How to Transplant Tomatoes into the Garden

You’ve started your tomato plants and need to know How to Transplant Tomatoes into the Garden. This is the next step in growing your very own tomatoes for canning and fresh eating.

Transplanting plants is not always as easy as it seems. Tomatoes can be trimmed and buried deeper to help make the roots stronger in the ground, while other plants don’t tolerate their limbs being cut off!

Grab all the best practices for transplanting your tomatoes so you can have a successful growing year, whether you grew these tomatoes from seed, got them from a friend, or bought them at a nursery.

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Transplanting your tomatoes too early or too late can harm their growth or even kill them! Getting the timing right is an important step.

Helpful Tools for Growing Tomato Plants

• Pots and containers for growing your seedlings and potting up. You don’t need all of these but some make potting up tomatoes a lot easier.
• Seed Starting Supplies: if you’re starting seeds
• Gardening Sheers & Tools: a few things that are helpful when you’re moving your plants into the garden.
• Worm Castings, compost, fertilizer, etc.

When is the Right Time to Transplant Tomatoes into the Garden

Transplanting your tomato seedlings is a balance between when the temperature is right and when your seedlings are strong enough to handle the move and the new environment.

Planting tomatoes will be different in every climate. The first thing you need to know is what zone you’re in or what your last average frost date is. If you try to plant those little seedlings too early, you’ll risk losing them to a light frost.

Take a quick look at How to Find your Zone before transplanting anything into your garden, so you know your average first and last frost dates and when it’s safe to move them.

Tomatoes like warmth, and their roots thrive in it. Ideal soil temperature for tomatoes is about 60º and ideal nighttime temps are about 50º. If it’s still getting colder at night, you will want to consider waiting to move those seedlings.

How to Harden Off Seedlings & Prepare Them for Transplant

Now that you have an idea of when it’s safe to transplant the seedlings outside, let’s make sure the tomatoes are ready.

When are my Tomatoes Ready to Transplant into the Garden

Tomatoes can be delicate. Even with perfect weather, your seedlings need to be mature and strong enough to handle the move. Signs that they are ready:

• Seedlings are 6-10 inches tall with a strong stem.
• They have at least 2-3 sets of true leaves; the leaves they have when they first sprout don’t count.
• The roots are growing and filling the container, but not root-bound.
• Seedlings have been hardened off for at least a week.

Hardening-Off Tomato Seedlings

Hardening-off seedlings means getting them used to the new environment. Your seedlings were probably used to being nice and cozy inside, with perfect 72º temperature, grow lights right above them, and little to know wind.

Being moved suddenly into the blazing sun, high winds, and fluctuating temperatures can cause a lot of damage to your plants! Here’s how to harden-off your plants:

• Day 1: Put your seedlings outside in a shady area on a day that has mild weather, no rain storms or strong winds. Leave the plants out for an hour or two, avoiding direct sunlight.
• Day 2-3: Extend the time seedlings are outside to 3-4 hours, in partial shade so they get a little exposure to the sun. Continue protecting them from harsh weather.
• Day 4-5: Introduce plants to morning sun for 2-3 hours and then move them back into a shady spot for another 2-3 hours. Keep an eye out for wilting, curling, or sunscalding! Move them out of the sun if you see any damage.
• Day 6-7: Plants can stay outside for 6-8 hours, in full sun part of that time. They should be exposed to gentle breezes and stems should be strengthening. They can stay out overnight if the temperature stays above 50º.
• Day 8-10: Leave the plants outside all day and night as long as it is warm enough. Let them be exposed to the sun for most of the day.

Now that your plants have been hardened off, they can be planted in the garden! Make sure you keep up with watering while your plants spend time outside. The sun and breeze can make the soil dry out a little faster than usual.

Transplanting the Tomato Seedlings

Transplanting tomatoes isn’t difficult, but there are a few tips and tricks that will set your tomatoes up for success.

Transplant tomatoes into the garden in the late afternoon or on a cloudy day so they aren’t exposed to harsh sunlight immediately.

Water the seedlings well a few hours before transplanting. Dig a hole deep enough to bury two-thirds of the stem or a trench to lay the seedling down sideways. Gently remove the seedling from its pot, trying not to disturb the roots too much.

Cut off the lower branches of the plant and place it into the hole or trench. Make sure no branches are on the ground. Backfill the soil and water thoroughly to settle the soil and help eliminate air pockets.

When you transplant tomatoes into the garden, they should be planted about 24 inches apart, and rows should be 3 feet apart to allow for proper airflow and to decrease pest pressure and the potential spreading of diseases. You can add a light layer of mulch around the base to retain moisture.

For determinate tomatoes, add a cage to help support the bushy tomato plant. For indeterminate tomatoes, add some kind of stake or trellis to help hold the plant up as it grows.

Common Mistakes to Avoid While Transplanting Tomatoes

• Transplanting too early – wait until the temperatures are above 50º to be save when translating
• Skipping the hardening off phase – skipping the acclimation will leave your plants in shock or worse
• Not planting deep enough – planting deep encourages more root growth and a stronger plant
• Overcrowding plants – planting too close can cause diseases to spread & less fruit production
• Over fertilizing – using strong fertilizer too soon can burn young roots
• Not using a support – adding trellises too late can disturb roots or lead to broken stems

More on Planting

• Best Companion Plants for Tomatoes
• How to Plant Turmeric
• How to Propogate Grapes

FAQs about Transplanting Tomatoes into the Garden

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How to Transplant Tomato Seedlings

Learn everything you need to confidently move your tomato seedlings from pots to garden beds. This guide covers when to transplant, how to prepare your plants and soil, and what to do afterward to set them up for strong, healthy growth.

Equipment

• shovel
• trellis or cage

Materials

• tomato seedlings
• compost or tomato fertilizer

Instructions

• Transplant your seedlings in the later afternoon or on a cloudy day so they aren’t exposed to harsh sunlight immediately.
• Water the seedlings well a few hours before transplanting.
• Dig a hole deep enough to bury two-thirds of the stem or a trench to lay the seedling down sideways.
• Gently remove the seedling from its pot, trying not to disturb the roots too much.
• Place the seedling in the hole and cut off the lower branches of the plant that will be underground.
• Backfill the soil and water thoroughly to settle the soil and help to eliminate air pockets.
• Tomatoes should be planted about 24 inches apart, and rows should be 3 feet apart to allow for proper airflow and to decrease pest pressure and the potential spreading of diseases.
• You can add a light layer of mulch around the base to retain moisture.
• For determinate tomatoes, add a cage to help support the bushy tomato plant. For indeterminate tomatoes, add some kind of stake or trellis to help hold the plant up as it grows.