UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara County, CA
University of California
UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara County, CA

High Density Tomato Growing

Garden HelpVegetables > Tomatoes

Tomato assortment, Karen Schaffer
Too many tomatoes to choose from? Can't make up your mind? Consider High Density Tomato Growing, a great technique for anyone who wants to try lots and lots of varieties. Some advice:

  • Plant two different tomato seedlings together in a single cage. In our research gardens we have tried several different combinations. The plants were healthy, dense, lush, and productive. The amount of tomatoes produced from two plants in a cage was similar to having a single plant but harvesting two different varieties.
  • We suggest choosing plants of similar expected size and vigor. If one of them is outgrowing the other, prune off a few branches of the vigorous one to give the weaker plant a chance to catch up.
  • Choosing tomatoes of different sizes, shapes, and colors will make it easy to distinguish between them and can also give you a decorative effect, such as combining red and yellow cherry tomatoes.

If you give High Density Tomato Growing a try, let us know how it works for you. We'd love to hear about your experience.

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