The Well Prepared Tomato Bed

A prepared tomato bed is one that is warm and ready to welcome your plants! Here are my two simple steps:

First, pull out any weeds.

Second, cover the beds tightly with 2ml clear plastic (visqueen). My husband secures the plastic to the sides of the raised bed with a staple gun. The plastic causes the covered soil to heat up faster and stay warmer than the surrounding soil.

On planting day, I remove the plastic and plant my tomatoes in warm cozy soil where their roots will grow and establish themselves without any delay. This is important, especially depending on the length of your growing season because in some areas, a delay could mean little or no tomato sauce for you.

Raised beds tend to be warmer than non-raised beds. Whether or not you have raised beds--the plastic covering for a month prior to planting will get your soil cooking.

Don't worry, if you didn't have a chance to cover your beds before planting time, plant your tomatoes anyway and keep notes on how they do. Then remember to cover your beds next year and you may find that your plants produce more quickly in the warmer soil.

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