A gardening TikTok shares how deep planting a tomato plant helps them become healthy and fruitful.
The tip comes from Derek Vincent (@rooftop2table), a TikToker who shares recipes, experiences, and tips from his urban garden. Whether you're an experienced or first-time gardener, this planting tip can help you take your tomatoes to the next level.
@rooftop2table The Key to My Tomato Success #tomato #tomatoplants #growtomatoes #plantingtomatoes #tomatotips #gardenhack #vegetablegarden #moretomatoes #tomatoplantsoftiktok ♬ Paradise - TELL YOUR STORY music by Ikson™
The scoop
Derek's first step starts with planting the tomato plant into the ground during spring. Before settling the plant into its place, remove some of the lower branches and place the tomato plant significantly deeper into the ground.
The results after this process are astounding.
With this method, the tomato plant creates a second root mass near the surface. In the video, the frame pans to the tomato plant above ground, showing the new growth above the original root mass. The additional roots make the tomato plant healthier due to the extra support and absorbed nutrients.
Derek contributes his increase in tomatoes and overall thriving tomato plants to this process. In another example, Derek shows viewers a second plant treated with the same method that produced the same results — a second root mass near the new surface above the original root mass.
How it's helping
While growing smaller-scale gardens can decrease the harmful effects of our larger food system, those gardens still require time, physical effort, and monetary investment. Optimizing the growth period ensures that those efforts are well-spent and that we receive the most from plants.
There are other factors that plants are fighting against to survive. Our changing climate is already affecting food security through increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and greater frequency of extreme events.
Finding better plant-growth techniques, similar to Derek's garden hack, help us get more to harvest. Who doesn't want a more bountiful tomato yield?
What everyone's saying
Viewers were thoroughly impressed by Derek's tomato success and even shared their own experiences with improving plant growth.
One TikTok user writes, "Good video, good advice, been doing this myself for 20 years. More feeder roots, more yield, around 25% more."
"Beautiful!! Have you ever tried an 'egg in the hole'? I do it, and I believe it makes a HUGE difference after some experimenting," adds another user.
Other people compliment Derek's tomatoes, calling them healthy, strong, and "so red."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
