The first week in June is when you can consider safely planting your tomato seedlings outside. Tomatoes are a member of the nightshade family, so like their relative potatoes, they do well when planted deep in the ground. They will grow more roots along their stems and become stronger if you plant them deep.
Trim or pinch off the first set of leaves and plant them as deep as you can, then add some crushed eggshells or oyster shell (available at farm stores for hens) to the hole when you plant to prevent Blossom End Rot.
Add a tall (6 foot or taller) pole beside each tomato plant, and run a string (baler twine works great) beside your new plant. Using a garden staple or tent peg, pin the string next to the plant. After this, you can use tomato clips or very loosely circled zip ties (thread them through the string so they can’t slide) to hold up the plant as it grows.
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