Looking for simple tips on how to grow healthy and productive tomatoes in raised beds this growing season?
Raised beds are an excellent option for all sorts of different gardeners. Maybe you don’t have the space on your property or you have trouble physically being able to garden in a traditional garden. Whatever the reason, raised beds can be assembled in all sorts of different sizes and configurations to create a growing space that works for you and your property.
There are several advantages to growing tomatoes and other crops in these raised beds. Not only is it much easier to plant your tomatoes in elevated beds, but it is also easier to weed, water, and harvest from these plants.
While you can easily grow tomatoes in raised beds, the care and maintenance of these plants throughout the growing season varies slightly compared to growing in traditional spaces. From the growing medium you use to how often you water them makes a huge difference in the health and productivity of your tomato harvest.
Even the raised beds need to be a certain size and depth in order to successfully grow tomatoes. With that in mind, check out these simple secrets that will have you growing amazing tomatoes in no time at all!
How To Grow Tomatoes In Raised Beds
The Right Raised Bed Style
Raised beds can be made with lots of different materials. Metal, untreated wood, brick, and even plastic can be used to make raised beds for tomato plants. It’s a great way to use up materials you already have on hand.
As an alternative to making your own, you can also purchase raised bed kits that include all the pieces you need. All you have to do is assemble them and they are ready to fill! Affiliate Link: Best Choice Products 6x3x2ft Outdoor Metal Raised Garden Bed
As for the size, they can be any width and length you prefer or that fits into your space. What’s more important is the height of the raised beds. While you can get away with growing herbs and greens in smaller raised beds, tomato plants are another story.
While tomato plants grow to be all different sizes, they all have large root systems. These extensive root systems help to anchor the plants in place, and they absorb the many nutrients tomato plants need in order to grow and produce.
Because of their massive roots, tomato plants need plenty of space to grow and expand. This isn’t an issue when they are grown in the ground, but raised beds only have so much allotted space.
For this reason, you need to ensure that your raised beds are at a minimum of 12 inches deep. If you can, sixteen inches or more is ideal. The added height will also make your gardening chores all that easier too!
Using The Proper Soil
The next secret deals with filling the raised beds. Even though you need to use taller raised beds when growing tomatoes, that doesn’t mean they have to fill the entire thing with soil. In fact, your plants will grow better if you don’t – and here’s why.
While tomato roots like moist soil, they also don’t like to sit in overly saturated soil. Proper drainage is so important when it comes to keeping roots healthy and preventing rotting.
So one of the best ways to ensure your raised beds drain easily is to fill the bottom with gravel or stone. This will allow the excess moisture to drain out of the bottom of the raised bed.
Next, you want to add a layer of organic matter. This layer also allows for better drainage but it also allows the roots to grow and expand with ease. Choose materials like shredded leaves, straw, or even grass clippings. Don’t be afraid to really pile up the organic matter because it will compact once you add the soil. A layer of between four to eight inches is best.
Adding The Soil
Now it’s time to add your soil. But not just any type of soil works in raised beds. Avoid using garden soil or topsoil as your only soil source.
While these soils work in some applications, they are just too dense and heavy to allow the tomato plants to grow in raised beds. Instead, you want to create a soil that is light, well-draining, and packed full of nutrients and resources that the tomato plants need.
You can achieve the perfect soil by combining equal parts of pulverized topsoil and compost. Then, mix in a bit of potting soil and perlite to lighten the soil that much more. Aim for using 1 part of potting soil and ½ parts perlite for every 5 parts of both compost and topsoil.
Planting Tomatoes In Raised Beds
When you go to plant your tomato transplants, add a few inches of compost into each planting hole. This additional compost will help plants get nutrients and become established right from the start.
To really power tomato plants, also add a few tablespoons of powdered egg shells, a quarter cup of worm castings, and a quarter cup of spent coffee grounds into each planting hole. And don’t forget to plant deeply. See, How To Plant Tomatoes For Big Success!
After adding the young tomatoes to the raised beds, add some type of support. Tomatoes grow rapidly and most varieties need some sort of trellis or support system – even those grown in raised beds.
Once the supports are in place, it’s time to add mulch. Mulch is critical to growing in raised beds because it helps to maintain moisture and regulate the soil temperature. Keep a layer of 4 to 6 inches of mulch around your tomato plants but avoid having the mulch touch the stems of the plants.
Don’t be afraid to use live plants as mulch. Growing beneficial crops like marigolds and nasturtium in the same raised beds as the tomatoes is a great way to cover the soil while benefiting the tomato plants at the same time. See, Why To Plant Marigolds With Tomato Plants
Growing & Maintaining Tomatoes In Raised Beds
Even though you added plenty of compost at the time of filling the raised beds and planting, you still need to fertilize the tomatoes. Apply an all-natural liquid fertilizer every 3 to 4 weeks during the late spring and summer months.
Tomato plants need around an inch of rainwater or hand watering weekly. Be sure to check the soil deep in the raised beds to see when they need to be watered. Plants in raised beds will typically need to be watered more often than those planted in the ground.
Here’s to growing amazing tomatoes in raised beds this summer!