Do This With Your Tomato Plants In May For Strong, Healthy Growth All Summer

What is summer without some beautifully ripe tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) hanging from vines in your garden?  However, before you try any Epsom salt hacks to make your tomatoes thrive or tie them to a shiny new cage, you'll need to give your plants some careful attention. 

Since this is a warm weather plant, your best success with growing tomatoes begins by starting them indoors at least six to eight weeks before your last expected frost date. While these dates differ depending on which USDA region you live in, for most people, the last frost date occurs some time in May. By this time, your tomatoes should have sprouted into seedlings, in which case they'll be ready for transplanting outside in the garden. You shouldn't plant them in the ground the first chance you get, however — they need to be hardened off first.

If you plant your tomatoes directly into the ground after growing them inside, they'll likely suffer transplant shock. While this won't usually kill the plants themselves, they will take several weeks to recover. Hardening off takes the tomatoes from their comfortable indoor environment and gradually exposes them to outdoor conditions. These acclimated tomatoes will experience less shock when they're moved, growing healthier as a result. 

May is the best time to harden off your tomatoes, as well as other frost-tender plants like basil, because the threat of frost has passed and temperatures are beginning to warm up outside. So long as the outdoor temperature remains above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you can begin to harden off your tomatoes. It's important to know, however, that the hardening off process takes about 10 days to complete.

To start, take your indoor seedlings and place them in a shady, sheltered spot for two hours. Then, bring them back inside. Repeat this process over the following days, increasing time by an hour or so each day and gradually exposing the plants to more direct sunlight. Even if you get days that are partly cloudy, windy, or rainy, leave the tomatoes outside to be exposed to those elements. So long as you don't experience a sudden frost, the plants will be fine.

After 10 days, your tomatoes will be ready for transplanting! Plant them in the garden alongside beneficial companion herbs for tomatoes like basil, parsley, and chives, and give them a good layer of mulch to prevent common issues like fruit cracking or black leaf spot. Do these things in May, and you can expect to have strong, healthy tomatoes all summer long.