How to Plant Tomatoes

Seedlings are ready to plant outdoors when they are about six inches tall. Cloudy days are best for transplanting tomatoes (video), as seedlings are less likely to dry out or to suffer from sharp temperature changes. To transplant, pinch off the lower leaves. For those of you who started your plants from seed, this is just what you did when transplanting seedlings into larger containers.

Bathe plants with a weak solution of liquid kelp prior to transplanting. Dousing them with a super-strong, synthetic fertilizer can send them into some botanical version of shock, so go light.

Before you put your plants in the soil, add one cup of kelp meal and one cup of bone meal into each planting hole to give them a turbocharged start. Kelp is an excellent all-around plant nutrient, which is rich in micronutrients, while bone meal is rich in phosphorus, which promotes flowers and fruits. These are both slow release fertilizers which will provide nutrients over time, without sending plants into shock as might too much chemical fertilizer. Both are also rich in micronutrients. One trick old-time gardeners use is to add Epsom salts — one to two tablespoons per hole — when transplanting tomatoes. Epsom salts add magnesium, an important plant nutrient.

Handle plants gently when transplanting. Any bruising or damage will set them back or leave them vulnerable to viruses or pests. Be careful to keep leaves free of dirt, as many fungi and viruses live in soil.

In the north, both the roots and most of the stem should go into the hole. Only the top leaf cluster should protrude above the ground. Since tomato roots will grow from the stem, the plant will have a larger root structure, which has two advantages: it gives the plant a more stable base, and it allows the plant access to more nutrients. In the south, it’s best to keep the same soil level, as the buried stem can be vulnerable to fungus. The longer growing season in the south also lets the root structure reach an optimal size without the deeper planting.