Ideally, they’d like 8-10 hours of sun for maximum fruit production.
Transplanting tomato seedlings grow bags full#
Tomatoes need to be planted in an area that receives full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sun each day. One plant gets maybe 20 minutes more sunlight than the other and the difference in production is HUGE!
Each year I plant two cherry tomato plants in large containers on my deck. The amount of fruit your tomatoes produce has a direct correlation with the amount of sun they receive. Sun Exposure Tomatoes prefer to receive 8-10 hours of sunlight each day for maximum fruit production. Before you think about transplanting your tomatoes this season, take the time to find the location where they will truly thrive. Tomatoes are a little fussy when it comes to things like sun exposure, soil conditions, and room to grow. Where you ultimately plant your tomatoes makes a big impact on their health, vigor, and fruit production. Step 2: Choose the Right Location Plant your tomatoes in a location that will meet all the requirements of the plant such as light, soil and room to grow. This can cause issues with growth since the leaves are not absorbing as much sun as they should.Īfter the first week outside, allow them to experience normal gentle wind currents, but move them immediately if you experience extreme wind gusts. Too much wind too early will cause dramatic leaf curling.
It’s important to protect your young tomatoes from wind in the first week of hardening off. The idea is to introduce new things in manageable chunks that allow the plant to adjust in small ways each day.Ī note on wind. Gradually increase sun exposure and time outside each day. The day after that, you can let them experience a little bit of gentle morning sun. The next day, put them in the same location, but for 2 hours. Start by setting your tomato seedlings in a protected shady area for about an hour. The longer you give your tomatoes to adjust, the healthier and stronger they’ll be when you finally plant outside. The hardening off process should take a week or two. All of this helps the plant deal with temperature changes, strong gusts of wind, and direct sun without any problems. Their stems will thicken, leaves will reach out strongly, and roots grow more quickly. During this period, your young tomatoes will ‘grow up’ a bit. Hardening off is a simple, but necessary process that allows your tomato seedlings to acclimatize to heat, wind, and sun. This is where hardening off comes into play. This is a far cry from what your plants will experience outside. Perfect indoor or greenhouse temperatures, ideal light exposure, and only the most gentle of breezes. Up until now, your tomato seedlings have lived in a very sheltered environment. Whether you have grown your tomatoes from seed or have purchased starts from your local nursery, these steps will ensure your young tomato plants survive transplanting and grow into beautiful productive plants! Step 1: Harden Off Your Plants Before planting in the ground, carry out the process of hardening off by taking them outside to adapt to the environment. Remember, young healthy transplants yield greater abundance compared to older, stressed transplants every time. If you’re not sure when to plant outside, I encourage you to join local gardening groups and ask! Gardeners are generally a friendly lot and are eager to share their wisdom, especially when it can save you from a lot of heartache. In my area, Mother’s Day is a key milestone for planting tomatoes outside even though we’re technically far past our frost date. This usually happens when nighttime temperatures don’t fall below 60 and daytime temperatures are well into the upper 70s. Tomatoes like to be outside once soil temperatures have warmed to 55-60 degrees. So although the general rule of thumb for planting warm season crops like tomatoes is to plant once you’re 2 weeks past your final frost date, there are some nuances to consider. The gardeners who were so full of joy are now a ball of stress as they see their young plants struggling in suboptimal conditions. Invariably, after a week or two of temperatures in the 70s or low 80s, we have 3 weeks of temperatures in the 50s with heavy winds. Timing is Everything Tomatoes should be be planted 2 weeks after the last frost.Įvery single year in my local gardening groups, I see people who eagerly plant their tomatoes when temperatures start to warm up.
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