The Season's Tomatoes are Planted!

June 1, 2023

Tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, have long been one of America’s favorite garden vegetables. Those bold red, sun-ripened tomatoes bring on the taste of summer with every bite. And, they’re filled with excellent antioxidants and vitamins.

Just a handful of healthy plants can produce a bounty of delicious fruits within six to eight weeks. The best time to plant tomatoes is when daytime temperatures are consistently above 65-degrees Fahrenheit. Last week the weather was perfect and my gardeners planted our tomato crop - about 120-plants. Many of them were grown from seed right here in my greenhouse. They're all doing excellently in my new large half-acre garden.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: Here are some of the season’s young tomato plants ready to go into our beds. We always start our tomatoes from seed in my greenhouse. We don’t use any pesticides or chemicals of any kind, so we know we’re nurturing the highest quality plants. We always grow an abundance of tomatoes – I love to share them with family and friends and use them to make all the delicious tomato sauce we enjoy through the year. This season, we also have tomato plants that were gifted to me by a friend and some from one of our trusted growers.

: Phurba is bringing all of the plants into our new half-acre vegetable garden. Everyone here at the farm gets so excited for the planting of our tomatoes.

: Ryan decides how many tomato plants will be planted in each bed. He takes into consideration how big each plant gets and how much room each plant needs to grow properly. Here he is measuring the width of the bed to determine how many rows can fit.

: Then Ryan sets all the plants in the rows where they will be planted, making sure all the plants are equally spaced along the bed.

: To ensure all the plants are spaced equally, Ryan uses a two foot long piece of bamboo as a marker.

: Meanwhile, Phurba starts planting. Here he is digging the hole for one of the plants. Each hole is at least eight to 10-inches deep.

: Transplanted tomatoes that are kept free of weeds for the first four to eight weeks can usually outcompete emerging weeds later. Most tomato plant varieties need about 100-days to mature, but there are some that only need 50-60 days. One can also stagger plantings for early, mid, and late season tomato harvests.

: Phurba teases the roots of each tomato plant before putting into the ground. This stimulates growth.

: And then each plant is carefully placed into the hole and backfilled. All these beds were already well fertilized when we put in the soil. The best fertilizer for tomato plants contains a relatively low concentration of nitrogen. High nitrogen content promotes the growth of stem and leaves, but not the fruit and flowers. Instead, tomato plants use phosphorous and potassium to produce fruit. Apply the fertilizer before the tomato plant is placed in the hole. A fertilizer with a 5-10-5 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium is good for the young plants.

: Because these beds were all tilled and filled with new soil, Phurba is able to plant pretty quickly.

: Two-thirds of the plant should be underground, meaning all but the two top most leaf sets should be buried. Planting deeply helps the plant to develop more roots, and more roots mean more ability to take up water and nutrients.

: Keep in mind, the stronger root system also helps the plant better survive the hot weather. This applies to tomatoes planted in the ground, in a raised bed or in a container.

: Here, Phurba looks across the bed to make sure the tomato plants are all in line.

: Meanwhile, Pete is working on a trellis for all our growing peas. Here he is cutting rebar to use as posts. I decided that would be the strongest material that would last year after year.

: Rebar, short for “reinforcing bar” or “reinforcement bar”, is a metal bar often used with concrete settings. It is inexpensive and can be found at building supply shops.

: Pete measures the rebar going into the long bed – it should be 73-inches exactly.

: Here is a row of rebar secured to the side of the middle garden box.

: And here it is with the fencing he put up – an easy way to support the vining pea plants.

: This is galvanized wire fencing. It’s easy to find in six foot rolls. We placed it on both sides of the long center bed – it’s perfect for the growing peas.