Want better tomato harvests this season? Start with the basics.
Plant at the right time.
Choose the right location.
Prepare rich, healthy soil.
Use sound planting techniques.
Getting these four steps right will set your tomato plants up for strong growth and better production all season long.
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.
While you're waiting for the right temperature, prepare your plants for the transition from indoors to the outside by gradually exposing them to outdoor light, wind, and temperatures. This is called “hardening off” and will help reduce transplant shock when you do plant.
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 early blight, powdery mildew and leaf mold.
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 for a day or so. The top will curl up, making it easier to plant on its side.
Next, remove the lower leaves from the plant. Dig a trench about five to six inches deep and long enough to hold 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.
You may also choose to 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 it with amended soil.
If you are growing grafted tomatoes, plant them straight down, while making sure the graft point at the soil line.
Now is the time to add a granular tomato fertilizer such as Happy Frog Tomato and Vegetable. The OMRI stamp on the bag assures you that the product is certified organic. Happy Frog will feed your tomatoes and provide calcium and magnesium. As an added benefit, this fertilizer contains endo 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, then every 12 to 14 days through harvest.
Now that your tomato is planted, give it a good drink. Your tomato plants need to be watered deeply now and regularly throughout 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.
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