The husband of a friend of mine is a serious gardener with years and years of experience, and I always use his transplant method for tomatoes. This formala is like a Cook’s Illustrated recipe – just do exactly what it says, don’t deviate from the plan, and you’ll get a great result.
Peter’s Perfect Tomatoes
When you transplant into your garden do the following:
- Dig a hole as deep as the seedling height and twice as wide as widest set of leaves.
- Fill the hole 1/2 way with a 50/50 combination of peat moss and composted manure.
- Water the mix and make a thick mud. The water should contain a transplant fertilizer (organic or chemical – your choice)
- Plant the seedling in the mud and bury it past the original seedling leaves. The tomato will sprout new roots from the buried stem.
- Water as required for the rest of the summer but do not fertilize again – the tomato has everything it will need for the entire season.
Your tomatoes will go gangbusters – trust me! Heirlooms in particular really like it.
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