Tomato Plants

[Big Red Hen]

I'm thinking about planting some. How deep should I plant?
What's the best condition for planting?
How deep should I plant?

 

[elijahboy]

hey from goose creek

i just started some seeds in a ziploc bag with a paper towel a a lil water over a heating pad

once they started growin in the paper towel i transported them into the recyclable egg cartons and i had it about 2 in tall and the little brat down the street killed them

so i just threw somw seeds without germinating into a pot and they are already sprouting

 

[lesa]

Are you wanting to direct seed them, or start them indoors. I am not sure what zone you are in... Or maybe, you are planning on purchasing plants? Give us a little more info..

 

[Big Red Hen]

I thought about starting them from seeds...that seemed like it would take too long, but it'll be cheaper.
Which do you think is best...from seeds or purchase a few?
BTW, I'm in zone 8.

 

[digitS']

I'm thinking about planting some. How deep should I plant?
What's the best condition for planting?
How deep should I plant?

I lot of folks put in tomato plants deep/deep so that the stems grow roots. You were probably originally thinking about buying plants and setting them out in your garden. Certainly, for your part of the world (lower elevations, South Carolina) it must be just about time to do that.

You just have to leave some nice leaves above the soil surface and prune off the leaves that you are burying in soil. They will rot, otherwise.

I can't really get away with this deep-planting . . . or, it hasn't worked well for me. My soil will not warm up at the depth of tomato roots until well into summer. To still get the stems to grow roots, I once put plants in at an angle. That way, they stayed up in the warmer soil near the surface. The darn things wanted to grow in that direction from then on! So, that didn't work well . . .

My tomato plants go in just about the same depth the little guys have been growing from the get-go.

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not sure when your frost free date is, but I'd suspect it is fairly late to start your plants indoors. You can get that frost free date by calling your local county extension agent, in the phone book under county government if you wish. It is also available online if you find the right site. It is a pretty local date so I like to get it from someone local, but the online sites also work well enough.

I'd suggest this year that you get started plants instead of starting them from seed. One of the reasons is that tomatoes do not set fruit well in the heat of the summer in warmer climates. I don't know what your specific climate is like, but I'd suspect in zone 8 that your days and nights could get pretty hot. As shown in this linked article, tomatoes have problems setting fruit if the days and nights are too hot. For your first year especially, you night want to get the plants in as soon as possible and see how they do with your summers. I remember when I was in zone 9, my tomatoes would quit bearing after the weather really warmed up. Where I am now, they bear all summer until frost.

Good luck!!!

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000083030027695.html