How to get your tomato plants off to a great start

 

  
Wondering how to get the best production from your tomato plants this season? A healthy tomato crop starts with planting at the right time, in the right location, in quality soil, using the best planting methods.   

  

Tomatoes are warm weather plants, so temperature is an important factor when it comes to deciding when to plant. You’ll want to wait until the nighttime temperatures stay consistently above 50° F and the soil temperatures measured at six inches below the surface are above 55° F before you plant tomatoes.   

 

Once the temperatures moderate and your tomato plants have been sufficiently hardened off, 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. Plant a soil building crop such as peas and oats or winter rye where you grew tomatoes last year. Keeping the garden covered will protect the soil microbiome.   

  

Great soil is a must for growing tomatoes, so plan to amend the site with compost and peat moss. We recommend adding 2" to 3" of Earth Essentials Sheep, Peat and Compost and digging it into your existing soil 6" to 8". This locally produced product will work to enrich the planting site. Repeat this application again in the fall.   

  

Once the soil is amended, it’s time to plant. 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.

Start by laying 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 five to six inches deep and long enough to accommodate your tomato plant.

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.   

  

If you choose, you can plant your tomatoes straight down. Dig a hole deep enough to accommodate one third to one half of the plant. Remove the lower leaves and place your plant in the hole, then fill in with amended soil.   

 

Please note, neither of these methods apply if you are growing grafted tomatoes. Plant grated tomatoes straight down, while making sure the graft point at the soil line.  

  

Add some granular tomato fertilizer such as Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable.  The OMRI stamp on the bag assures you this product is organic. Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable fertilizer feeds your tomatoes and supplies calcium and magnesium. Plus, it contains mycorrhizae, beneficial fungi which will help your tomato roots grow bigger roots and take up nutrients more efficiently.  Plan to fertilize your plants when you see fruit beginning to form and every two to three weeks through harvest.  

  

Now that your tomato is planted, give it a good drink.  Your tomato plants need to be watered deeply now and regularly through the growing season. Not watering consistently 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. Avoid watering your tomato plants overhead. Irrigate at the base of the plant.

Starting your tomato plants out right will lead to better yields this season.   

  

 

 

How to prepare Tomato and Vegetable Starts for Transplanting

  

When it comes to moving your new seedlings to the great outdoors, it’s important to take your time. This applies whether you grew your own tomato, vegetables or flowers from seed or bought them from our greenhouse. Moving your plants from the house or greenhouse directly into the garden without giving them time to adjust will set them back significantly and in some cases, they’ll fail to survive.   

 

 

 

 

This slow transition from indoors to the outside is called “hardening off”. Hardening off plants gradually exposes them to outdoor light, wind, and temperatures. The process is easy, but it takes time. In fact, you should plan for a week or so to get your immature plants ready to transplant into the garden.

On the first day, pick a sheltered, shady spot under a tree or on the patio and leave them there for 5 or 6 hours.  

  

  

  

  

Bring them in that night. The second day, place your plants where they will receive morning sun and afternoon shade. This will help your seedlings adjust to direct sunlight. Leave them in this spot for 6 to 7 hours. On the third day, increase the exposure time to direct sun and leave your transplants out after dark.  

 

 

  

 

 

On the fourth day, if the nighttime temperatures stay above 50° F, leave your starter plants out all night. Follow the same routine for days five and six but be prepared to bring your plants back in if the nighttime temperatures fall. After this amount of time, your tomato, pepper, and vegetable seedlings should be ready to plant in the garden.  

If nighttime temperatures continue to drop into the 30’s and 40’s, consider using season extenders like N-Sulate or Insulated Plant Protectors. Insulated Plant Protectors help protect tomatoes and peppers and other crops when temperatures drop.

N-Sulate is another way to protect warm weather crops against cold temperatures. This cloth product helps raise the temperature around your plants by 6° to 8° F.    

  

  

  

When you do decide to plant, pick a cloudy day. This will help your seedlings make the transition from container to the garden even easier.  Even then, you will want to keep an eye on the forecast. Our average last day of frost is May 13, but this can vary greatly. Have a frost blanket or floating row cover ready to protect your plants. Do not use plastic to cover your plants. If plants are small enough, throw a box over them to keep the frost off.   

  

  

  

  

  

Make sure you keep your plants watered during this hardening off process. Being outside means they will dry out faster, so keep an eye on the watering.  Moist soil will cope with temperature swings better than dry soil.