I have always planted my greenhouse grown tomato plants sideways if they are tall(around herethey usually are)
NOTE: (I am talking about the kind you get from the greenhouse when they are grown close together in flats and are reaching high for more sunlight and become tall & spindly, maybe 8 to 16 inches high with not many leaves)
OR: I have planted the not so tall and spindly plants in deep holes just showing the top 2 or 3 sets of the newest leaves
the reason for planting sideways or deep (burying a good portion of the stem) is so that the plant can develop a more elaborate root system by growing a root system 2 or 3 times as tall (or expansive) as the existing roots in the greenhouse pot which should result in more fruit; Right?(or not?)
NOTE: my gardening partner(J.T.) has a lot of experience in gardening (I respect and value his opinion but we do not agree on this matter of planting)
(His idea is to plant them similar to a pepper or other most other bedding plants)
We get tomatoes both ways but I am thinking my way is possibly a better way to go.
Question: I thank you in advance for a few people with experience to chime in and set the record straight?
We are in our late 50's and have grown lots of gardens
We grow in the Dakota's and plant about the 1rst week in June (give or take) we have very good sandy loam soil. Once again thanks, Stevie
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larson1951
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larson1951
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Ideally, tomatoes would be planted deep, so that additional roots can sprout from the buried stem and support a larger plant. With proper care, a larger plant will produce a larger crop.
However, over the years, I have used both methods to plant tomatoes. My plants have always done just fine. Some years the harvest was better than other years, but I think it was more the result of differing weather conditions, or perhaps different varieties of tomatoes, rather than planting method.
That's my opinion, anyway.
However, over the years, I have used both methods to plant tomatoes. My plants have always done just fine. Some years the harvest was better than other years, but I think it was more the result of differing weather conditions, or perhaps different varieties of tomatoes, rather than planting method.
That's my opinion, anyway.
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rainbowgardener
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It is always recommended to plant a lot of the stem of the tomato. The reason for that is that tomatoes, unlike peppers and a lot of other plants, easily put out roots all along the stem once it is buried. That means that your tomato then will have a more extensive root system, helping it draw more water and nutrients from the soil.
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freedhardwoods
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That is how I plant mine. The roots that grow from the stem will go as deep as they need to on their own. The topsoil in many areas is relatively shallow. If you plant deep instead of sideways, you may be putting the roots it already has into poor quality subsoil which may slow it down. If you know that you have deep topsoil, it would be fine to plant deep.larson1951 wrote:I have always planted my greenhouse grown tomato plants sideways if they are tall.
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larson1951
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applestar
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I agree with planting extra lower parts of the tomato to encourage additional roots to grow. I believe the main difference in planting sideways vs. deep straight down, in addition to what freedhardwoods said about quality of soil, is the amount of water the plant may get.
If you tend to get hot/dry summer, plant deeper and add amended soil in the deep hole, if you tend to get a lot of rain, plant shallower in sideways trench so the roots don't drown. If you're artificially watering with irrigation system and timer, pick the way that works better for you.
Also, adding to the soil quality issue, if your subsoil is solid clay, there's no point in digging a hole and adding compost in it to plant the tomato deep because the roots are only going to be able to grow within the narrow confines of the amended soil... UNLESS you dig a hole of something like 24" diameter. I imagine that the clay-lined hole will also stay wet and soggy after heavy watering. If you're growing in raised beds, the whole point is that you're avoiding the compacted soil below, so again, you'd stay mostly within the good soil -- BTW, THIS is what I do... I dig to the bottom of good soil in my raised bed, fork the subsoil, toss in handfuls of rock phosphate, dolomitic lime/crushed oyster shells, and green sand mixed with a shovelful of compost, set the transplant root ball there, then cover root ball and stem to the raised bed soil level with amended soil. Depth depends on how deep the good soil goes down. Another point about the sideways method is that you probably need extra spacing between plants since you're spreading the root area to begin with -- another reason I don't do the sideways method -- I NEVER seem to have enough space in my small garden.
If you tend to get hot/dry summer, plant deeper and add amended soil in the deep hole, if you tend to get a lot of rain, plant shallower in sideways trench so the roots don't drown. If you're artificially watering with irrigation system and timer, pick the way that works better for you.
Also, adding to the soil quality issue, if your subsoil is solid clay, there's no point in digging a hole and adding compost in it to plant the tomato deep because the roots are only going to be able to grow within the narrow confines of the amended soil... UNLESS you dig a hole of something like 24" diameter. I imagine that the clay-lined hole will also stay wet and soggy after heavy watering. If you're growing in raised beds, the whole point is that you're avoiding the compacted soil below, so again, you'd stay mostly within the good soil -- BTW, THIS is what I do... I dig to the bottom of good soil in my raised bed, fork the subsoil, toss in handfuls of rock phosphate, dolomitic lime/crushed oyster shells, and green sand mixed with a shovelful of compost, set the transplant root ball there, then cover root ball and stem to the raised bed soil level with amended soil. Depth depends on how deep the good soil goes down. Another point about the sideways method is that you probably need extra spacing between plants since you're spreading the root area to begin with -- another reason I don't do the sideways method -- I NEVER seem to have enough space in my small garden.