To have beautiful tomato plants, planting is a step that should not be missed. Wait until the weather is warm and bury the stem!
WHEN TO PLANT TOMATOES
Tomatoes are planted in the garden when there is no more frost . For a good part of France it is around mid-May. In the south, it can start as early as April.
But there is no point in planting too early. If there is no more frost but it is still cool (less than 10° at night), wait. Your tomatoes can vegetate and will ultimately fall behind those planted later.
You basically have until early July to plant your tomatoes. Subsequently, the fruits will not have time to fully ripen before the return of cold weather.
In a cold (unheated) greenhouse, sowing dates can be brought forward a month.
During the first weeks you can protect your tomatoes with recovery mini-greenhouses: an overturned water container, a plastic tent, etc. You will gain a few degrees and allow for better recovery.
SPACING BETWEEN PLANTS
Traditionally, tomatoes are planted in rows. The lines are spaced 80 cm apart, and tomatoes planted every 50 cm on them.
In cool weather, it is preferable to prune them so that they do not develop excessively. So you can bring them a little closer. On the contrary, in a warm climate they can reach unreasonable proportions… Therefore, they should be spaced a little further apart.
In the “Great Guide to the Garden”, John Seymour advises in cool climates to plant tomatoes every 30 cm. On the other hand, the head must be cut off to leave only one or two clusters of fruit on each stem.
Less numerous, they will reach maturity more quickly. This way you will avoid having a ton of fruit that will remain green or inedible due to mold!
CHOOSE YOUR PLANTS
Whether you grew tomatoes yourself or bought them at the store, it is best to plant only the most vigorous plants.
- Try to look for any spots or mold on the leaves. It is synonymous with diseases and could contaminate all your plants. Those with very green leaves should be kept.
- Choose chubby feet. They should not be thin, with significant space between each layer of leaves.
- If there are already flowers, it is surely a sign that the plants have remained in the pot for too long. They will undoubtedly have difficulties in recovery.
HOW TO PLANT THEM
- If you have not already done so , prepare plots by removing weeds and then loosening the soil. Leave at least 50×50 cm per foot, one shovel deep (or more).
2- Take a good dose of compost or manure. One or two shovelfuls mixed with soil for each plant. Tomatoes like rich soil and grow without problems in half-ripe manure (even with a “quarter” wall).
3-Prepare your tomatoes by removing suckers, cotyledons and damaged leaves. If the first few leaves are too far apart from the next ones, remove them.
4- Make a hole so you can push your plants down to the first leaves. The buried part of the stem will produce new roots. Your plants will be more vigorous.
5- Plant your tomatoes and fill the planting hole with soil and a few handfuls of compost there too.
6- Water abundantly and repeat the operation two/three days later if the weather is dry.
- Place bets. If you wait to do this, you risk breaking roots when you push them.