What’s the Best Way to Transplant Tomatoes?

Google “best way to transplant a tomato” and you’ll find different techniques touted as the only way to plant these crops. It is confusing and intimidates growers before they’ve even started. Fear not, as we look at the results of Epic Gardening founder Kevin’s “backyard science” tomato experiments and what they mean for your fruits.

None of the tomatoes received special treatment, and they all grew in the ground in San Diego, USDA growing zone 10b. All were the ‘Cherokee Carbon’ variety and similar sizes at the time of transplanting. Keeping their conditions equal ensures an unbiased experiment (though, of course, not an entirely infallible one).

I usually bury my seedlings deep, like method one. Because I use raised beds with soft soil, the stems benefit from extra exposure and form roots. These results may differ in your garden, and trying them all helps you find your best transplanting method.

The Long Answer

Because we all garden in different locales, the right technique for transplanting these fruitful vines depends on the conditions found in our local climates. Each method affects growth, and certain varieties excel depending on the technique. Let’s look at how each method fared in the experiment.

Method 1: Burying Deep

This type of transplanting is common in blogs, videos, and books. It relies on the concept that tomatoes develop adventitious roots along their stems when exposed to hospitable conditions. Warm, soft, and moist soil encourages active growth along stems, enabling the roots to draw in water from multiple places. Kevin buried one of his plants deep and named it “Titanic.”

Bury your plants deep by first taking them out of their pots. Leave three or four leaves on top, and remove the lower leaves where you intend to bury the stem. This helps prevent rot and fungi from attacking new growth underground. Roughen the roots up a bit so that new feeder roots form after relocation. Don’t be afraid; loosen the root ball so that root circling stays at bay.

Is this the right method for you? If you are planting straight into the dirt, maybe not. Tomatoes need warm soil to sprout new roots, and deep below, the soil is cold. Short growing seasons also present challenges for this method, as there is not enough time for the crops to catch up and produce new leaves and fruits.

Growers using raised beds or containers may appreciate this method, as the raised nature of these styles encourages the dirt to warm hotter than native soils. Where the soil is warmer deeper down than normal, strip the vines of their lower leaves and bury them where the sun doesn’t shine!

Method 2: Surface Sowing

The most common and tested method is surface sowing. This involves removing the tomato from its pot, digging a hole, and burying the root ball. That’s it! Its beauty lies in its ease and simplicity. Kevin named the surface sown specimen “John”—a common name for a common method!

If you have a short growing season, are planting dwarf types, or would like early-ripening tomatoes, surface sowing may be the method for you. Rough up the root ball before transplanting by rubbing off the root bottoms. This encourages new feeder roots to anchor the plant to the soil. 

Method 3: The Trench Method

Trench burying is a controversial and interesting method similar to burying the root ball deeply. It also requires cutting off the lower leaves and covering the tomato stem. Digging a shallow ditch rather than a hole sets you up for a successful transplant using the trench method. Kevin named this tomato “Clown” in honor of the wacky method.

Tomatoes appreciate warm, cultured soil—they set down tons of roots when happy. This method may appease this tendency by placing a long portion of the stem in that prime root growth zone. Studies have shown that burying them up to their lowest leaf improves yields.

Where dirt is cold, clay, or hard to work, the trench method helps tomatoes have access to the nutrition and air they need to thrive. When may this method not be suitable? It might not work best in growing zones with short or cool summers and hard frosts during winter. This technique, like burying deep, requires a long growing season so there is ample time to sprout new roots. 

Try burying your plants in trenches if you have plenty of growing space or in-ground beds, or want to try a new technique. Plant two tomatoes and run an experiment of your own. Plant one surface sown, and try one either buried deep or with the trench style. Measure their growth, and determine which type works best in your garden.

Bonus Method: Upside Down

A funky way to grow tomatoes is upside down! If you’re growing vegetables in containers already, this is a fun method for cherry types that utilizes hanging pots. It isn’t practical for all varieties and works best on small fruiting cultivars.

Grow a type like ‘Chocolate Sprinkles’ upside down—its long six-foot tendrils will dangle down and produce deep red and green striped fruits that taste delicious. Try this method if you are container gardening, have limited space, or would like to spruce up a porch or patio. Hanging tomatoes stand out in landscapes; your neighbors might ask you what that crazy-looking plant is!

To grow upside down, first find a hanging container. Another option is to repurpose a container you already have; gather a piece of rope, cut two holes on each side, and tie the rope on each hole to make the hanger. Then, cut a hole in the bottom that is smaller than the width of the container base. 

Place your tomato upside down in the hole, and fill the rest of the container with soil. Water well, holding your tomato plant in place until the soil settles. It may appear loose but will stabilize as roots form in the pot. 

Maintain these topsy-turvy crops by adding soil and compost as dirt washes away throughout the season. Water the container well, and watch your vines flower and fruit dozens of cherry tomatoes. Pick ripening fruits often so the plants continue forming new ones. 

Additional Considerations

Some other key cultivation techniques ensure you have the bountiful harvest you need! 

Pruning and staking help plants produce more fruit and less vegetation than untreated plants. A little bit of both throughout the growing season ensures your fruits stay healthy, ripe, and flavorful.

Stake any tomato plant besides the ones growing upside down. A stake, trellis, or cage gives unruly vines a support system as they reach for the sun. On stakes, tie the main vine to the stake as it grows using hemp rope, plant tape, or a similar binder. This may not apply to shorter, indeterminate varieties.

As tomatoes grow, they create suckers, excess leaves, and unruly stems. Prune leaves touching the ground at transplanting; this helps airflow reach the center and increases disease resistance. Cut yellowing and browning leaves to encourage new growth.

Many varieties create suckers. Suckers are little sprouts between leaves and stems that quickly enlarge, forming new vines. These sprouts sap energy from the main stem to generate blossoms and fruits. 

Choose to have a multi-stem or single-stem specimen. On a multi-stem, select a few suckers and let them be. Stake them in addition to the main stem and you’ll have one plant with the fruit of many! For a single-stem specimen, prune all suckers as they form. 

Results

Method One: This plant grew the shortest of the three and produced 15 fruits after the growing season. The fruits ripened later during the growing season, and many were still green at the end of the experiment. 

Method Two: Common “John” outperformed the other two tomato plants in interesting ways. For starters, it grew the tallest of the three, measuring at a height of 76 inches. It also grew more tomatoes, earlier. “John” had more ripe fruit than the other two plants and was big and beefy with multiple flowers, leaves, and growth shoots.

Method Three: The trench method yielded surprising results! This tomato plant, named “Clown,” grew taller than the buried deep one, reaching 72 inches. It yielded 14 fruits, and a few ripened quicker than the fruits on the other two plants. For growers burying stems in the ground with native or amended soils, this is a fantastic transplanting technique.