How to Plant Peas and Tomatoes

Planting Peas

• 1

  Loosen the ground surface with a shovel as soon as the temperature reaches 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Rake the site to smooth it out for planting seeds. Alternatively, get the planting bed ready in mid-summer to sow heat-resistant peas for a fall harvest.

• 2

  Dig a 1-inch-deep furrow. Space multiple rows 18 inches apart.

• 3

  Sow the seeds 1 inch from one another along the furrow. Refill it with topsoil to bring it to the level of the soil surface.

• 4

  Install a soaker hose 2 inches from the row of pea seeds. Irrigate them at planting. Keep the seedbed moist to prevent the embryos from drying out and dying. The soaker hose provides gentle irrigation, keeping strong water jets from dislodging the seeds.

Planting Tomatoes

• 5

  Loosen the soil with a shovel and rake the surface to smooth it out for planting. Plan to transplant the tomato seedlings after the last spring frost.

• 6

  Cover the planting bed with a piece of black plastic mulch one week before moving the seedlings to the garden. Use a piece about 2 inches wider and longer than the planting area. Flatten the plastic against the soil. Bury its entire edge in the ground. Weigh it down with rocks or bricks. The black plastic mulch absorbs heat, maintaining the soil warm for tomato cultivation. Putting it in place one week before planting gives the soil enough time to warm up to the depth of the tomato seedlings' roots. The synthetic mulch also suppresses weeds.

• 7

  Space tomatoes according to the requirements of the variety you have. In general, dwarf seedlings need 1 foot between two plants. Place staked types 2 feet apart. Put 3 feet between plants growing on a trellis or sprawling on the ground. Dig holes through the plastic mulch with the same depth and width at which the seedlings have been growing in the flats.

• 8

  Place each transplant in an individual hole and refill it with topsoil. Firm the soil around the base of each seedling with your hands.

• 9

  Feed each plant a starter fertilizer, which is high in phosphorous, at planting to give the roots a boost. Select a brand and apply the nutrient at the rates listed on the manufacturer's label.

• 10

  Install a soaker hose 2 inches from the tomato seedlings. Irrigate them to the root zone at planting and keep them consistently moist through harvest. The soaker hose keeps the foliage dry, decreasing the risk of disease.