Garden Maintenance – Big Organic Garden

Introduction As a home grower, it’s quite normal to have a lot of questions regarding plantation. When you are about to grow tomatoes in a raised bed garden, there is a lot to know about this topic. First of all, the good news is that growing tomatoes in a raised bed garden is not a big deal if you get the concise information. Because there are less soil and weed problems, no digging is needed and so many advantages. So, if you have the question like ‘how many tomato plants in a 4x4 raised bed?’ Don’t worry, we are going to answer this question in a very detailed manner. Let’s begin! Photo by Pemaphoto Nanista How Will You Space Tomato Plants in A 4x4 Raised Bed? Well, there is no one-word answer to this question. Because there are so many factors involved in this question. The factor that comes first is the variety of your plant, whether it is determinate or indeterminate. Determinate Variety of Tomatoes Determinate a variety of tomato plants grow to a certain size and get fully matured, then give yield in a very little period and then give up. Their growth duration is just a few weeks. Once they give their first or possible the last yield, the plants begin dying as well as produce no or very little number of new fruits. Determinate tomato plants are also called ‘Bush plants’ because they do not grow very much in height. Yes, they generally grow up to 4-5 feet in length. It’s not necessary to prune these plants as they stop their growth. But yes, you can support them using a cage or trellis, that depends on your choice. Measurement Do you want to use the trellis to determinate tomato plants? If you do want, then 2-2.5 feet (24-20 inches) (60-76 centimeters) apart in 4x4 will be the best for better growth. Well, this means you can go with 6 plants in a 4x4 raised bed. But make sure that you use trellis or cage and give a lot of nutrients for that number of plants. If you allow your tomato plants to lie down over the ground, the best space is 3-4 feet which are 36 inches and 91 centimeters. But the best plan is to support the plans using a case or trellis. Indeterminate Variety of Tomatoes This is the opposite of a determinate variety of tomatoes, yes, indeterminate tomatoes do not give very yield and die. They don’t stop growing in length throughout the season as they are vining plants. Indeterminate tomato plants can grow up to 12 feet long. Throughout the growing season, they generally give fruits and produce new fruits until the frost hits and they die. Actually, their yield is slow and steady (almost the whole season), unlike the determinate variety which gives only one but large harvest. The ripening process of indeterminate variety will take a bit longer time. Wait, why? Because they spend so much energy and time growing tall. It’s true that most of the tomato varieties are indeterminate like most Heirloom tomatoes, Sungold tomatoes, Brandywine tomatoes, and beefsteak tomatoes. Measurement In case, you are going to use cages or trellis for indeterminate tomatoes, 3-4 feet spacing will be good which is 36-48 inches and 91-193 centimeters. This means you can grow 4 plants in a 4x4 raised bed. If you want to allow the plants to sprawl over the ground (which is not a good thing), only 2-3 plants would be appropriate. Again saying, using cages or trellis for supporting the plants is the better option. Some More Thing You Need to Know About Spacing In a 4x4 raised bed, you will have about 16 square feet area for growing tomato plants. A single tomato plant will need at least 4 square acres to grow. According to this calculation, you can grow only 4 plants in a 4x4 raised bed which is very true in the case of indeterminate varieties. But, some of the indeterminate plants require more space, such as 6-8 square feet for one plant. On the other hand, you can easily grow 5-6 plants if you are going to grow determinate tomato plants. Apart from these, there are some varieties of tomato that only require 1 square foot for each plant. Additional Tips for Growing Tomatoes in A 4x4 Raised Bed So, here you go with some awesome tips that will help you more about growing the plants: The most important concern about growing tomatoes in a raised bed is the selection of soil. These plants love acidic soil of pH 6-7 (with good drainage). So, if you go through a little soil test before planting, it would be great. However, one of the best things about using raised beds is, you can easily manage your soil.The second concern is fertilization. Since the size of a 4x4 raised bed is quite small, plants will have small amount of nutrition to grow. Use organic fertilizers to feed them better. How Many Tomato Plants in A 4x4 Raised Bed - FAQs Question: What about pruning the plants? Answer: Pruning is necessary for the indeterminate plants as they grow up to 12 feet and cover all the areas. Question: What about watering the plants? Answer: Tomato plants need more water in a raised bed. Water deeply and slowly, early in the morning or before sunset. Always check the moisture of the soil. If it seems dry, water them. Question: Can I grow 1 plant in 1 square foot? Answer: Well, we told above once about it. But don’t expect to do this. Because that may be true for certain varieties or methods but for most of the varieties, that will be a disaster. And you must not want to have a jungle of tomato plants with no fruit. Conclusion Well, that’s all we stored for you. We tried our best to give you genuine information in a decorative manner. So, we can hope that after reading this article, the answer to how many tomato plants in a 4x4 raised bed is no more unknown to you. Try to take the best care of your plants from the very beginning to get the best result. Happy planting!