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How to Plant Tomatoes in Alabama
How to Plant Tomatoes in Alabama. Tomatoes are essential to the vegetable garden. Tomato plants require full sun, warm temperatures and organic rich soils that drain well. Alabama growers can plant tomatoes after the last frost, usually between February 18 and April 10. The southern part of Alabama has the earliest planting times, and can start...
Tomatoes are essential to the vegetable garden. Tomato plants require full sun, warm temperatures and organic rich soils that drain well. Alabama growers can plant tomatoes after the last frost, usually between February 18 and April 10. The southern part of Alabama has the earliest planting times, and can start tomatoes from seed outdoors. Northern Alabama growers should start seed indoors at least six to eight weeks before the last frost or should purchase plants.
Things You'll Need
Hoe
Shovel
Water
Tiller
Organic compost
Sand
Rake
Starter fertilizer
Stakes or tomato cages
Mulch
Prepare a tomato bed. Use a hoe to remove weeds that will cause competition for water and nutrients. Many gardeners just till the weeds in, but some weeds will not compost and will simply re-sprout. Early eradication means less weed cleanup later in the growing season.
Check the drainage in your chosen bed. Dig a trench 8 inches deep and a foot long. Fill it with water and allow it to drain. Fill it again. If it has not drained in three to four hours you will need to adjust the soil with sand to increase drainage.
Till the bed at least 12 inches deep to break up clumps. Mix in 3 inches of compost to enrich the soil. Incorporate to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. If you need to increase the drainage, incorporate 2 inches of sand. Alabama's state soil is Bama, which is a well-drained loam, so you may not need the sand.
Rake the bed smooth and remove any roots, rocks or other debris. Dig holes 12 inches apart for dwarf plants, 12 to 24 inches for staked plants and 24 to 36 for trellis plants. The holes need to be deep enough to accommodate the entire root system and allow it to spread out. Place 2 tablespoons of starter fertilizer in the bottom of each hole and work it into the soil.
Remove the plants from their pots and gently tease out the roots. Place the plants in the holes and fill in with the extra soil. Press the soil in gently around the plants. Water until puddles form. Set stakes or tomato cages in the ground at planting or the tomatoes may become difficult to thread into their supports.
Top dress around the plants with 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch. The mulch will conserve water and prevent weeds while gradually composting in extra nutrients. Do not pile the mulch up around the stems or they may rot. Leave a 1-inch gap instead, and spread the mulch out at least a foot in diameter.
