Hey Wulfsden! I need some tomato educating:)

The soil where I plan on putting my big boy looks and feels wonderfully rich and loamy. Any pointers on how to transplant them from the nursery pots to the garden? this is my first year to try tomatoes. I have 1 big boy and 1 cherry tomato and my fiance picked one out that looks to be a bright orange fruit but I don't remember the name of it.

Don't know if you ment this to be answered by someone specific. I always plant the tomatoes really deep, like 75% of the plant. Tomatoes will root along the burried stem and be stronger for the great root system. It's kind of freaky to burry that much of the plant but it wont hurt them. Good luck with your toms =)

thank you Duchess! I need to stop on the way home tonight for Tylenol:) I have a feeling I'm going to need it by tomorrow night.

Lol. Yah but it's a good sore. Just don't get a sun burn =)

Hi BBG,

Well, I am not exactly an expert. Growing tomatoes is kinda like voodoo, and virtually everyone has their own version of the spell. The wonderful thing is that tomatoes are such hardy little plants, that almost everything works. I have never planted a tomato in the ground, only in pots, but I suppose it is not too different. I will tell you what I do, and since we are in the same zone, it may work for you.

Let me start by saying, I think you are a bit early. I usually aim for about May 15. If it gets to about May 7, and I don’t see any cold nights in the 7 day forecast, then I plant.

First, dig a hole large enough to deep plant, but leaving at least 4 true leaves, trimming off lower leaves if necessary. I like to get 6 inches or so of stem underground, with at least 2-3 inches of stem above ground before the leaves.

Prepare the hole by loosening another 3-4 inches of soil beneath the plant, so the roots don’t have to fight too much at first. I like to mix that soil with a handful of worm castings, a teaspoon or two of 5-5-5 organic fertilizer, and a goodly pinch of pelletized dolomitic limestone. That way the tomatoes can grab a snack easily. If you have some bone meal around, a teaspoon or two of that for extra phosphate couldn't hurt.

If your soil is low in calcium and/or magnesium you probably want to mix half a cup or so of the lime with the fill soil too. It helps fend off blossom end rot. If your area has cutworms (if in doubt, assume it does), get a double thick piece of aluminum kitchen foil about 3 inches high and 6-8 inches wide. Gently wrap it around the stem of the plant like a loose bandage so that it is equally below and above the soil. Don't secure it in any way except burying. It needs to expand as the plant grows.

After carefully filling in the hole, now is the time to put in a stake or a cage, while you know exactly where the roots are. This is also good time to put in some companion plants, which I do by pushing seeds into the soil nearby on the sunny side (since tomatoes get really big really fast). If you have started some companions indoors, that's fine too. I have had good results with basil, cutting celery (grows wild in NJ), and wild onions (also grow wild in NJ). Since 2 of these are technically edible weeds, they tend to do well. I also like to plant a few borage, to deter tomato worm. The bright blue borage flowers will pull every bee in the county to your tomato patch, ensuring fertilization and raising yield. Technically, the borage flower (and only the flower), is edible, but I have never tried one.

Finally, after planting all the tomatoes and its pals, I like to give the ground and foliage a good soaking with organic seaweed based fertilizer. Seaweed fertilizers seem to contain some kind of plant growth hormone that really makes anything take off.

It's no point sharing my fertilization ritual, since pot planting requires me to supply an endless supply of nutrients. My container watering habits would drown any ground rooted plant too, even a tomato.

I will say this however. I ruthlessly pinch back all flowers as soon as I see them until the plant is about 4 feet tall (about mid June). I think letting the fruit set early inhibits plant growth. When I finally decide to let it fruit, I give it another dose of the seaweed fertilizer, but being careful to put it only on the soil and roots. Too much leaf growth now will reduce yield.

The cherry you mention may be Sungold. I grow at least 2 Sungold every year. It is extremely prolific, and the 1" fruits are as sweet as candy. The only down side is that it is a hybrid, so no point saving seeds from it; they will not breed true.

Sorry about the slow reply. Hope this helps...