It is always a very exciting day when my tomato plants can finally go into the ground! I start all the seeds indoors. We grow mainly heirloom tomato varieties. Here, we share how we transplant tomato plants into the ground.
When to plant tomatoes in the ground
Tomatoes are a warm-weather crop. They do not tolerate frost and do not like cold, wet weather either. It is best to wait till the last frost day or wait a week longer before planting tomatoes in the garden if the weather is still cold and windy. You want the temperature to be above 10C (50F), and the soil temperature to be 16C (60F). These temperatures are not always realistic in a cold climate. Some summers our temperature is below 10 °C at night, even in July. We work with protection and microclimates. We’ll talk more about it later.
The timing of transplanting tomatoes into the ground is also important for starting tomatoes from seeds. Do not start too early; you want the plants to be just putting out buds, not flowering yet.
Where to plant tomatoes
Location is everything when it comes to growing tomatoes. A greenhouse is the best place to grow tomatoes in a cold climate. There, they can be planted out about two weeks earlier, but still might need frost protection.
If you do not have a greenhouse, a cold frame for tomatoes works great, too. A window-protected raised bed is a good option for a more permanent structure.
A greenhouse or cold frame is the optimal growing space for tomatoes in a cold climate. If you do not have a greenhouse, find the spot in your garden that is too hot for most crops – it might be just right for tomatoes. If you have a warm spot on your patio or deck instead of in the garden, tomatoes can be grown in pots or grow bags as well.
We have grown lots of tomatoes in grow bags on our driveway. The heat from the concrete and the black bags will help to keep the heat-loving plants warm. See how to grow in grow bags.
Note, if you are in a warm climate, tomatoes might be too hot in containers on your driveway. We are speaking about a cool climate here.
Harden the plants off before transplanting
Plants can’t go from indoors right into the ground; it will put way too much stress on them. First, get them used to the outdoor or greenhouse environment while still in the pot. Start with a cloudy day or shade. Read more about hardening off plants the easy way here.
You can harden the plants off in a temporary greenhouse frame if you like it more conveniently. Read more about that here. After the plants have adapted to their new environment, they can be transplanted without concern.
Spacing tomato plants
Indeterminate varieties can be grown vertically and need about a square foot, or half of the space if pruned to a single stem. Determinate varieties will grow to a bush, so they need 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) in diameter.
Tomatoes like moving air; do not plant them too close together. Read also about determinate or indeterminate tomato plants.
Transplanting tomato plants
Be sure not to water the plant too much before transplanting, as this will help the soil hold together better. The plant will also be more flexible and will not break as easily if not watered.
Dig a bigger hole than the plant—this helps to loosen the soil around the plant and encourages root growth.
Before planting, add 1-2 cups of compost to the hole. The compost is a natural fertilizer that will give the plants a boost.
Water the hole generously. You want the plant to reach down for moisture and nutrients. This will reduce your watering needs during the growing season. Read also about how to water your vegetable garden.
If the tomato plant is a bit leggy, it can be buried deeper, just like you do when transplanting the seedlings. Some growers like to grow tall, leggy seedlings so they can lay down the plant instead of planting it vertically. It might be worth it if you have a long growing season and lots of space. In our experience, having young, healthy seedlings is always the better option.
By turning the pot upside down and tapping on the pot, the plant will come right out.
Now, gently place it into the hole and fill it with loose soil.
Do not press it down too hard; water the plant right away; the water will push the soil down as much as needed. It is good to form a mold around the plant for watering so that the water can go directly to the plant and not flow away to the lower ground.
Protect the tomato plants
Give the plants some protection from the sun during the first days. Frost Blanket works very well for that. It also gives some protection from wind and cold during the night. I leave the blanket on for a few days, even in a greenhouse.
Tomato plants need support. Read more about supporting tomato plants here.
Happy tomato planting!
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Hello Anna…just found your blog. Very interesting. The bull heart tomatoes are good ones….they are the same as ox heart..all meat and not alot of hollow centers. You have an awesome greenhouse. We will keep in touch. Thanks for a nice visit this afternoon. You will probally be bloging on the newest addition..”The Bees” and Honey…ha ha Judy
Hi Judy, thank you, I did enjoy visiting you! We arrived safely and the Bees are at there new location. Somehow I am starting to like them :). And yes, I will blog about them.
Your post is getting me all excited for spring!!! I am not sure how much of a garden I will have this year, but I am excited to be digging in the dirt once it warms up!
Looking forward to spring too. Growing tomatoes is one of my favorite things to do!
Your greenhouse is so beautiful! I love heirloom tomatoes – great information Anna!
Thank you! Yes a GeoDome Greenhouse is something very special.
If my tomato plants are still pitiful after this series, then there’s no hope for me at all LOL
Do not be so hard on yourself. Sometimes we do everything right and plants do not grow. It is not all in our hands, just try again!
Those sure are some healthy looking tomato plants! Mine are coming along quite well. I’ll be putting them into my faux peat pots soon so they can get stronger before the hardening off time. Looking forward to fresh tomato season!
Thank you for sharing this on Green Thumb Thursday! I pinned it to our hop board and shared it via Twitter and FB. See you on Thursday!
Thank you, appreciate it very much! You are awesome, Tessa!
Hi Anna, just dropping a note to let you know I featured this post on the new, revamped Green Thumb Thursday Blog Hop. Your post is fabulous so I will also be sharing on G+. We hope to see you again tomorrow.
Oh thank you, Tanya! Will had over to see it and share some more on your new, revamped Green Thumb Thursday Blog Hop ;).
Hi! I too live in a harsh environment for vegetable gardening and have to use a greenhouse. I was wondering why you put the frost blanket over the tomatoes since they are inside?
Thanks & I love your blog!
Thank you, glad you like the blog ;). The frost blanket gives the just transplanted plants some shade from the direct sunlight. It helps them to have less transplanting stress. Plus early in spring we still can have some (more) frost. Tomatoes do not like it cold.
I love your garden, so cute!
Thank you, Heidi! At the moment we are working on our new garden. Lots of work and lots of fun. Happy gardening!
Your tomato transplants look so healthy and hearty. I love the idea of using a frost blanket for the first couple days to help protect the tomatoes from sun, rain, and give them a little protection overnight.
Thank you Rachel! Tomatoes are easy to grow with a bit extra care.
lOVE YOUR DOME GREENHOUSE, I ASSUME YOU BUILT IT YOURSELF. WISH I HAD ENOUGH CLEAR LAND TO BUILD ONE. THIS YEAR I AM GROWING EVERYTHING ON MY DECK. BROKE MY ARM IN EARLY MARCH SO NOT ABLE TO GET OUT AND PREPARE A GARDEN PLUS WE HAD SO MUCH RAIN THIS SPRING (MOST RAIN IN JUNE IN HISTORY). THEN 2 WEEKS OF SUPER HOT NEARLY BURNED EVERYTHING SO HAD TO MOVE ALL TO THE SHADY PART OF THE DECK. NOW WE ARE GETTING NORMAL EARLY SUMMER WEATHER. A GREENHOUSE WOULD REALLY HAVE HELPED THE PLANTS.
Yes, we did build the greenhouse our self. Glad you ware able to keep the plants alive.
I have a big beefsteak plants and we usually stake and prune but i was wondering if we let it run free if we have the space
will we get a lot more tomatoes with less work or will we be wading around in a sea of plant and fruit that is getting stepped on.
We also live in a short growing season area and your information is heavily geared to those conditions. I have been gardening for many years but found out lots that I didn’t know.
thank you for a great website.
You are welcome. In our expiriance, you get bigger fruit and it will ripen faster if you prune the plant to 1 or 2 stems. This is only true for indeterminate tomatoes. We don’t prune determinate plants. If you let an indeterminate plant grow without pruning, a cage to hold it up is helpful. You probably will get more fruit, but maybe none of them will be ripe at the end of the short growing season.
Good information! I like that you give God the glory for the tomatoes. 🙂