Transplanting tomato plants started inside

[catjac1975]

Wow lavender I cannot imagine. Are there problems in the garden that go along with all that water?

 

[journey11]

I've done them shallow (when I didn't know any better), deep vertically and in a trench horizontally. I like to plant them deep vertically the best because there is less stress from uneven watering or dry conditions. I pull off all of the lower leaves and plant it 80% deep on plants that are pretty sizable by the time they are set out anyway. Mine go into cottage cheese containers for the last couple of weeks before planting out and get huge on Miracle Grow potting soil. Those little guys in the cell packs at the feedstore wouldn't get you all that deep.

Horizontally, they did put out a lot of roots, but it wasn't as much of a benefit as the consistent moisture available from burying deeper. Didn't do nearly as well for me that way. I always mulch too.

 

[Lavender2]

Wow lavender I cannot imagine. Are there problems in the garden that go along with all that water?

In an 'average' year, the water is not a problem. If the pond and swamps get high in Spring, we are pretty much muck. There has only been 2 years in 25 where I couldn't get in the garden until late, so we haven't seen the need to raise it higher. Some years I worry more about my septic system. It is up higher, but a real high flood year could be a disaster.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Lavender2, I took a tomatoe class taught by the guy that runs a non profit farm here in Alameda. They use the dry farming method. He said they grow their tomatoe seedlings 18" tall and then plant them deep. They fill the hole with water and let it sit, then the tomatoe goes in, with some ground oyster shell. That's it. They don't water it for the rest of the season. This dry farming forces the plant to stress and grow deep. It also improves the flavor of the tomatoe. He says it works really well. All the veggies from the farm go towards a CSA. I'm trying it this year.

Mary

Hmmm. I may try that with one of my black sea men. I don't have access to a bunch of oyster shells, but I'm guessing egg shells would do the trick as well. They take a long time to breakdown though.

 

[catjac1975]

I am confused by the oyster shells. They are sweatening the soil. Tomato plants like a more acid soil. I live near the ocean. My farmland was once owned by fishermen. You can find shells almost every where you dig from 50 or more years ago.

 

[Beekissed]

Calcium. We use egg shells or lime.

http://www.gardenguides.com/99257-calcium-tomato-plants.html

 

[jasonvivier]

What is your favorite method?
1) Digging a really deep hole and planting ~3-4 above to develop roots
2) Digging a shallow trench and letting the roots develop underground about 4-5 inches deep?

Determinate or indeterminate?

 

[ducks4you]

Gosh, I think I plant very few determinate. What you do think?

 

[jackb]

This year I bought seeds for Mortgage lifters, as I had wanted to try them for some time. Looking through my seed collection I had seeds going back to 2009 for Arbason, Cobra, Beefsteak Super Hybrid, Early & Often and Tropic. I decided to do a germination test and to my surprise most seeds germinated. Not being one to kill seedlings, I planted most of what came up. Now, I have three trays like the photo below, with more in process. We only need about a dozen plants, so I am going to have find homes for my excess plants.
jackb

 

[Smart Red]

The best of luck adopting them out. You will have some very lucky friends.