The Best Places in Your Yard to Plant Tomatoes

Sunlight

• Tomatoes are flowering vegetables and, like all flowering vegetables, they require six or more hours of sun per day during the growing season. Open, sunny areas are suitable locations for growing tomatoes. Southern -acing areas provide the most sun for the longest periods of time. West-facing areas provide adequate light. Garden sites facing north or east are less optimal for healthy tomato production.

Spacing

• Tomatoes are classified by growth habit. Determinate tomato cultivars like "Celebrity" and "Floramerica" have a bush-like growth habit, while indeterminate varieties like "Early Girl," "Burpee's Big Girl" and "Supersonic" are suitable for trellises and upward growth. Classifications should be taken into consideration when choosing the tomatoes suitable for your garden space. Bush-like tomatoes require the most space. Each plant should be spaced 1 to 2 feet from the next in rows that are 5 feet apart. As far as how many plants you need, Oregon State University recommends 10 to 15 tomato plants for a family of four. Choose an area that can safely fit the number of plants you require. Planting tomatoes close together prevents aeration and causes disease. Competition between plants decreases harvest yields. Vining tomatoes are better suited for small gardens because growers can exploit the plant's vining habit by providing supports and creating a high-yield vertical garden.

Soil

• Tomato plants prefer rich, well-draining loamy soil. Choose locations with this kind of soil. If your garden's soil is dense and compacted, build a raised bed approximately 5 feet wide and 3 feet tall. Fill the bed with a mixture of garden soil, compost and low-nitrogen fertilizers. High-nitrogen fertilizers increase foliage growth but impair fruit production. Raised beds allow water to drain more easily than compacted soils. Raised beds are also a good choice for gardeners with sandy soil. Sandy soil does not retain adequate moisture or nutrients. If raised beds are not practical, mulch plants in sandy environments. You may also choose to plant tomatoes in containers. Varieties like "Red Robin," "Small Fry" and "Husky Red Hybrid" are suited for container gardens.

Considerations

• Plant on top of slopes, rather than at the bottom. Frost pockets develop at slope bottoms, and this can delay or damage tomato production. Tomatoes need protection from high humidity and moist conditions. Water runs downhill and collects in pockets. When the option is available, plant on level surfaces or hilltops.