Tomatoes are one of the most common plants grown in backyard gardens. Fortunately, tomatoes are easy to maintain. But what if you want to grow tomatoes with space limitations?
Consider growing tomatoes in raised beds. This is the best option if you have small space or limited free time for garden maintenance.
Here’s why:
Managing a raised bed is easy and takes less time than a garden plot. In addition, raised garden beds are more productive, so you can expect high-quality produce and higher yields. Plus, if you use amended soil, you can reduce disease and pest risk, and generate your best tomato crop yet.
Ultimately, one of the main reasons raised beds are an ideal option for growing tomatoes is heat. The soil in raised beds heats up more quickly in the spring, which allows you to plant tomatoes earlier in the season.
Interested in how to get the best raised bed tomato crop? Here’s everything you need to know, including the type of soil you should use, watering tips, and the varietals best for raised beds.
Prepare a Raised Bed for Growing Tomatoes
You can choose any structural material to build a raised bed. It can be anything from wood, bricks, metal, or durable straw bales. You can opt for ready-made raised beds to save a lot of time.
If you are constructing a raised bed, build it on the ground. It will keep your tomato plants free from weeds and not compete with large plants, trees, and shrubs.
The raised bed should be at least 12 inches tall to achieve the best results. Fill it with good quality garden soil. You can also use a raised bed blend or make your own. Ultimately, ensure that soil is a bit acidic, nutrient-rich, filled with organic matter, and has good drainage.
Planting Tomatoes in a Raised Bed
Like other vegetables, tomatoes grow exceptionally well in raised beds. Tomato plants require a warm and sunny location to stay healthy and produce abundant fruit. Seedlings and young plants grow well in warm soil temperatures.
Therefore, planting tomatoes in raised beds helps improve your crop with less effort.
Growing your tomatoes offers you several benefits. They contain a significant amount of antioxidants and taste better than store-bought tomatoes. If you plan to grow tomatoes in your yard, plant the best variety and prepare good soil composition for healthy produce.
Planting Depth for Tomato Plants
A raised bed requires deep tilling only when you first plant the bed. Next, cultivate the garden soil where you plan to create your raised bed. It should be at least one foot below the surface, about 18-24 inches. Remove the sod, turn the soil, break clods, and add a large quantity of humus, topsoil, and organic matter.
Raised beds are usually about a foot tall. Tomato plants produce well when their roots can grow about 24-36 inches deep into the ground. You can enjoy a strong and healthy yield by preparing your garden soil before setting up a raised bed.
Spacing Tomato Plants in Raised Beds
Refrain from skimping on space in raised beds to fit in extra plants, which might affect your crop. Maintain a proper space between tomato plants in raised beds to facilitate growth.
Keep required space between plants, which helps prevent diseases and pest infestation. It minimizes competition for nutrients and moisture among plants.
Keep at least 24-35 inches of space between tomato plants. Give more space to indeterminate tomato varieties by spacing determinate and semi-determinate varieties.
Ultimately, proper spacing gives the plant’s foliage great exposure to the sun. It helps grow healthy tomato plants.
Watering Tomato Plants
Water young plants to keep them evenly moist. Use drip hoses to simplify the process. Raised garden beds tend to dry faster; therefore, you should take care of the moisture level. Water plants to maintain their moisture levels, especially around new plants.
Water new plants daily for a week to ten days. After this period, plants typically require 1-2 inches of water every week and a bit more when temperatures are hot. If your soil tends to be dense, make sure it doesn’t become waterlogged. You can add perlite to facilitate better draining.
Grow Tomato Varieties in Raised Beds
Although there are hundreds of tomato varieties, determinate tomato varieties grow better in raised beds. This includes varietals like Roma, San Marzano, and Beefsteak. Whichever type you decide to grow in raised beds, ensure you’re buying quality seeds from a reputable grower.
Leave about three feet of space between the plants to grow beef steak tomatoes. And your plants should be two feet apart.
Tomato vines grow in all seasons and can get tall and large. For cherry tomatoes, space them two feet apart and leave a space of 18 inches between plants. Cherry tomato varieties have smaller vines than full-size tomatoes.
Companion Plants to Grow with Tomatoes
Use raised beds to grow companion plants without sacrificing tomato production.
Companion plants play a crucial role in enhancing the health of tomato plants. Plants like basil, marigold, mint, and nasturtium can be good companion plants that help deter pests, diseases and enhance the flavor of your tomatoes.
If you have built a trellis for growing tomatoes, plant low-lying vegetables like zucchini or squash at the base. Stake tomato plants to create space beneath the plants’ lower branches. You can then cultivate low-growing herbs like thyme and oregano at the base.
Final Thoughts
Cultivate tomato plants by following this process: Prepare raised beds, maintain proper spacing and planting depth, and water them regularly. Follow this practice and reap the maximum benefits of growing tomatoes in raised beds. Growing tomatoes in raised beds will help you enjoy fresh and healthy produce of red juicy tomatoes.
