We can all agree that tomato, which is botanically considered as a fruit, is a widely-used ingredient in almost all recipes in the world. Tomato contains some of the essential nutrients needed by the human body such as vitamins A and C and lycopene.
Some History
Tomatoes were first grown by the Americans. Then, in the 1500s, the Spanish voyagers brought the plant from Mexico to the southern parts of Europe. Since then, the tomato plant has spread to neighboring countries until it became the most popular crop found in home gardens and farms.
What’s interesting is , before the tomato became one of the main ingredients in almost all dishes, the tomato was thought to be poisonous way back then.
Before the 19th century, the Americans considered tomato as a deadly fruit to eat because of its resemblance to nightshade. In the early years of 19th century, the fruit was proven to be safe to digest, and since then, it has become one of the most popular fruit.
Two Classifications
There are two classifications of tomato varieties: they are determinate and indeterminate tomatoes. It is important for you to know what classification you are growing to identify how far to space tomato plants.
The spacing of tomato plants is of importance to be able to grow and produce healthy tomato fruit. Below are the two classifications and some tips on how far apart should 2 tomato plants be
1. Determinate Tomatoes
Determinate varieties of tomatoes are called “bush” tomatoes because of their size. These varieties grow to a certain height, usually 2-4 feet high. This kind of tomatoes stops growing as flowers of the plant start to blossom and then bear fruit for a short period of time.
For determinate varieties, tomato plants should be spaced 12 inches apart in a row. On the other hand, staked plants should be spaced 24 inches apart.
2. Indeterminate Tomatoes
Called “vine” tomatoes, indeterminate varieties grow and produce fruit until the plant is killed by certain circumstances. This type can grow 6-10 feet high.
These tomatoes bloom flowers, set new fruit, and ripen fruit simultaneously throughout the growing season. Since this category of tomatoes is “vine,” they need to be staked for support and pruning.
When growing these varieties, you shouldn’t forget to follow the recommended tips on how far apart should 2 tomato plants be .
The plants should be planted 36-48 inches apart. Spacing the tomato plants less than what is required will reduce the circulation of air and may cause defects on the fruit.
How Do You Space The Plants Properly?
Now that you know about tomato plant spacing and why it is crucial, we can move on to learning how to space those plants the right way. Here are the 4 steps on how to space tomato plants.
- Step 1: Digging the plant into the hole
The first step is to dig a hole into the garden. Now, it is vital to set the root ball of the plant deep into the hole. This is to ensure that the roots will properly dig into the ground to have a good foundation. From there, you can already plant your first tomato plant.
- Step 2: Determining the plant’s variety
Now that you’ve planted your first tomato plant, what about the rest of them? Here’s where you learn how to space tomato plants properly. The spacing of the plants all depend on the variety or the size of the plant.
Obviously just like other garden edibles, the bigger the plant, the wider the space between the next one.
- Step 3: Planting small to regular sized tomato plants
If you are planting small to regular sized tomato plants, then the ideal spacing would be 24-36 inches apart. If you plant the tomato plants closer than 24 inches, then it is certain that the roots of both plants will collide with each other.
If your plant is on the rather medium sized scale, then I would recommend 30-36 inches apart as the roots of the bigger ones would grow longer. However, to be very conservative, it is best that you just keep all plants 36 inches apart.
- Step 4: Planting the large tomato plants
Aside from the small and regular sized tomato plants, there are also the large ones that can produce vines.
These are a little bit trickier to plant because the vines of these plants can grow pretty long. The vines of these tomato plants may hit other tomato plants and hamper their growth if not spaced properly.
Tomatoes have been used for food dips, different kinds of sauce, to ingredients of almost every dish. It is necessary to grow them properly to have healthy and defect-free products.
When growing them, you must know what classification of the variety you are planting to know the proper spacing of these plants.
Lastly, the spacing of tomato plants helps you grow the best fruit and enable light to penetrate to their lower leaves.
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