Planting Tomatoes

May 31, 2024

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. This week, the weather here at my farm has been perfect, so my gardeners planted our tomato crop - 120-plants. Many of them were grown from seed right here in my greenhouse. I also have tomato plants gifted to me by a friend, and some from one of our trusted growers. They're all doing excellently in my new large half-acre garden.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: Last month, my crew prepared the tomato beds for planting. They raked and mulched the beds and made sure all the bamboo stakes were in good condition.

: The twine was replaced where needed, so the structures are tight and ready to support the weight of the season’s fruits.

: Earlier this week, my friend Leslie Kim Williams personally delivered some of her tomato plants for my garden. She gifts me several trays of tomatoes every year. Her tomatoes are consistently lush and prolific.

: I loaded all the plants in my Polaris off-road vehicle and drove them to my vegetable garden.

: The plants are all divided among our tomato beds. I 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.

: I also received many plants from Bonnie’s, a grower I’ve used for many years. In addition, 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.

: Before anything is planted, the beds are given a generous amount of Performance Organics Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules from Scott’s Miracle-Gro.

: Ryan sets all the plants in the rows where they will be planted, making sure all the plants are equally spaced along the bed. He takes into consideration how big each plant gets and how much room each plant needs to grow properly.

: Our gardening intern Matthew starts planting. Each hole is at least eight to 10-inches deep.

: Two holes are dug next to each bamboo stake.

: 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.

: Each plant is carefully placed into the hole and backfilled. 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.

: Matthew continues to plant at the base of every bamboo stake. I grow determinate and indeterminate tomatoes. Determinate or “bush” tomatoes, are varieties that grow to a compact height of about three to four feet. Determinates stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud. Indeterminate tomatoes will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost. They can reach heights of up to 12-feet tall. And then he sets all the plants in the rows where they will be planted, making sure all the plants are equally spaced along the bed.

: Josh works in another bed. 120-tomato plants is a lot!

: Tomato leaves have serrated, or wavy and pointed, edging along the entire perimeter. Tomato leaves are compound with multiple leaflets growing along a common stem, called a rachis. These leaves are also slightly fuzzy to the touch, which is caused by the trichomes, or multi-cellular hairs, on the plant. Never use chemically treated wood or other material for staking climbers, as the chemicals would likely run off and go into the soil.

: It’s a good idea to grow a range of varieties, including at least one or two disease-resistant types, since, of all veggies, tomatoes tend to be the most susceptible to disease. Early in the growing season, water plants daily. As temperatures increase, garden tomatoes typically require one to two inches of water a week. Some of this year’s tomatoes include ‘Genuine Beefsteak,’ ‘Rutgers,’ ‘Early Girl,’ ‘Big Boy,’ ‘Celebrity,’ ‘Better Boy,’ ‘Park’s Whopper Improved,’ ‘Red Beefsteak,’ ‘Korean Long,’ ‘Tangerine,’ ‘Livingston’s Stone,’ ‘Gold Nugget,’ and heirloom varieties such as ‘Brandywine Sudduth,’ and ‘Amy’s Apricot.’

: 93-percent of American gardeners grow tomatoes in their yards, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most Americans eat between 22 and 24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year – this includes tomatoes in sauces.