Despite tomatoes being among my favourite crops, that late-summer garden fatigue can make me lazy. Last year I let a few of my plants get a bit too wild, and ultimately, it affected the fruit. Here are a few tips that I recommend following as you plant your seedlings, and throughout the growing season.
Tips for growing tomatoes in raised beds
Stake them early and carefully Depending on how high your raised beds are, the subsoil underneath may not be very forgiving. I’ve bent many a tomato cage by carelessly trying to shove them in the soil around a new plant. Instead, carefully press each “leg” of the cage into the soil, one at a time, until you work the whole thing in deep enough. And speaking of new plants, your seedlings may be so small that it seems silly to put a cage around them right away. It’s best not to wait. Once the plants start to grow, you risk inadvertently snapping off a limb or damaging the plant.
Never water from above As packed full of plants as your raised beds may be, avoid taking the garden hose and simply spraying everything, hoping the roots get wet. It may be time-consuming, but it’s worth watering at the base of each plant to avoid splashing the leaves (which could spread soil-borne diseases) and to make sure each plant gets a good drink. To save time and water, consider installing an irrigation system like this one that will deliver water directly to the base of your plants.
Pinch, pinch, pinch! Get rid of those suckers (the new growth that comes up between a stem and a branch) as soon as possible. Simply pinch them out with your fingers. You don’t want to have to cut off an unruly branch later on. It also helps the plant focus more on the fruit.
Rotate your tomato crops Raised beds make crop rotation easy because you can keep track of where everything is from year to year. It’s a good idea to rotate where you plant things every two to three years for a couple of reasons. The first is because different plants take up different nutrients from the soil. Also, some pests and diseases can overwinter in the soil. For example, Colorado potato beetles, which enjoy the foliage of nightshade veggies, like to linger around until spring and lie in wait for your tender new plants.
It’s also a good idea to move the entire plant family, so if it’s time to move your tomatoes to a new garden, it’s a good idea to avoid planting other nightshade veggies in the same place.
- Tidy up at the end of the season When you’re pulling out spent plants in the fall, be sure to toss any unripe or already-rotten tomatoes in the compost, instead of letting them decompose in the garden. You may find yourself pulling up wee tomato seedlings in the spring!
More tomato-growing tips:
- 6 steps to growing a healthy tomato garden
- The best tomatoes for containers and 7 strategies for growing them in pots
- How far apart to plant tomatoes
- A step-by-step guide to growing tomatoes from seed
More info on growing in raised beds:
- The best soil for a raised bed
- Advice for preparing a raised bed garden
- The benefits of raised bed gardens
- Layouts for a 4×8 raised vegetable garden
- Planting a raised bed: Tips on spacing, sowing, and growing
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