Got gardening questions you want Grow & Tell to answer? Email me at dylan.kulik@interlochen.org.
Grow & Tell is IPR’s biweekly gardening segment to guide you through the growing season.
In each episode, I’ll walk you through gardening tasks that are perfect for northern Michigan’s climate — from your backyard to your balcony.
Today’s tip: Plant deep for stronger, sweeter tomatoes
Earlier this spring, we started tomatoes from seed. They were just tiny seedlings in cups, but now it’s mid-May, and they’ve grown up nice and tall, about 18 to 20 inches. It’s time to plant them out into the garden, where they’ll live for the rest of the season.
This is one of my favorite days in the garden: the official start of tomato season.
No backyard? No problem! Repeat these same steps in a deep enough pot for some equally excellent tomatoes.
Step 1: Choose your site
Pick a spot that gets full sun and has workable soil without grass or sod in the way. Make sure it's close to your water source — you'll be watering these regularly.
Step 2: Dig a deep hole (yes, deep!)
There are a few ways to plant tomatoes, but my favorite? Plant them deep — dig a hole about 10 inches or so.
That depth gives roots access to cooler, consistently moist soil, which helps the plant thrive, especially during dry spells. In northwestern Michigan, where the top few inches of soil dry out quickly, that deeper soil is the sweet spot for keeping tomatoes happy.
Step 3: Add fertilizer
Before planting, mix roughly a half cup of all-purpose fertilizer into the bottom of the hole. (Here's some tips on how to choose a fertilizer.) Blend it in a bit with your trowel so it doesn’t sit all in one spot — we want an even distribution of nutrients.
This gives your tomato a strong nutritional foundation to stretch out its roots and start growing right away.
Step 4: Prep your tomato plant for its new home
Grab your tomato — ideally about 18 inches tall. Now comes the bold move: cut off all the leaves from the bottom 12 inches of the plant. You’ll leave just the top three branches and leaves, as well as the apical bud (that’s the topmost growing point of the plant).
Use a sharp, clean knife to make the cuts. The smell of fresh tomato leaves is a sure sign: Summer’s coming.
Step 5: (Mostly) bury your tomato
Gently flip the tomato plant upside down, give the pot a little tap and let the plant slide out. Tease the roots slightly from the bottom — just a gentle loosening to break them up a bit.
Lower the plant into the hole you dug and bury most of the de-leafed stem. Leave about six inches of plant sticking up out of the ground, then tuck in soil all around it to provide a good foundation.
By burying the stem, you’re encouraging the plant to grow additional roots from the buried portion — giving you a stronger, more resilient plant.
Step 6: Water, water and more water
Shape the soil into a shallow basin around the base of the stem. This helps the water pool and soak down right where the roots are.
Give the plant a thorough watering almost every day. Just be sure to avoid spraying the leaves as much as possible — it’s best to water tomatoes right at the base to prevent disease.
Tomato Takeaways 🍅
- Plant deep. Don’t be afraid to bury most of the stem.
- Remove the lower leaves before planting.
- Fertilize the hole for a strong start.
- Water well, and avoid getting the leaves wet.
Your tomato might suffer from "transplant shock" for its first couple weeks in the ground, but will soon start growing.
Next time, we’ll talk about seeding plants directly into the ground. Until then, cheers — and happy gardening!
Trevor Reed composed Grow & Tell's theme music.
