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When planting a Lycopersicon esculentum seedling , there are a few things you may do to help see to it that your Lycopersicon esculentum acclimatize well to its Modern home . After all , you didn’tgrow that baby from seedjust to see it die when it hits your garden !

How to Plant a Tomato Seedling

Add compost…

The first thing you involve to do is make certain your seedling isready to be graft . Once you know the plant is ready for the garden , follow these simple stride for plant a love apple seedling :

Step 1: Dig a Hole

Dig a hole about twice the volume and depth of your seedling pot . This will help loosen any compress soil and leave space for you to add things that your tomato will LOVE !

tomato also like to be plant deep into the soil ( more on that later ) , so you ’ll want a swelled enough hollow to let in a pregnant portion of the base ontogeny on your seedling .

Step 2: Amend the Soil

Amending the soil simply add great nutrient to help your tomato plant thrive . Place about 1/2 cup organic compost into the hole . There is no need to measure , just a honest spoonful on your coon . The compost provides a great boost of nutrient to get your plant life started .

Tomatoes also fuck calcium , so bring a handful ofcrushed eggshellsif you have them . As the eggshells violate down , they release calcium into the grease . The Ca help the plant life grow and also , in tomato , helps prevent blossom end putrefaction ( an ugly black spot on the bottom of the tomato that happen when tomatoes miss calcium ) .

An all - purpose fertilizer ortomato fertlizeris also great to total . The plant food will ply a long - lasting nutrient boost as it break down in the soil over time .

How to Plant a Tomato Seedling

Step 3: Add Water to the Hole

Add a generous amount of urine to the hole you have dug and meliorate . It should fill up and soak up so that thecompostand soil look fully soak .

Step 4: Remove Lower Leaves from the Stem

If you allow tomatoes burgeon forth roots further up the stem , they will help provide a stable foundation for your plant . Remove a yoke of the lower leaves of your seedling to plant the tomato further down into the soil .

Do this by nip them very gently with your fingernail right where the leafage meet the step ( do n’t pull too hard , or you risk breaking the stem ) .

Step 5: Place the Tomato Seedling into the Hole

Remember , you want to implant your seedling about halfway up the stem . When you place it into the gob you have compass and amended , you may need to compass it down or lie it on its side .

It is wholly fine to simply inter half of the radical on its side and lightly deform the top above the soil . Once your tomato plant is situated , it will start growing toward the sunlight .

Cover the flora with the dirt you arrange aside from the mess and lightly throng it down . Your seedling should look about half the height it was before planting . Do n’t worry , it will pullulate up soon with all of the love you have given it !

add compost when planting seedlings

Step 6: Water Generously

Water your tomato plant life munificently after plant . It deserves a stack of love now that you ’ve go to an entirely new place .

Believe it or not , we sometimes give our tomato plant plants a gallon or two of water on hot days . stick around your finger’s breadth top into the ground to see how far down it is damp — you should find moisture an inch below the dirt .

Step 7: Mulch

Mulch is a gardener ’s dear supporter . It serve eliminate weeds , hold back moisture in the grime , and keep nutrients from wash away . Place a generous two inches of mulch around the base of your tomato works . At the beginning of the season , we use latterly cut skunk from our lawn .

The grass is free and full of atomic number 7 . It will dry out and stay in place as the sun warm it . We do n’t apply it as much subsequently in the season because nitrogen encourages green growth , and we want fruit !

Other mulch options include store - grease one’s palms natural mulch , wood buffalo chip ( which should be harden ) , landscape fabric , or credit card . For more on choosing the right mulch , visit this article from Gardener ’s Supply .

adding eggshells when planting tomatoes

That ’s it ! Your tomato is set and set up to be its best life . Now , your Book of Job is to keep an eye on it . water system it generously , ascertain out for morbid leaves , and keep it well - indorse . Then , enjoy the fruits of your Labour Party !

growing roots

lay on its side

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mulched tomato plant