This will CHANGE the Way You Grow Tomatoes

Do you bury stems when transplanting tomatoes? This common gardening practice may not be necessary. Gardener Scott discusses and shows a tomato planting experiment and surprising results. (Video #425)
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[@NipItInTheBud100]

The fact that you planted each plant differently made it so you can’t isolate the affects of your different potting and transplanting techniques from the affects of the planting techniques!

[@YourMom-kg1tb]

I plant in bigger pots, but that's because I am a very lazy gardener, and I don't like to have to up pot a lot of plants. I'm so glad you tried this experiment! I've always wondered if there was a better way. Thank you for justifying my laziness! LOL

[@hugelpook]

You say lazy, I say efficient.

[@barbaradoye1989]

I thought it and felt ashamed... Then I read your comment... I feel safe here! LOL

[@myredcurtain]

Same 😊

[@rebeccagifford8088]

I totally agree with number 3 I have been saying that for years and years

[@doncook3584]

I enjoy gardening but I’m not concerned about production. I grow slicing and cherry and end up having more than I can use and give away. They decompose quickly benefiting my soil

[@sheilakelley4328]

As a child, I helped my Granddaddy plant garden. He planted using a stick to make a hole for the seed. He planted his tomatoes from seed straight into the ground. Always had big, plump juicy fruit! Wish I had paid more attention to his methods!

[@SillCybin]

I grow heirloom tomatoes in my small garden and one of my joyful moments comes when I see a tomato plant making its way into this way into this world. I usually find a spot for the little plant and then wait to see what kind of tomato it will produce.

[@ericafoster4368]

Sheila Kelly I’ve had very good luck doing that myself, I figured that the stress of transplanting set them neck and weakened the plant.

[@gristlevonraben]

My grandpa made a slight hollow spot the size of a dinner plate, maybe an inch deep with a crater wall an inch high around it, then HR strewed a hand full of lime powder, and a handful of cow manure on the crater wall, then planted two tomato plants inside.

[@jimjam36695]

​@@gristlevonraben Seems like a good idea. I think people generally miss the idea that plants grow shallow roots as well as deep roots.

[@OhPervyOne]

Scott, here's a long-winter tip: When you have a long winter and the tomatoes get to be 12"-15" high, turn them over on their side and let them bend their tips up to grow to the lights. THEN when you can transplant them outside, don't dig a deep hole. Rather, dig deep trenches and bury the vines in them. The entire 15" of stem will become the rooting surfaces. (Trim the branches off, of course.) The 90-degree bend that the vine made will be where it comes up out of the soil. This will result in LOADS of roots. This worked well for me. I suggest you try it.

[@skepticalgenious]

Cool idea, I imagine this would work with peppers too. I am stuck using potted plant's. Apartment 😂

[@jillhumphrys8073]

Ive planted that way too, but not for the reason you state. Sometimes i have a tall plant and decide to put it in a place that i cant possible dig a hole deep enough to get it all in. So i use the trench method, but, i dont lay it down beforehand. I lay it in the trench and just leave the tip out and pack dirt around it. It will turn up on its own in about 2 days.

[@OhPervyOne]

@@jillhumphrys8073 That was how I did it the first time. It just occurred to me to try laying it down first in preparation. When I finally pulled the vine out after the summer of the second year, that vine had roots all over. I love the trench method.

[@OhPervyOne]

@@skepticalgenious I seem to recall peppers don't want to have their stems buried that way. I recommend you check out PRAXXUS55712 channel and watch his videos about how to grow and trim pepper plants to get them to bush out and produce more peppers. He has a second channel, The Voodoo Garden, where he grows indoors during the Winter months. He starts his peppers indoors. Worth checking out.

[@brandongarner1]

​@@skepticalgeniousthe growing it on the side and then burying the plant up to the bend works on tomatoes because the white fuzzy stuff on their stems turns into roots when buried. Peppers don't have the fuzzy stems, so that technique wouldn't work with peppers

[@randallsullivan3692]

Back in the 1980's I was fortunate enough to live next door to an elderly man who liked to garden also. I remember one year I searched the local flea market and bought some really big robust plants some even having 1 inch "baby" tomatoes already . On Derby day (always the first Saturday in May) we were both in our gardens planting our respective tomatoes. His were about the size of the ones you showed in the first of this video (about 3" tall) and leggy as hell. I was almost embarrassed for him and asked if he wanted a few of my plants. He replied that his would be fine and they would grow out when God told them it was time. His first tomato was 3 days after mine and even though his plants were still much smaller, his first tomato was bigger than mine. His poorly little plants went on to produce a bumper crop and with few exceptions were every bit as nice as mine. Just never can tell with tomatoes.

[@whitestone4401]

I experimented with direct sowing a tomato seed the same day I played an established plant outside. They produced tomatoes within a week of each other. The plant that started outside did much better. God has established times for all his creation.

[@DouglasEKnappMSAOM]

@@whitestone4401 And soil and fertilizer and local microclimates? All this can massively change how a plant grows.

[@vernonfrance2974]

@@whitestone4401 Mankind would be the term I use because although humans are part of Nature the plants and animals we use in agriculture have been adapted from nature, by our ancestors in ancient times. Whether it be plants such as corn, tomatoes, potatoes, wheat, rice, or most every other plant we use, we have taken Nature's handiwork and altered it into the forms we have now.

[@MrIndia-bv1fc]

@@whitestone4401 I'm going to try that this year! Will be interesting to see the results if nothing else. 😁

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

Importantly were you growing the same type of tomatoes as your neighbor? The tomato plant has been bred and hybridized for centuries. I've grown heirloom varieties like Cherokee Purple and Gulf Coast Market along with F1 hybrids like Celebrity and Big Boy. The differences in plant growth were amazing.

[@pintsizestories196]

I start my tomatoes slightly differently from your methods. I fill a large pot (I use a 1l yogurt container) half-way up with potting soil and plant the seed in that. As it grows, I gradually add soil to cover the stem. By the time I plant it out, I've got about 4" of buried stem with roots. In the garden. I dig a trench and lay the tomato horizontally in the trench. I gently turn the last 6" of the tomato plant up and support with a stake. After removing any leaves that will get buried, I cover up the roots and stem of the plant. I live in zone 4, so a short season area, and this method allows the roots to stay warmer. When I pull the plants up at the end of the season, I have very large root systems. I get plenty of tomatoes.

[@Negrodomaus]

Same. Been doing that for a couple seasons now.

[@markv.7151]

I also start my tomatoes in a larger and slightly taller pots and transplant them into a single larger pot on their sides outside, removing the leaves that are in contact with the ground. I also live in a zone 4 (borderline) 3 and have had very good consistent success.

[@Tk-iz2ws]

That sounds like an awesome way

[@daledave00]

I too plant my tomatoes lying down , it always worked very well , i live on Quebec

[@asquithmainlines699]

I have been laying my tomatoes in trenches as well. Been doing that for about 20 years. I am going to try the taller pot method as well it makes total sense. This year I am going to try a couple “ Long keepers “ they claim they will last for 4 to 6 months after picking? I also like experimenting with the Heirloom varieties.

[@dalebrames5573]

This video shows exactly why you should start your own plants. It opens up a whole new world to experiment with. It appears to me that smaller plants deal with transplant shock better and quickly catch up to bigger plants. Good video Scott

[@danaprahl9748]

Thanks Scott, that was really helpful. I decide to go to the larger pot right off the bat to save buying all those cells and it's made me decide which tomatoes I really want. Thanks.

[@RedStorm.]

I changed a few years ago and now let them grow right in the groundn from the start. I get a later harvest, but I like that. From MI

[@pamelawagner9440]

Thank you for all the work in bringing us this information! I have always buried the stems and since I too have a short season here in the PNW, I going to try not burying. Great timing! I’m excited to get planting in a few weeks.

[@scottmorgan8847]

Scott, Last year I grew San Marzano tomatoes and had a yield of about 50 pounds per plant. I started one seed per 8" pot with a mixture of pro mix with mycorrhiza, worm castings, mushroom compost, and rock phosphate. At transplant time they were on average 12" tall. Cut all leaves except the top and buried 8" of the stem in a mixture of mushroom compost, worm castings, bananas, rotting fish, seaweed, and composted manure. The plants averaged about 5' tall with multiple stems. this worked for this variety. I am going to try this with several different varieties this year.

[@lostpony4885]

I can see why my tomatoes look starving and would switch jobs to get that kind of pay

[@joematty1353]

Hi Scott I was wondering how much mushroom compost soil did you use when starting the seeds? So many videos are saying don't use mushroom soil to start seeds but I'm doing it for the 1st time this year to experiment. Thanks!

[@karinchristensen220]

Interesting. I love slightly scientific garden experiments. I stopped burying stems because I have such a short season I didn't want the plant to be spending time growing roots instead of growing stems and leaves. I did find one year that when I planted the tomatoes that were more root bound due to a late frosts and I didn't break up the root ball they didn't do well. The following spring I noticed when I dug them up the roots of those tomatoes the roots had not grown much beyond the root ball that came out of the pot. I was having a lot of trouble with blossom end rot and I think the small root ball was the problem. After seeing that I now rough up the root ball before planting. Plant number 2 had a pretty thick root ball which I noticed you didn't break up. That may have contributed to it not doing well.

[@jeffbradford1999]

I will be starting in larger pots indoors with grow lights. My take away was having putting soil topped with seed starting mix. For me less steps the better. I always enjoy your videos.

[@beckypeterson7522]

I do a modified Plant #3. I plant into a solo cup about 1/3 up. As it grows, I add more soil- I don't transplant it. (I also put vermiculite on the top of the soil.... cuts AY DOWN on fungal gnats) It seems to work for me!

[@robertavillella6485]

I did the same last season. Did you up pot the plants at all before planting outdoors? How was your harvest?

[@bluemoon8268]

… based on Scott’s observations, your plants will still be putting more energy into creating new roots rather than strengthening the original roots and the stem …

[@josephcernansky1794]

I grew up on a farm and we grew all sorts of vegetables to sell in town. About 4 ACRES, ALL worked BY HAND!! No machines, just hoes and rakes and shovels. It was the "good ole" days with a big family of kids to do the work....and we grew and raised as much of our own food as we could. We planted 500 tomato plants every year. We harvested over 400 bushels per year. At the end of the season all the half ripe and green tomatoes were picked and laid out in our cellar to ripen, or canned as pickled green tomatoes, some with hot banana peppers or sauerkraut, or assorted vegetable mix. Which are all a delicious use for green tomatoes! When we planted those tomatoes, we had started all the seeds in "flats" with basically sifted fine dirt (by hand over a screen-box) from the garden mixed with composted manure. It's how it was done in the "old country". We had a "cold frame" made from old windows that was set outside. We didn't have any fancy greenhouse or grow lamps as I don't think they were even invented then! The flats were filled with warm soil mix and left to germinate in the cellar until sprouted. A small fire was made inside the cold frame to heat the ground, then a layer of straw placed with the flats on top and covered with the straw and the top closed. Within 2 to 3 or sometimes 4 weeks the plants were thinned from the flats and transplanted to a couple inches below the roots. The TRICK was.....the spot where the transplant went was had a shovel full of dirt removed. Buckets of the mix of composted manure and sifted dirt were wetted with water into MUD which was "slopped" into the hole and the transplant shoved into it. Not much else was done to the plant until it grew and then we staked and pruned every plant by hand using old scraps of cloth to tie it to the wooden stakes we got from the sawmill. On my own farm, as an adult, I have experimented with HUNDREDS of types of tomatoes, peppers, and all sorts of vegetables. I have been able to grow indeterminate-vine tomatoes with vines as high as 25'!! Plants that produced OVER a bushel per plant....and when adding in the green at end of season it was a full 2 bushels per plant! What I have learned from over 60 years of growing vegetables......it's mostly about the soil. The climate has a big part, but variety and soil are the major factor in gardening success. Find varieties that YOU prefer and that PREFER your conditions. As for tomatoes....I like mainly growing Celebrity Hybrids....so much less problems and hassles. I don't care much for the Beefsteak variety as they get too watery for my preference. The Italian plum variety (Viva Italiano II) are also nice and if you "super-fertilize" the planting hole they will grow large, tasty fruit good for slicing, saucing or canning too. The Super Sweet Million are great for snacking while working the field! And try some Brussel Sprouts....the Red Rubine is awesome if you can find the seeds or plants. ....and I DON'T stake them anymore...forget that work! I use ROLL of reinforcement wire. It cuts easily into round cages with the small cages from the store used to set at the transplant and the big cage set over that. The cages last for many years. Trust me, I figured out the EASY WAY to garden! You can use the FLAT reinforcement wire mesh for "staking" pepper plants and such. Clip off the ends, stick them in the ground and let the plant grow up into the wire mesh to support itself. These can ALSO be covered with clear plastic as "cold-frames" to get an early start on the growing season. Just pull back the plastic as temps warm.

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

Thank you for taking the time to record your experiment. I will definitely start in larger pots this year. Last year I up potted twice in addition to burying the stems when I planted out in the raised beds. In October I still had a ton of green tomatoes that didn't have a chance to ripen. I also pruned heavily which I will not do this year. There were three plants that I ran out of room for and wound up planting in the ground in my front yard. I only pruned these a bit for light to reach the tomatoes but otherwise let them grow pretty wild. Those three plants were my best producers. I'm not sure how to interpret this result other than new location and no pruning, since all were started the same way, up potted twice and buried deep. But it's a new year and time to do something different 😊

[@bowtielife]

That was an interesting and well thought out experiment! Length of root is what I expected. It was cool to see the clusters of new roots up the stem, though! It is good to know that slow and steady on number 3 wins the race. I like the lazy/patient approach to everything I can apply it to! 🌞

[@IndigoCobalt]

I appreciate the time and attention to detail put into this experiment. As a new gardener, I found this very helpful and interesting! 🍅

[@yardturtle]

Came here to say this. Thank you Scott!

[@DayTrader__]

Wait what? Scott, you just blew my mind! You and I have always up potted, especially out tomatoes, but now we got to change that! wow, I am so glad you too the time to do the comparison for us. Thank you for that. to be honest I just knew you method we have always used was going to come out on the top but when it didn't and you said you are going to change the way you pot them I knew that I was going to have to do the same. You gave an honest opinion of your findings and that's something you don't see much on KZbin anymore. You are an amazing gardener and so glad i found you a long time ago. Thanks again for taking the time to help all of us out here be better at what we all do and love. when I hear "Hello, I'm Gardener Scott" it's like me watching my favorite tv show's next new episode! lol

[@warrenalbert7922]

I will try this method out this year here in GA and see what happens. Thanks for the comparative information.

[@carole6779]

Fascinating! I have always buried the stems in the past. Not this season! I will definitely revisit my approach. Tomato #3 just seems happier all the way around. It will be interesting to see what kind of weather spring brings us this year. Last spring was crazy-windy. At any rate, thanks so much for putting this video together. Awesome experiment! 👍

[@C3Voyage]

Consider your climate. Really hot areas, bury them deeper to keep roots cooler and access water better.

[@brianseybert2189]

This will fall directly into how I plan on starting my tomatoes this year. Going to use a 2" soil block of leaf mold to get them started then will do a single transplant into a 4" paper pot, with my potting mix before going into the garden. Stay Well !!!

[@jeannettelawson3671]

I'm really excited to try your method of starting in a larger pot. The root system examples was very interesting. I live in the PNW and always struggle to get my beefsteak tomatoes to ripen. This looks like a great way to get those bigger tomatoes to mature. Awesome video.

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

This was very interesting...Thanks, Scott. We have always heard that planting deep was beneficial to the tomato. It may be more complicated than that so I'll try minimizing the transplanting and depending on the original root ball this year. Great experiment!

[@frankfreeman1444]

Scott: I am a regular viewer of your channel. It's one of my top 5 gardener shows. I want to thank you for this show. I live in Thailand now, and we are starting a garden in our new house here and are planting 8 varieties of tomatoes. BTW, I am a native of Arizona and it was nice to see your Kokopelli Arizona shirt! Also, I am a long-time viewer of the English gardener at Home Grown Veg with his wonderful dog Mollie, who passed away about 2 years ago. Your pupper looks really sweet and I wish you would introduce her. If you have before and I missed it, sorry. The furry helpers make me feel more connected to the presenter and channel. Frank

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks, Frank. I introduced Mala in a video months ago. I'm sure you'll see her in more videos.

[@jerridombrowski6017]

that's a great tip

[@milkweed7678]

Great video! I've always wondered, on a small scale as in gardening, why not start in a larger pot and leave it alone. I guess the next experiment would be to have two like this and plant one deeper to see what if any difference. Really like this experiment! Good job!

[@Katydidit]

Interesting experiment. I especially appreciated the view of the tomato plants' root growth pattern ... post season. Food for thought. I was told to plant deep here in Texas. We never did that up North. However here it gets so hot... the top few inches dry out quickly. However maybe the plant is also struggling to put out roots in that drier soil anyway... when it could be concentrating on shooting roots down deeper. Thanks for this great video! I will be creating my own test experiments this year!

[@happy2cya70]

Great video! I bought some small disposable cups to start all my seed in and have them lined in a rubbermade container. I will be able to write what is in each on the cup when I plant and hopefully they'll all be timed just right for just the transplant into the garden. I am trying a new variety to me this year along with an heirloom variety I have enjoyed in the past.

[@russellharris5314]

I tend to with tomatoes transplant the seedlings into its final pot when it is very small but with very little soil in the bottom of the pot. That way I can add soil to the pot as the plant grows and the plant receives little transplant shock. I do this because tomatoes are very similar to potatoes and a good technique for them is to hill them up while they are growing. If I put tomatoes into a raise bed I treat the seedling exactly like a potato.

[@jackstone4291]

What an interesting g way to grow tomatoes. If it works and theories there why aren’t we all doing it?!

[@ebradley2306]

I had the same thought .Why not just add soil up the stem in the original pot.

[@trvlswitrv]

Do you find that the interior sides of the pot blocks some of the light getting to the smaller plant?

[@russellharris5314]

@@trvlswitrv good question. I tilt the pot towards the light. And if I dig trenches for planting outside I tend to make them face south so they get maximum light in the beginning

[@TheRodgerB]

My Grandma told me over 50 years ago that nature knows best. She always told me give it a good bed of rich dirt , plant it and leave it a lone. Thanks for the Video. God Bless

[@suzannegriggs1011]

Thanks, Scott! I may try methods 1 and 3 if l have enough room under my grow lights to start in larger containers. Will be interesting to see if my results are the same.

[@doctorbobdc]

I liked seeing the various root developments. BTW, here is a 4th way you might like to try: Start like your #3 pot except begin with it only 1/3 to 1/2 full. As it grows, trim the lower leaves and put in a little more soil. Do this 2 more times before transplanting it to the garden. This way the roots are never disturbed except when being transplanted into the garden, and you get all that extra root production. A 16-ounce plastic Solo cup works well for this,

[@radamson1]

I think you guys referring to this method may be missing the point. It isn't so much the changing of containers that is the problem, but the slowing of the original root's growth while the new stem roots are developing.

[@davidsdesign543]

Very interesting experiment! Still a bit anecdotal, would love to see it on a larger scale. But definitely some worthwhile takeaways! Thank you for putting in the effort.

[@amyberchtold2728]

Gardener Scott, I saw an earlier video where you tried this option and did my shishito peppers, parsley and fennel like pot #3....3/4 soil to 1/4 starting mix. I thought it was a great idea esp since i do not have alot of time. They are doing awesome. I just did the same method for all my tomatoes. May they do as well. Thank you, you are a great blessing.

[@emptynestgardens9057]

Loved this experiment and it most definitely changes the way I start tomatoes from now on. 👍🏻

[@basicbaroque]

I'll make my newspaper pots much bigger this year. I also have a short growing season, so I'm very excited to try this. Great information, as always.

[@patrickwalsh2361]

Very interesting! The stress of the transplant has to enter the equation. I normally germinate in a little 1 and 1/2” (2” deep) square pot, then transplant to a 3” - 4” pot (5” deep), then into a 6” pot for the final couple of weeks (including hardening off). Your video makes me wonder if the “bury the stem” method isn’t a bit overhyped and not as important as giving the plants sufficient soil to begin with, while avoiding unnecessary transplant shock! The crux of being a great gardener is to experiment! I’m also trying to mix my “down to earth” organic fertilizers a couple inches away from the transplant hole (except for mycorrhiza and a pinch of bio-alive, an excellent raised bed product) to encourage the roots to shoot out. Thanks for the experiment Scott! Maybe, I’ll just do 2 sizes of pots instead.

[@lmullens75]

This was a great case study! I’ve always thought that burying the stem deeper meant a better harvest, but I can totally see how the established roots not being disturbed on plant 3 had an advantage. And the stem size!!! Cool!!!

[@mikestemplegotianditshoots6418]

The more ya burry the stem the bigger and stronger the plant. I tried both ways been growing tomatos fer 55 years.

[@londen3547]

Mind always ends up leggy and I end up burying half the plant anyway.

[@newmanmaple]

I have always started tomatoes in the larger pots. I use 3x7 square pots to maximize greenhouse space. My plants are generally 24" or so when I plant so I use an 18" auger and bury them deep. I add a couple inches of composted manure below and 6" or so above. I always have success this way. I do cherries in raised beds and all others in soil with a cattle panel trellis.

[@brad4527]

nice method! I use my compost also and put some organic fertilizer and pour warm water the put the plants in my rasied beds. I'm thinking here in NJ we just might have an early spring compared to last season . Gardner Scott is really good, also I like watch The Rustic Gardener and the Millennial Gardner. These guys are great. There are so many guys and girls out there and it's like going to class every time I watch from everyone and I even take notes to compare with my ideas. plus there is a Gardner from my home state of NJ I follow James Prigioni , he's in souther NJ . I moved to Nothern NJ . Good luck with your Season!!!

[@newmanmaple]

@@brad4527 I watch all those guys as well. I generally watch whomever is talking about what I am interested in at the time. There is a lot of great info out there. People have asked me to do videos, but I really don't want to go there. I share ideas, have a lot of visitors, and give away a lot of plants. I just want to keep it easy. Good luck too! I hope your year is great!

[@veraw2121]

Thank you for pointing me to this video again 😊. I think it is not so much as how big a pot you start in, but the fact that you didn't bury the stem of plant 3 that makes the difference. I've intuitively been doing this all these years but now I have something to show when friends keep badgering me about it 😊

[@onlythetruth883]

Man! I am reading all the comments of this video. You guys are the best. THANKS.

[@PackRatManiac]

I have the worst luck with beefsteak tomatoes in my climate. I think I'm going to try the third method out with them for myself. I think number one is a good option for people with large gardens that don't have the space to start a bunch of plants in bigger pots. I garden on a smaller scale and usually only plant one variety of some of my tomatoes like the ones I plan for fresh eating. I will definitely try the third method with some of the varieties that take longer to ripen so it gives me a little head start especially since pests and early blight can wipe out most of my indeterminates before I get a good harvest from them. Not to mention I usually don't get tomatoes to produce during the hot months since tomatoes drop their blossoms when temps hit 90°F consistently. I'm also trying shade cloth this year to hopefully help extend my harvest into the summer.

[@josephcernansky1794]

Try Celebrity tomatoes...a HYBRID that handles most anything thrown at it...very tasty and nice size without all the water of a beefsteak. I've been growing every sort of tomato in every sort of method you can think of for 60 years. Tomatoes are so easy to grow...even a politician couldn't screw it up! LOL Try finding different varieties for your conditions and preferences. If you grow from seed, look up Tomato Growers catalog. They have hundreds of tomato and pepper varieties to experiment with, You can make really easy, simple "patio" planters by getting old used large plastic tree planters that nursery trees come in. Line them with geo-fabric ("weed-blocker") fill with GOOD vegetable soil, stick the plants or seeds in, wrap the entire thing around with some green fence material like a cage. If you want to start early in season, you can wrap it with clear plastic for warmth. Easy and cheap. Another thing I have used is the RED PLASTIC mulch that is available online. Yes, it does help in fruit production and can be washed for years of use. Also, the "aluminized" plastic mulch is GREAT for increased sunlight AND helps moisture in the soil, mulching against weeds AND it really works to deter insects and pests!! Cats and other rodents stay away from the blinding glare they get for the reflective light on the ground. But it is very thin and lasts just one season. Not that expensive though. But I assume you are in the hot south so sun and warmth may not be a problem for you unless you want to try a winter garden.

[@kerrycoyle8930]

Thanks for sharing your video with us... You gave me some new ideas, so somewhat based on your results... I plan to use 18 oz. Solo Cups for all my tomato seeds this year. I plan to begin the seeding process on March 20th by using a mixture of about 70% / 25% / 5% as follows: 70% Pro-Mix HP with BioFungicide + Mycorrhizae mixed with about 25% of the mixture being equal parts of Kellogg's Indoor & Outdoor Potting mixes and then the remaining 5% of the total mixture will be mostly perlite & vermiculite with a bit of Trifecta+ fertilizer added and a small amount of worm castings. I plan to fill each of the 18 oz. cups most of the way with that mixture before adding only the Pro-Mix HP on the top portion where the seed will actually germinate. This probably sounds like a lot of trouble trying to obtain all these products but I actually have them already on-hand as they are left over from previous years. Hopefully if all goes well, I'll be transplanting all of them out in my raised garden bed once it gets warmer... around May 8th or so depending on our 10 day weather forecast.

[@auntiemo103]

What a very thorough and insightful experiment! So nice to see the results from seed starting right through harvest, and root growth analysis! This will be my first year attempting to grow tomatoes from seed, I think I will try your #3 idea, and save my 24 cell seed starting tray for other plants!

[@jamesdean8626]

Hey Scott, thank you for taking the time to make this video. How deep up the stem to plant has always been a quandary for me and many others as well. Thanks again!

[@DonnaClements-zw7im]

I have been growing things off and on since I was 16. I just turned 68. I started growing veggies and flowers in dresser drawers, boxes, tins, and so on, WAY before it was 'a thing'. BUT, there were places where I had moved to (like where I have lived for the past 10 years) where you are not allowed to plant vegetable! Sigh. THAT is the back story which leads to the FRONT story: in all those decades, I never once thought to try a 2 step planting like you just did, i.e. plant the start in a larger pot - step 1, then transfer straight to the main garden - step 2. How bloody brilliant! Thank you for not only sharing your experiment and results with us, but exposing me to a tomato variety that I had not yet heard of. Happy planting!

[@paulschaefer5241]

One of the first things to consider when rating the strength of a tomato plant is that stem caliper is more important then plant height.

[@donaldduck830]

I started looking up caliper, then I realized you mean calibre. And yes, that is how I choose my plants: The strongest, thickest stems and the greenest leaves.

[@derekcox6531]

Fascinating observations mr Scott! I’m definitely going to try the single larger pot method this spring to see if I can’t grow a larger variety of tomato this season.🤔 up til now,I’ve never been able to grow larger tomatoes to any great success. Our season here in Alberta is really only (reliably) 80 days in my experience. It will b fun to give it a go!👍👍👍

[@derekcox6531]

@@harddocs I have not tried Early girl,however I do successfully grow Manitoba tomatoes in my area along with Sub Arctic plenty, Manitoba is one I grow every year,but the fruit are just not what I think of as large really. Also I’ve grown New York . All three turn out tennis ball size tomatoes (roughly) At least that’s been my experience. I’m excited to try at least 1 beefsteak type this year using mr Scott’s ‘early start,larger pot’ method.🤔

[@consumer365]

I noticed the same thing. A seed right in the ground grew and passed up transplants. Especially if it's hot or bad transplant weather like I had. This year I'm dropping them right in the ground.

[@elmerkilred159]

I'm experimenting this year too. This year I made my own soil blocks from peat & leaf mold compost that I pasteurized with boiling water. I started pepper plants at the beginning of December, and the tomatoes about two weeks after. The balls were made about 3" in diameter and now that it is February, most of the plants are looking like they could be transplanted into solo cups, or maybe custom cardboard or paper cells to build the soil level deeper. All of my starts at this point have thick stems without the use of a fan, and the leaves have a little bit of curling on the tops because they are either not liking being bonsai'ed, and/or I keep the lighting low, and on them from 14-16 hours each day. I'm in Kansas-6b and a FFrost date of April 18th, so I expect the plants to be in production mode by late April. The goal of this is to have produce before the heatwave hits in the summer so that I can get at least two flushes of vegetables, while the plant grows larger in the 110+ temps when it won't set fruit. It actually looks like your Number 1 tomato plant in your video that you planted deeper dedicated more time to rooting further up on the stem, and this might have delayed the production of fruit, compared to number three. That's good info. Large tomato plants in general can drop taproots down about 6' deep if they don't hit a hardpan and grow sideways. Thanks for the videos. It has made me re-think a few of my practices in the garden!

[@TheRealHonestInquiry]

~30% white shade cloth over your plants when those 110F temps hit should solve your issue.

[@toosense]

What a great experiment. The visual of the roots was most helpful. I plant once in ground but then bury the stem as the plant develops. I won’t do that anymore, one and done. Thank you very much!

[@mags9536]

Very interesting I'm going to experiment with this I think

[@LLAMA-LLAMA]

This was really interesting, I’ll have to make some alterations to my plans. Great video, thank you!

[@oregonpatriot1570]

After 'hardening my plants off', I put 5 plants in the ground today. The forecast was for clouds and a chance of rain all day, which was great because I wanted to given them one or two days before the sun beat down on them. _Wouldn't you know it? By the time I got them in the ground there was nothing but sun! ...for the rest of day._ Thankfully I have a big sheet of 40% sun shade! I doubled it just to be sure my babies get a chance to get established. One of my _'Beaverlodge'_ plants was so tall I needed to dig a trench.

[@lostpony4885]

Wow the root examination shows everything. Absolutely changes my assumptions about more being better, but still has application depending on how you want to deliver food n water to your plant, could still be best for companion plants to organize where whose roots are etc. Great study, thanks!

[@CanadianBrewingChannel]

This makes sense. I started my tomatoes too soon last year because I couldn't wait for spring lol. I had 30 inch tomatoes to plant. Not easy. I buried them 2 feet deep. They did very well but I would agree that they took much longer than other tomatoes that I only had to bury 12 inches. Cheers.

[@justsayin5609]

LOL Have done exactly the same ;) My issue is not going overboard with starting so many, of so many diff varieties. Last couple of years I've supplied most of family & friends with toms, peppers, zukes & squash. I believe I've also cultivated a new obsession. 🤷‍♀🍅💖

[@Arcticdi]

Wow! This came just a couple days late. I already started my tomatoes (TX). I had considered starting them in the 4 in pot but followed conventional wisdom and went with the 3in and pot up. BUT, when I pot up I will not bury the stem and keep it at the current soil level and see how that goes. Thanks for the great research. Clearly #3 was the winner!

[@lemhanback9595]

Just goes to prove your never to old to learn something new. Thanks for sharing the result of your experiment.

[@SciaticaDrums]

I've been doing the potting soil with a seed starter mix on top for a couple years now. I just thought it was the right thing to do. That plant in the big pot is clearly bigger!

[@Flippin_Crazy]

Excellent video! And you just changed my mind about how I start my plants, entirely!

[@ronfeggio]

Thanks for the information. This year, I plan to start seeds in the cells and transplant the best plants to 1 gal pots until they go in the greenhouse.

[@SherryTheSecretary]

Wow! What an eye-opener. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this experiment and then sharing it with us. I will definitely change my way of starting seeds to your third choice. Just starting the seed in a bigger pot and then transplanting it directly to the garden. 😀

[@adrianianna2868]

I plant mine deep but also cut the bottom of a 15 cm plastic pot & put it over the top. As the plant grows I back fill the pot (trimming the leaves) You will get great root growth. Works for me..

[@georgelandry7942]

I'm definitely going with the one big pot method this year. I will do it with my peppers and eggplant as well. We have 3 separate gardens to plant in 2 states so I think this will be the best use of our time. Thanks so much gardener Scott for this great content.

[@mrcryptozoic817]

I've grown tomatoes in a small field for 40 years and transplant only once. That is, from a cold-bed to open air and when I do, I plant them on their side (like an L) so just the leaves are above the soil. They give early and plentiful production. I've found that two replantings are actually detrimental (as you did). At the end of the season, the root growth has been so vigorous that I need a shovel to dig them to prepare the ground for winter. (And I always throw the stems and bad or dropped fruit onto a compost pile away from the garden to reduce chance of viruses impacting the next season).

[@froglobster]

I plant tomato’s in a large outdoor wood barrel style pot every year they grow like a son of a beach constant regrow the with appropriate prunage… water sunshine and finely ground eggshells mixed in the top couple inches, such delicious tomato’s ! Reminds me of a girl I knew in my past. I used to call her tomato because she was red and juicy.

[@LiliansGardens]

I'vealways planted my tomatoes deeper twice and yes I notice that pattern on the root ball as well yes, I know the plant would be under stress to produce the new roots I still thought it helpe because my tomatoes fruit like they're on something though my garden is entirely organic. I will try your way this year, I will go with that method of not covering the stem deeper because I need to be saving my energy.I like every opportunity to play with soil I must confess

[@Cowtownmama1951]

Very interesting! I’ve always burrows my seedlings deeper…..but I’ve always started them in small cells…..So this year I’ll start in bigger pots and only transplant once. Happy growing!

[@anniecochrane3359]

Interesting and useful experiment. I start with the bigger pot because if I delay, for any unavoidable reason, to repot the seedlings from a smaller seed tray, they can become stressed. And I dont like disturbing them too often. So I"m really glad that your experiment supports this practice.

[@brad4527]

I lIke your method and follow . stater tray to a solo cup to the rasied bed. My fruit was out of control! Try a pink bumble cherry tomatoe from Bakers Creek, my new Favorite cherry🍒! This C.T is so sweet, on Friday I would harvest alot and have happy hour and have snacks from the Cherry tomatoe. They produce fruit so Fast and they peer so well with Blue Moon beer and Heineken light, I pour a tiny bit on them and dunk them lol so yummy😋

[@HiDave0016]

pretty cool experimenty, thanks for much for sharing your results. I'm an engineer and a nerd, so love this kind of data. In truth, you need a bigger test set, but pretty awesome experimen!

[@debbierhode6291]

I have also been starting them in the small pots so they fit in my grow tower, but I will just use the bigger pots now! I'll make room for them lol!

[@bpsaxena6599]

A thoroughly done study shared with us gives lot of clues to grow strong & healthy plants. Truely appriciable effort.

[@smhollanshead]

I get a similar result. Every time you repot a plant you stress the plant. When I repot my tomatoes I lose 10%. And, when I repot a tomato the repotting process slows or stops the tomato’s growth. This year I’m going with planting tomato seeds directly in potting mix and planting those germinated tomato seeds into my garden.

[@MariaM-ew7qz]

This was excellent! Thank you for taking the time to show this whole experiment from beginning to end! I am only in my second year of seed starting, and have been watching a lot of tomato planting videos. This helps helps to consolidate a lot of the information I’ve been debating.

[@josephnadrignola1951]

Very interesting! Through similar experimentation I plan on starting my plants in newspaper pots about medium size. I will now try soil on the bottom and seed starter on the top inch or two. I like using the newspaper because it facilitates bottom watering and because it does not require true transplanting. I simply tear open the bottom a bit where the layer of paper are thickest, and put in the ground. If possible I will try to not bury the stem as much as I have been doing. I move my ‘pots’ into a sunroom as soon as possible also keeping a close eye on the soil moisture. At some point I put them out in the partial shade during day only to expose them to some wind. This video was helpful in confirming some of what I discovered but also gave me some good new ideas. Thank you for it.

[@bobbiejofouts1708]

I'll try what you showed created the best results because, like you, I tried burying the plants deeper with the understanding the plant would be stronger and produce more, but the results were no better than when I planted them at same depth. The only reason I tried the trick of burying them deeper is because I'd read this trick makes the plant stronger and produce more. That wasn't my experience. Thanks.

[@juliaryan1410]

Hmmmmm, very interesting. Thanks for taking it from seed to fruit, that was helpful to see. The stoutness of the stem on tomato plant #3 convinced me to give that method a whirl and see what happens this season. I normally up-pot three times before planting and bury them deep. But, avoiding transplant shock and the diversion of new root growth along the stem makes sense as to how it would deplete the plant. Great experiment, I'm going for it!

[@janebadon3988]

Thanks for doing this experiment, it has changed the way I think!

[@bjones8354]

Wow, that was really interesting! It would seem to suggest that if you could start them in the garden bed they might have an even more vigorous root system.

[@noora7773]

I think if your growing season is long enough, you could! My season (with snowy winter) is so short that I want to start my tomatoes in the start of March inside in order to transplant them outside in the middle of May. In the beginning I still need to cover them every night because the temperatures aren't high enough...

[@kristingoettlicher3503]

Thank you for doing this. I will still bury the stems in my greenhouse, but I might try not when planting out.

[@mackplymale342]

I get a bigger root ball before transplanting. I let them go through dry periods. Thank you for the video.

[@SylvieLaflamme]

Good video! I've learn another way you can try. Start your tomato plant in a plastic bottle with holes in the bottom and with only 2 inches or soil and add soil when needed. The plan will not be stressed and will be able to grow more roots and will be stronger. You will cut the bottle on each side to extract gently your plant and you will be able to transplant it in your garden without any stress. Try it!

[@SillCybin]

Outstanding! Truly outstanding! I have been growing tomatoes for years and this trinket of knowledge is completely opposite about what I have been taught from when my father showed me how to plant tomatoes. I will not bury my tomatoes in the lush and fantastic soil in my garden bed. Perhaps I will get more ripe black krim this year before the cold sets in. Thank you.

[@heidiclark6612]

Wow! What a great comparison! It’s amazing that no matter how long I have been growing tomatoes, I can learn to change the way I start them. Thank You for all that you teach me. I noticed that you did not loosen the wrapped around roots on your transplants as you were planting them. Is this needed?

[@GardenerScott]

With smaller plants and smaller roots I don't think it's necessary. Loosening those small roots can cause a lot of damage.

[@valerie4975]

You just saved me a ton of work lol. Thanks for all the work to record the whole process over time.

[@KatesGarden]

Thanks for sharing this! It’s a small sample size but still shows the different methods are comparable. So you do you! Do what working for you! Thanks again 👍

[@eliandkate]

this is fab. I hadn't considered the layering of compost and seed mix... stealing this idea :D

[@djf8619]

I think I will try one pot. You hear all kinds of growing methods, but comparison is the best, and I think you have proven a point here.

[@writethisthat3613]

Scott, well done here! I really like this experimentation.

[@fergusdangerfield156]

Hi Scott, more great content . I grow my tomatoes as cordons in the greenhouse and pot them into their final growing pot at the second reporting. I'm in SE England and I do experiment but always grow, gardeners delight and sun baby varieties. My best year resulted in 2,400 fruits from six plants. I pinch out the growing tip after 5 or 6 trusses. Thanx for posting x.

[@JH-fv1gq]

Thanks. Big lower roots gather water and higher up finer roots gather the feed.

[@robertshorthill6836]

We are planning on "winter sowing" a lot of our garden plants this year. We have milk jugs cut in roughly half with a hinge at the handle that can be taped like a mini-green house. Sprouts can then be set into the ground by the end of May, covered by water walls till June 14. Right now we still have shrinking snow piles, with more on the way in the next few weeks.

[@dianelebrun6851]

Thanks for the experiment, it makes me think of how I will do mine different this year!

[@ecobluefarms223]

Definitely agree I decided a year ago not to start most of my seeds in trays unless I’m transplanting plugs

[@rosewood9839]

I’m starting from seed for the first time this year. I’m going with #3.

[@Kait2478]

I'm glad you did this experiment and posted it when you did! Great timing as far as YouTubing goes. This will definitely have me plant some in bigger pots, and I'm interested to try both a bigger pot AND transplanting deeper on the stem when I put it out in the garden and see what happens

[@cynthiacollins2668]

I plant in 6-cell "pots." I don't worry about how tall they get because i plant them as deep as possible, so that i know they have a head start at being far down when hot dry weather arrives. I would pot up, but have no place to put 40-60 big pots of tomatoes in addition to all my other seedlings! Great experiment!

[@kenclarke4906]

What in I found to be a great method to begin your starters is to start in a solo cup. The cup is deep and allows the main root to grow long before spreading out.,. tomatoes are deep watering plants. When plants are in then finally in the ground, you then water with a watering spickit, which is a Long point perforated with small holes that you shove deep into the ground and Waters the full length of the routing system and causes the main route to chase the so ever deeper. You'll have so much fruit falling out your tomato basket.

[@caracaplinger1860]

This is fascinating! I usually use method #2; I think I'm going to try #3 here in Indiana, although we have a long growing season. But who doesn't love a few early, hearty tomatoes?

[@wisenheimer9997]

Excellent experiment... well done... and we discover that my laziness, once again, works to my advantage...