The Seed Planting Depth for Early Girl Tomatoes

Planting Seedlings

• Early Girl seeds should be planted in seedling pots indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost in the spring. Fill the pots with tomato-specific potting soil for best results. Plant the seeds 1/4 inch deep and water well. Make sure the soil is well-drained and kept moist but not soggy while the seedling grow. Seedlings need four to six hours of direct sunlight per day.

Transplanting

• Early Girl hybrid tomatoes are best transplanted in sunny, well-drained soil after the soil is warm and all danger of frost has passed. Plant 5- to 12-inch tall seedlings in 6-inch hills, 24 to 36 inches apart in rows 4 to 5 feet apart to insure good air circulation, pollination and dry foliage. Plant the seedlings in a deep hole or on their sides in a trench up to their first leaves. The buried part of the stem will produce roots, giving the seedling a bigger, stronger root system. The stem will turn upward toward the sun. Mulch around the plants to improve the ability of the soil to hold moisture. Apply a cup of water-soluble, high phosphorus, 10-52-17 or 15-30-15 fertilizer at the rate of 2 tbsp. per gallon of water to each hill.

Training Vines

• When the plant is 2 feet tall or more, stake, cage or set up trellises around the plants for support. Prune all but one or two vines and suckers. That way the plant will put all its energy into just the two vines. As the vines grow, keep trimming new suckers and train the main vines upward on the trellis. The vine can grow up or out along the trellis for up to 10 feet. Indeterminate vines grow blooms along the sides of the vine, so the vines continue to grow throughout the season and continue to produce all season long. Make sure the vines are supported so the weight of the fruit won't pull down the vines to the ground.

Fertilizer

• Fertilize the soil before spring with a tomato-specific fertilizer (8-32-15 or 6-24-24). Avoid fertilizers with ammonium, urea or high levels of nitrogen. Too much nitrogen makes for lush early growth, but poor bloom and fruit set and weakened crops. Tomatoes need higher levels of potassium, phosphorus and calcium than most vegetables to ensure plant strength, disease and pest resistance, and healthy fruit production. Watch potassium when fruit is growing. The fruit can leach potassium from the rest of the plant and weaken stems and branches or damage the fruit crop. Tossing a banana peel in the hole with the seedling when planting can insure high levels of potassium throughout the season and the rotting peel produces ethylene gas that can stimulate fruit ripening. If using a water-soluble tomato fertilizer, follow manufacturer's recommendations closely. Fertilizers during growing season can delay bloom set and fruit production, so follow manufacturer's directions closely as to timing.

Waterings

• Keep soil moist, but not soggy. Over or under watering can inhibit the plant's ability to absorb nutrients. Avoid wetting leaves or fruit or leaving soggy spots which can attract fungi, insects or plant diseases. Water deeply, enough to keep the soil moist between waterings, but never so much that the soil is soggy. Avoid wetting leaves and fruit. Use a soaker, bucket or hose around the roots. Don't spray the leaves.