How deep is your love.. for your tomatoes? We’re asking because one of the secrets to yielding an abundant harvest of tomatoes is to plant them deep literally.
Here, we’ve broken down how and why you should plant your tomatoes deep underground. Read on to unravel this tomato gardening hack.
How should you plant your tomatoes – deep or sideways?
Generally, you should plant your tomatoes deep in the soil to let them develop more roots, supplying more nutrients to the plant. But you could also plant them sideways to address physical and climate-related issues on tomato plants.
Here’s a table of the benefits of planting deep and sideways.
| Benefits of Planting Tomatoes Deep | Benefits of Planting Tomatoes Sideways |
| Produces new roots and doubles the size of the root system | Encourages new root growth and doubles the size of the root system |
| Protects plants from frost and cold weather | Prevents leggy growth |
| Provides a stronger anchor system | Allows deep planting in compact soil |
| Keeps plant hydrated and drought resilient | Keeps tomato roots warm |
A tomato plant’s roots usually grow up to 2 feet, but most of its root mass is located on the upper 12 inches of the soil. Because of their adventitious roots, tomato plants can grow roots along their stems as long as they’re buried.
So, by planting them deep, the plant can multiply the size of its root system. This results in an extensive root system that can absorb more nutrients and water for a healthy plant.
Since most of the plant is buried underground through deep planting, the tomato plant is protected from frost and cold weather. It also gives the plant a stronger anchor system, helping it stay upright amid strong winds.
Deep planting likewise makes the tomato plant drought-resilient. More roots mean more access to water deep in the subsoil, and there’ll be less stress for your tomato plant during prolonged dry periods.
On the other hand, planting tomatoes sideways is another great option to achieve more root growth, especially if tomato seedlings have grown to 6 to 10 inches tall. This involves digging a trench, laying your tomato seedling on its side and burying them.
When tomato plants grow tall stems, they tend to have a few leaves at the top. If they continue to grow tall, they’d eventually snap off, grow weak and die.
So, sideways planting would be a better choice so more of their stem is buried, providing the plant more anchor support through the growth of new roots.
Planting sideways is also recommended when the soil is too compacted and difficult to dig a hole into. It will be easier for you to dig a shallow trench while still gaining the benefits of the adventitious root growth of the tomato plant.
Finally, a shallow trench helps maintain a warm temperature for tomato roots, especially those planted in the northern climate. The tomato plant is protected from frost and its roots are kept warm, thereby speeding up their growth.
How to Plant Tomatoes Deeply
There are two ways to plant tomatoes deep: the deep hole and the trench method.
The best time to plant them is when the tomato seedling is already 6 to 12 inches tall, and you should bury only two-thirds of their height.
If you bury the whole plant, it will die because of lack of sunlight. On the other hand, if planted too near the soil, its main stem is at risk of being eaten or damaged by pests and will hinder the growth of more roots underneath.
We also warn against compacting your soil because this hinders the new root system from penetrating deeply and growing a new root system.
Finally, regularly water the soil because moisture helps the roots grow faster.
Now, let’s look at the two methods of deep-planting tomato plants.
1. Deep Hole Method
| Difficulty | Easy ●○○○○ |
| Duration | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| Things You Need | • Tomato seedling • Measuring tape • Gardening gloves • Soil • Compost |
This method aims to dig a hole deep enough to bury most of the stem below the top set of leaves. In measuring two-thirds of the plant, consider the height of the main root ball.
| How To Do 1. Measure the height of your tomato plant. Make sure its height is between 6 to 12 inches. 2. Dig a hole that is two-thirds of the height of the tomato plant, including the root ball. 3. Bury two-thirds of the plant, especially the main root ball, so more adventitious roots can grow. 4. Loosen the roots of the plant. 5. Fill the hole with soil until below the bottom set of healthy leaves. 6. Water the tomato plant slowly and deeply. |
2. Trench Method
| Difficulty | Easy ●○○○○ |
| Duration | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| Things You Need | • Tomato seedling • Measuring tape • Gardening gloves • Soil • Compost • Wooden stake |
The trench method involves planting your tomato seedlings sideways. Don’t worry because the tomato plant will naturally grow upright with more sun exposure.
This is recommended for tomato seedlings 6 to 10 inches tall and if the soil is too heavy or a deep hole can’t be dug for your tomato plant.
One perk of applying the trench method is that the upper soil gives additional warmth to the stem, helping the roots grow faster.
| How To Do 1. Measure the height of your tomato plant. Make sure its height is between 6 to 12 inches. 2. Dig a trench that is 6 inches deep with a length of two-thirds of the height of your tomato plant. 3. Loosen the root ball of the plant. 4. Lay the tomato plant horizontally. Make sure the top leaves are exposed. 5. Fill the trench with soil around the stem. 6. Water the tomato plant slowly and deeply. 7. To help the plant grow upright, place a stake next to the horizontal stem. |
Tips on Deep Planting Tomatoes
Here are more tips on ensuring the success of planting your tomatoes deep and reaping an abundant harvest in the future.
1. Water the tomato plant thoroughly.
Tomato plants need 1 to 2 inches of water weekly to moisten the soil. With moist soil, new roots develop faster underneath, so it’s best to water them in the morning to keep the soil moist throughout the day.
When watering tomato plants, make sure that water is directed right to the root zone to prevent splashing of water on the low-lying leaves. It will help prevent bacteria or fungal growth that cause several tomato plant diseases.
2. Remove some leaves of the tomato plant.
When deep planting tomatoes, you should remove the leaves that are part of the buried part of the plant, so direct all soil nutrients closer to the stem.
If these leaves are buried, they will only die from lack of sunlight and photosynthesis, giving no other benefit to the plant.
So, gently remove the leaves using your fingers. Just be careful with damaging or breaking the stems of the fragile tomato seedling.
3. Provide support to the tomato plant.
Support for the growing tomato stem is highly recommended if you use the trench method.
Although the tomato plant will naturally follow the sun as it grows, it’s still best to place a wooden stake to train your tomato plant early on.
This will straighten its stem and prevent it from breaking off in the long run, especially when it starts bearing plump and juicy tomatoes.
FAQS on Deep Planting Tomatoes
In planting tomato plants in containers, place the tomato seedling with at least 1 to 3 inches of soil underneath the root ball, and leave the top 4 to 6 inches of the plant exposed.
Tomato plants need at least two feet of space from other plants to facilitate proper air circulation and prevent the spread of diseases.
When the tomato plant reaches 6 to 12 inches tall, you can already trim the bottom leaves of the plant.
A tomato plant has a fibrous root or taproot system where it grows more roots as it penetrates deep into the soil, allowing it to absorb more water and nutrients.
