Ripe tomatoes with lots of flavor and aroma are every hobby gardener's dream. In order for the tomato harvest to be plentiful, the correct spacing must be observed when planting.
In a nutshell
- Tomatoes need a lot of space
- correct distance depends on the growth of the plants
- if in doubt, plant fewer tomato plants
keep distance
When planting tomatoes, social distancing is a must. There are several reasons for this:
- need a lot of nutrients
- grow in width
- need a lot of sun and airiness
- Tomatoes don't like each other very much
If they are too close together, the plants compete with each other. As a result, none of them do well because of it. In addition, tomatoes are much more susceptible to diseases and pests if they are planted too close together. Therefore, when planting, the rule of thumb applies: less is more!
If you do not keep the planting distance, the risk of infection for your tomatoes (here one with brown rot) increases enormously.
Planting distance for different tomatoes
Since many tomato varieties have never been registered, the number of varieties is estimated at more than 7,000. It is therefore not surprising that there are plants with the most diverse growth characteristics. Therefore, the choice of the minimum distance depends on the growth of the tomato plants.
Pot and balcony tomatoes
The minimum diameter for a Tomato plant in pot amounts to 20 centimeters. Did you sign up for one bushy variety decided should the pot diameter at least 40 centimeters be.
balcony tomatoes
balcony tomatoes are varieties that require relatively little space. The minimum size of the pot is included with these special tomatoes 10 liters. This also applies to tomato varieties that thrive in hanging baskets.
Whether in the bucket or in the balcony box: A safety distance applies here too. Depending on the growth height you should here at least 50 (up to 25 centimeters growth height) or 60 centimeters (for larger plants) distance between the individual tomato plants.
Examples of popular balcony or pot tomatoes are:
- Balcony star (also suitable for balcony boxes)
- Hoffmann's Rentita
- Lizzano (also for traffic lights)
- Romello (also for the traffic light)
- Little Red Riding Hood (bush tomato)
- Vilma (height about 100 centimeters)
- Dwarf tomato Primabell (also suitable for balcony boxes)
Outdoor tomatoes and greenhouse tomatoes
in the bed or open ground you should choose a larger planting distance between the individual tomatoes than in the pot on the balcony.
Tomatoes in the bed
- Stick tomatoes: at least 50 centimeters
- Vine tomatoes: 80 to 100 centimeters
- Cocktail / sweet tomatoes: 30 to 40 centimeters
Notice: These are guidelines for orientation. Tomatoes are also happy about a larger distance.
In the greenhouse may the tomato plants a little tighter because they are protected from wind and rain. Nevertheless, the planting distance should be within 50 centimeters lie. However, a distance of 60 to 70 centimeters between the plants is ideal. the row spacing should at at least 80 centimeters lie.
Notice: If the tomatoes grow in pots in the greenhouse, the pot sizes for pot tomatoes apply.
popular stick tomatoes are for example:
Golden Queen
- Hilmar (also suitable for the bucket)
- Golden Queen
- Gold stripe (also suitable for the pot)
- Matina
- Red Zebra (height up to 250 centimeters)
popular Bush / vine tomatoes:
- Lyterno
- vilma
popular cocktail tomatoes are about:
Gardener's Delight
- Blue Pitts
- Gardener's Delight
- Katinka
- santo orange
- Tigerella
Among the popular Cherry / cherry tomatoes include for example:
- Black Cherry
- Primavera
- Sanvitos (Favorita)
popular beefsteak tomatoes are for example:
ox heart
- ox heart
- brandywine
- marmande
frequently asked Questions
Can I put two tomato plants in one pot?In principle this is possible. However, you need a correspondingly large planter for this, if it is not a question of typical balcony tomatoes.
What is the row spacing in the bed?The distance between the rows must be at least as large as that between the plants. So that you still have space to run, it should be at least 100 centimeters.
Can I put smaller and larger plants next to each other in the bed?You can mix the different types of tomatoes in the garden bed. However, when planting, you should ensure that larger plants do not take away too much light from the smaller ones.