Planting deep is a great option, but there are a few scenarios where planting sideways might be a better choice for you. Also called “trenching,” this method involves laying your tomato seedling on its side and burying some of the stems.

Why Plant Tomatoes Sideways?

There are several reasons to try planting your tomatoes sideways instead of deep. Some are physical, while others are climate-related.

• Plants are leggy. If your plants are tall, leggy, and have lots of space between leaves, sideways planting may be better than deep planting.
• Soil is hard to dig. If your soil is compacted or is otherwise difficult to dig, it might be easier for you to dig a more shallow trench than a deep hole.
• The deep soil is too cold. If you live in a northern climate, the deep soil can be cold in the early spring. A shallower hole may have a more suitable temperature for tomato roots.

The effect of planting sideways is essentially the same as planting deeply. It stimulates new root growth along the buried stem and helps support the above-ground stem.

How To Plant Tomatoes Sideways

Unlike deep planting, sideways “trenching” requires a couple of days of preparation. It is easy but definitely recommended to take these simple steps before planting tomatoes sideways.

1. Lay the plant on its side 2-3 days before planting. To train your tomato plant to grow upwards, lay it on its side a few days before transplanting. You will quickly notice that the upper part of the main stem will start to curve upwards. This step is crucial to avoid bending the stem, potentially damaging it.

2. Remove leaves from the lower stem. At the same time, lay the plant sideways, and remove the lower leaves. I don’t recommend burying the leaves, just the stem. Try to keep the junction between the leaf and the stem unharmed.
3. Dig a trench. After your plant has begun to curve upwards, dig a long trench approximately the length of the horizontal portion of the plant. The depth of the trench should be about the diameter of the root ball.

4. Place the root ball and stem in the trench. Lay the plant into the trench, allowing the stem’s curved tip to be above ground.
5. Bury the stem and root ball. Backfill the trench with soil, and compress lightly.
6. Water deeply. Be sure to water the entire trench area to saturate the root ball and the buried stem.

It is important to remember where the root ball and buried stem are located so that you can irrigate properly. Try marking the spot where the root ball was positioned at the time of planting.

What If I Grow Tomatoes in Containers?

Growing in containers makes the deep planting method easy. I do recommend planting deeply when growing tomatoes in pots, however, trenching is not ideal since containers are often too narrow.

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Instead of digging a hole, you can simply fill the pot halfway with soil. Then, add the plant to the soil at the proper depth (up to the first true leaf), and surround the stem and roots with soil.

Conclusions

If you haven’t tried planting your tomatoes deep, I recommend you give it a shot. There are so many possible benefits and very little in the way of drawbacks. What do you have to lose?

To summarize the benefits:

• Planting deep or sideways can increase tomato productivity, and fruit size, and improve the time to harvest
• Warm climates should plant deep rather than sideways when possible to benefit from cooler soil temperatures
• Colder climates may wish to try trenching or planting sideways, instead of deep to avoid soil that is too cold
• Planting tomatoes deep helps physically support the stems, reducing breaks early in the season

Whether it improves your plant’s performance or not, there are clear benefits to planting deep in virtually all growing scenarios.