A Simple Guide to Planting Tomatoes

Every gardener has their own tried and true method for planting tomatoes to reap the ultimate harvest. I'm no exception. And, although I'm no master gardener, our harvest was over 1,800 tomatoes from 32 plants last year. Not too shabby. So I'll share what I know and hopefully some of my suggestions will be helpful along the way.

It always starts with the dirt. We grow our vegetables in raised beds. I like raised beds for several reasons. I can work around each bed without slopping through the mud in flat ground gardening. In that respect, I can usually get in my beds earlier. We've had so much rain that our property squishes with every step across the ground. However, my raised beds allowed for water run off and weren't soup. I didn't drag out the tiller this year. Instead, I opted for using a hoeing fork that I found at an early spring estate sale. This implement allowed me to turn and work the soil without need for tilling. I then pulled the dirt into tall mounds and allowed them to sit for a week. They dried out nicely and were ready for planting.

Soil tip: With either hand turning or roto tilling, now is the time to amend the soil with compost for nutrition or sand for clay, etc. I use a lot of straw for mulching and water retention. I like to work any excess straw back into the dirt.

The first step is to make a hole in the top of each dirt mound. I dig down as deep as my bed will allow. Tomato plants will root all along the trunk if buried deeply. This induces a network of roots that allows for more water absorption and thus, healthier tomato plants. I then fill the hole with water!!! For years, I've heard gardeners insist on planting tomatoes in dry soil. I think that's fine if it works for them. Personally, I've found that tomato plants endure less shock if they are kept moist until they have taken hold. I place the tomato into the water filled hole and I bring the soil back into a mound around the tomato, leaving just the top tier of healthiest leaves above ground.

Once the tomato is planted, I sprinkle the dirt with a pelletized fertilizer. I use a slow release plant food so that the newly planted tomato will have another means of earlier stabilization. I think it boosts the recovery rate of the tomato plant. Mine seem to take less time to establish.


Since we are still experiencing cool night temperatures, I protect my plants with milk jugs. Placing a milk jug over the plant acts like a mini greenhouse. It also helps to protect the plant from wind damage. (Always remove the cap but keep it handy. If there is a late freeze, replacing the caps for the night will keep frost from damaging new and tender plants. Remove cap immediately after fear of frost is over.) The next step of protection is to add a tomato cage and then pack straw between it and the milk jug. The straw will help keep the jug in place until the tomato establishes and will keep the ground around the plant not only moist but warm as well. Within a week, the milk jug can be removed if frost is no longer an issue. The straw then acts as a mulch for the newly established tomato plant. In no time, I had seventeen plants snuggled into several layers of protection and beginning to establish.

Another good rule of thumb is to plant your tomatoes in stages. I put those first seventeen plants out on April 17th, knowing full well that we could have a frost. But, with the layers of protection, I also knew that most could survive. In a few days, I'll plant the next seventeen. And then during the first week of May, I'll plant my last dozen. Staggering plantings ensures that I'll have a constant crop of tomatoes all through the growing season.


I've been planting my tomatoes like this for the past ten years and every year, I've had a record harvest. I hope that these tip will help you to have a record harvest too!