For most gardeners, establishing tomatoes in the home garden involves purchasing or growing transplants from seed. I personally like using transplants that I purchase. They are easy and ready to go into the ground as soon as they are brought home to my garden. If you have used transplants from your local garden center in the past then you can surely relate. For optimum growth and to give your plants the best start possible, it is important to know exactly how to plant tomato transplants.
When you transplant a tomato into your garden, one small tip provides two distinct benefits. The tip is to plant deeply.
The first benefit of planting deep is the establishment of roots that are lower in the soil profile to begin with. These will be all that much closer to moisture should your watering practices be erratic.
The second benefit is a more stable plant. How many times have you purchased transplants for your garden and they have been tall, weak, and flimsy? Too many, I suspect.
There is hope. The cotyledons, or seed leaves, near the base of the young tomato plant can be buried. They are easily identified as one leaf on each side of the stem. They do not look like the rest of the leaves, as they are often elongated and oval shaped. Sometimes, however, they are not even present by the time you receive the plants.
In fact, it is best to bury the plant right up to the first real leaves. Roots will actually develop along the covered stem providing a firmer base and ready access to sub-surface nutrients.
The best method if your tomato plants are long and leggy with a lot of stem before the first true leaves is to dig a trench that is deeper at one end than the other. Lay your tomato transplant in the trench with the roots at the deep end. Then, carefully bend your plant slightly so that the leaves are just above the soil. Cover the stem and roots below ground with soil and use it to help hold the top of your tomato transplant in a more or less upright position.
If you live in an area where the soil is quite warm at planting time, you can simply dig a hole straight down to bury the tomato plant up to its leaves. In colder climates, the trench method is better as the roots are closer to the warmest surface soil.
I hope this article has been helpful in explaining how to plant tomato transplants in your garden. If you would like more tips like this for growing great tomatoes, please subscribe to my email newsletter using the form on the right side of the page. I will give you a free copy of my eBook "How To Produce 15-25 Pounds Of Ripe, Juicy Tomatoes PER PLANT" when you subscribe. The book is packed with 15 tips and secrets for growing your best tomatoes ever.
Until next time, Happy Gardening!