5 tips for planting tomatoes to help ensure a bumper harvest

Growing tomato can be rewarding , but start out that bumper harvesting requires a bit of know - how .

These five quick summit on planting tomatoes are indorse by enquiry and will aid you maximise your Lycopersicon esculentum yield and grow healthier , more productive plants .

1: Plant Tomatoes Deep and Sideways

Unlike most garden plant , tomatoes have the alone ability to grow roots along their stems . Taking reward of this superpower is the key to develop stronger plants that produce more fruit .

When planting tomatoes ( i.e your tomato seedlings ) , hit the lower leafage and inter at least two - thirds of the stalk . This imply that the plant develops more self-feeder roots , which enable it to draw in more water and nutrients and , thus , grow more powerfully

you’re able to also try the sideways planting method acting : jab a trench about 4 - 6 inches abstruse , lay the tomato plant sideways in the trench with the top portion mildly slew upward , and spread over the prow with grunge , exit only the top few sets of leaves expose .

San Marzano tomatoes (self-seeded), some blossom end rot bykaren_hineis licensed under CC PDM 1.0

This sideways planting proficiency encourages even more root development along the immerse stem turn , creating a stronger foundation for your flora .

Research from Cornell and Clemson universities shows that tomatoes spring up using deep or sideways planting have higher yields , stronger stems , and ripen earlier due to their expanded ancestor systems ( Harvest Savvy , 2025 ) .

According to Rural Sprout , “ burying tomatoes deeply will give you all the advantage of adventitious root development ” ( Rural Sprout , 2024 ) .

San Marzano tomatoes (self-seeded), some blossom end rot bykaren_hineis licensed under CC PDM 1.0

More root mean better nutritive absorption , improved drouth impedance , and ultimately , more love apple !

Tip 2: Add Calcium at Planting Time. Or is This a Myth?

peak ending bunkum — that disappointing black spot on the bottom of tomato — is often make by Ca want . However , research from Mississippi State University Extension reveals this want is typically triggered by mismatched water handiness rather than a lack of Ca in the soil . As they explain , “ flower closing bunkum is a Ca deficiency , but that deficiency is unremarkably due to mismatched pee handiness to the plant life ” ( Mississippi State University Extension , 2023 ) .

While add Ca at planting time wo n’t anguish , the most critical divisor is reproducible watering . allot to the Old Farmer ’s farmer’s calendar , “ Wide fluctuations in stain moisture boil down the plant ’s ability to take up atomic number 20 from the soil ” ( The Old Farmer ’s Almanac , 2024 ) . When calcium is deficient during other fruit maturation , cell paries membranes give way , causing those dark , deep-set pits at the bottom of the fruit .

If you want to add calcium anyway , integrate bone meal or garden lime , which scientific studies have found are more in force than eggshells at providing immediately available calcium ( The Scientific Gardener , 2023 ) .

Tip 3: Bury Boosters in the Planting Hole

Give your love apple a top dog start out by supply these scientifically - supported items to the planting hole :

These additions produce a clip - release nutrient software system that will feed your plants throughout the growing season . While not all of these method have undergo rigorous scientific testing , many experienced gardeners have institute success with these technique , specially the acetylsalicylic acid and fish head methods .

Tip 4: Use Proper Spacing and Pruning Techniques

right spacing is all important for maximizing your tomato harvest . works determinate kind ( bush types ) about 2 feet apart and indeterminate miscellany ( vining eccentric ) about 3 - 4 feet aside .

For undetermined varieties , move out suckers ( or sideshoots ) — the small shoots that form in the fork between the master stem and ramification — to engineer the plant ’s energy toward yield production rather than excessive foliage . However , you could leave a few suckers on the lower part of the plant life to increase issue .

Tip 5: Create a Heat-Reflecting Mulch System

Tomatoes love warmth , and you’re able to boost your harvest by increasing soil temperature . After the soil has warmed up in latespring :

This technique reflect heat and light back to the plants , accelerating development and ripen while conserving soil moisture . However , Cedar Circle Farm notes that “ studies of red mulch have not shown logical results nor do farmers have a reproducible notion . Red mulch sometimes increases yield of tomatoes , but not always . dissimilar tomato varieties also appear to respond otherwise to the red mulch ” ( Cedar Circle Farm , 2024 ) .

By enforce these five planting hacks , you ’ll be well on your way to produce strong tomato plants that raise an abundant harvest . think back that proper care after planting — consistent watering , regular feeding , and good pest management — will help your plants reach their full potential .

Martin Cole has been an greedy works lover and gardener for more than 20 days and loves to speak and compose about gardening . In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year contention . He is a fellow member of the National dahlia Society .

He previously last in London and Sydney , Australia , where he select a sheepskin course in Horticultural studies and is now base in North Berwick in Scotland . He establish GardeningStepbyStep.com in 2012 . The website is aim at everybody who roll in the hay plants or has been seize with teeth by the horticulture bug and wants to have intercourse more .

Gardening Step by Step has beencited by Thompson and Morgan , the UK ’s big mail purchase order works retailer , as a website that write expert gardening content .

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