How to Plant Tomatoes
Looking out my window over the past week, I’ve seen an eclectic collection of weather events. Wind, snow, rain, sleet, hail, frost and falling branches. My sunshades were torn down and my irrigation system turned off. Spring certainly sprung in the strangest ways. Not unlike a captive chimpanzee, it’s sunshine one minute, torn limbs the next. We’re well into May, past Mother’s Day, which usually is a reliable indicator that tomato plants can go in the ground. So what gives? and what should we do?
Now, I don’t have a crystal ball, but I do have a weather app that suggests that daytime temps in the Treasure Valley will once again be sunny and warm. But the nights look like they’re still dipping into the high 30s and low 40s. Tomatoes love warm days, but we’re usually shooting for nighttime temps in the 50s. We can’t control Mother Nature, but we can take these precautions when planting out our favorite vegetable (I mean, fruit).
Tomato Planting and Growing Tips
Site Selection: Make sure to pick a spot in your garden that gets 6-8 hours of sun and that’s in a space you’ll see every day. You’ll be way more likely to run outside with your covers when the temperatures dip if it’s easy to get to (or if you are already in that are), so your plants have a better chance of being protected. If you’re worried about your site location, use a soil thermometer to make sure the soil is warm enough for tomato planting (ideally in the 50s).
Plant ‘Em Deep: Bury your tomato transplant even deeper than seems reasonable. I like to remove ⅔ of the plant’s leaves on my transplant and bury it up to the first set of leaves once I’ve done that. Tomatoes are deep-rooted plants – those little hairs coming off the plant’s stem, will grow into roots and create a stronger plant.
A Plant’s Gotta Eat: Your baby tomato plant is leaving its nursery pot and coming home to your garden, so give it a treat when planting. I like to add a teaspoon or two of kelp meal (or another natural nitrogen source) to the planting hole before I plant my tomatoes (and all transplants for that matter). Once your plant starts growing tall, keep feeding it with some compost and kelp meal. Once flowers bloom on the plant, switch to a phosphorous rich fertilizer (like an organic Bone Meal or Rock Phosphate) and continue adding that once a week or every other week for the remainder of the season.
Water, Water, Water: Water around the stem, not the leaves. Keep the soil moist, but don’t flood the plant. Too much water is bad, too little water is bad. If your garden is really dry, you might need to water twice a day — if it’s really moist, once a day might suffice. Try to make sure the soil is saturated with water down to root level. Use a garden tool to check the water depth before you water again. Every garden is different so don’t be afraid to experiment to see what works best for you.
Get your Covers Ready: We like to keep row cover or frost blankets on hand to cover our tomato plants in the early season from cold nighttime temps (anything below 50 can stress a tomato plant, not freeze it). It also keeps pests off your plants while they’re young. Snag a row cover for your bed at a local nursery, or just keep a sheet, some paper grocery bags or empty milk jugs on hand to cover your bed if you need to.
Prune (No, not dried plums): Once your plant is the length of your forearm, (about 18 inches feet tall) you can start pruning the leaves at the base of the stem. These are the oldest leaves, they don’t get much sun and they run the highest risk of developing problems — so they can go. You can also pinch off the suckers that grow in the “Y” of two branches. They won’t be producing fruit and they just use up extra energy. As the plant grows, track the central stem or vine of the tomato and remove up to ⅓ of the excess foliage once a week or every other. This will encourage the plant to concentrate on fruit production rather than greenery.
There you have it. With a lot of sunshine and a little luck you’ll be making salsa, marinara sauce and mouth watering hors d’oeuvres in no time. The envy of all potlucks and parties. Welcome to my very fancy party, would you like a a nibble of balsamic glazed crostini with my roasted homegrown heirloom black pearl tomato atop?
But! Before that, just remember, a garden is not a job interview or rocket science or open heart surgery. Mistakes can and will be made —and that’s okay. If things don’t grow, plant again. We’re always here to help you create the garden you want. Click the link below to contact us and we can chat.