat around each plant and water. It’s important to avoid watering your tomato plants overhead. It’s better to irrigate slowly at the base of the plant, and a moat will help assure your plants get watered deeply. Not watering consistently and deeply can lead to many problems including Blossom End Rot and cracking. Watering inconsistently can also cause the flowers to drop and the fruit not to set. Starting your tomato plants out right will lead to better yields this season.