Can we talk about how deep to plant tomato seedlings?

I saw my neighbor in Denver put his new plants in the ground last weekend, and he buried them so shallow the root ball was almost showing. I've always buried the stem up to the first set of true leaves because it helps them grow stronger roots. He said he was worried about stem rot, but I think that's only a problem if the soil doesn't drain. What's the deepest you've planted a tomato start?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_williams6210d ago

My grandpa in Ohio taught me to bury them up to the first true leaves. I lost one plant to stem rot years ago, but that was in a spot with bad clay soil. In my raised beds now, deep planting works every time.

the_mary13d ago

I used to be so careful about planting them shallow, just like your neighbor. Then I saw a video where a gardener buried a leggy seedling almost up to its seed leaves. I tried it with a few of my own that were getting too tall, and the plants went crazy. They sent out roots all along the buried stem and got way more sturdy. Now I bury them deep every time, as long as the soil is loose and drains well.

dakota_burns8313d ago

Wait, you bury them up to the seed leaves? That sounds wild to me. I always heard you'd rot the stem if you did that. My tomatoes would just turn to mush if I tried it, especially with how wet our spring gets. I guess your soil must be way different than mine.