Even though tomatoes are one of my favorite crops, late summer garden fatigue can make me lazy. Last year I let some of my plants get a little too wild and it ended up affecting the fruit. Here are some tips I recommend you follow when planting seedlings and throughout the growing season.
Tips for growing tomatoes in raised beds
1. Put them away early and carefully
Depending on the height of the attic bed, the underlying subsoil may be less forgiving. I accidentally pushed many tomato cages into the soil around new plants, thus bending them. Instead, carefully press each "leg" of the cage into the soil, one at a time, until the entire cage is dug deep enough. When it comes to new plants, your seedlings may be so small that cages immediately seem silly. Best not to wait. Once the plant begins to grow, you run the risk of inadvertently snapping off a limb or damaging the plant.
Every year, I have to make sure I have enough space in my raised garden beds to grow tomatoes. I love growing varieties ranging from small tomatoes that you can pop into your mouth like candy to large tomatoes that you can slice thinly for summer burgers.
Even though tomatoes are one of my favorite crops, late summer garden fatigue can make me lazy. Last year I let some of my plants get a little too wild and it ended up affecting the fruit. Here are some tips I recommend you follow when planting seedlings and throughout the growing season.
1. Put them away early and carefully
Depending on the height of the attic bed, the underlying subsoil may be less forgiving. I accidentally pushed many tomato cages into the soil around new plants, thus bending them. Instead, carefully press each "leg" of the cage into the soil, one at a time, until the entire cage is dug deep enough. When it comes to new plants, your seedlings may be so small that cages immediately seem silly. Best not to wait. Once the plant begins to grow, you run the risk of inadvertently snapping off a limb or damaging the plant.
2. Never water from above
Since your raised garden bed may be overgrown with plants, avoid using the garden hose and simply spray everything and hope the roots will get wet. This can be time consuming, but it's worth watering the roots of each plant to avoid splashing on the leaves (which can spread soil-borne diseases) and to make sure each plant gets plenty of water. To save time and water, consider installing an irrigation system that sends water directly to the roots of the plants.
3. Pinch, pinch, pinch!
Get rid of those suckers (new growth emerging between stems and branches) as soon as possible. Just pinch them out with your fingers. You don't want to have to cut off an unruly branch later. It also helps the plant focus more on fruit.
4. Rotate your tomato crops
Raised beds make crop rotation easy because you can keep track of where everything is from year to year. Rotating plants every two to three years is a good idea for a number of reasons. First, because different plants absorb nutrients from the soil in different ways. Additionally, some pests and diseases overwinter in the soil. For example, the Colorado potato beetle, which loves nightshade leaves, likes to linger in the spring, waiting for your tender new plants.
It's also a good idea to move entire plant families, so if it's time to move your tomatoes to a new garden, it's best to avoid growing other nightshades in the same spot.
5. Finishing at the end of the season
When you pull out used plants in the fall, be sure to toss unripe or rotten tomatoes into the compost instead of letting them rot in the garden. You may find yourself pulling up small tomato seedlings in the spring!
