How to Plant Tomatoes: Spacing, Depth, and Best Companion Plants

Hey all! Real Farmer Jeff here.

Tomatoes are one of the most rewarding and popular crops to grow in a home garden. Their flavor, versatility in the kitchen, and wide variety make them a favorite for beginners and seasoned gardeners alike. They definitely are a personal favorite of mine!

But growing healthy, high-yielding tomato plants takes more than just popping them into the ground. Success starts with knowing:

How to space them properly to prevent overcrowding and disease
How deep to plant for strong root development
Which companion plants can help deter pests and boost growth

This guide dives into all of that and more. This way, you can enjoy a thriving tomato harvest all season long!

Let’s get started!

Proper Tomato Spacing and Planting Depth

Traditional spacing: Indeterminate tomatoes should typically be spaced 2 – 3 feet apart, while determinate varieties can be spaced slightly closer at 18 – 24 inches.
Planting depth: Bury seedlings deeply, removing the lower leaves and planting them up to the first true leaf. This allows the stem to form additional roots and improves plant stability.
Row spacing: Leave about 3 – 4 feet between rows to ensure good airflow and ease of access.

Pruning and Trellising for Maximum Yield

If you’re gardening in a tight space or using raised beds, consider aggressive pruning combined with vertical trellising. Note that the pruning part only applies to indeterminate tomatoes. To learn more about what that is, check out my blog post here.

Aggressive Pruning: Prune each plant to a single main stem or two at most. Remove suckers (side shoots) regularly. This keeps plants narrow, allowing for closer spacing (as close as 12 – 15 inches apart).

String Trellising: String trellising uses vertical strings attached to overhead supports, allowing tomatoes to grow upward. The main stem is wound around the string or clipped in place.

Benefits of Pruning and Trellising:

Maximizes vertical space
Increases airflow and reduces disease
Simplifies harvesting and maintenance
Greatly boosts yield per square foot

Companion Planting and Interplanting for Tomatoes

Companion planting and interplanting are two closely related strategies that enhance the health and productivity of your garden:

Companion Planting: Focuses on the biological benefits that one plant can offer another, like repelling pests, improving flavor, or attracting beneficial insects.
Interplanting: Planting different crops close together to make the most of your growing space, often with different root depths, growth rates, or canopy sizes.

When used together, they can create a thriving tomato patch that’s both space-efficient and ecologically balanced.

Best Plants for Tomatoes

Herb Companions

Basil: Repels whiteflies and aphids; may improve flavor.
Parsley: Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies.
Chives & Garlic: Natural pest deterrents due to sulfurous compounds.
Borage: Attracts pollinators and deters hornworms.

Vegetable Companions

Lettuce & Spinach: Shade-tolerant and occupy lower soil layers.
Carrots: Loosen soil and grow well with deep-rooted tomatoes.
Onions & Scallions: Deter aphids and take up little space.

Flower Companions

Marigolds: Repel root-knot nematodes and aphids.
Nasturtiums: Trap crops for aphids and flea beetles.
Calendula: Attracts ladybugs and parasitic wasps.
- Why Attract Parasitic Wasps?: Parasitic wasps may sound intimidating, but they’re tiny, harmless to humans, and great for pest control. Their larvae target pests like hornworms and aphids, reducing infestations naturally. They won’t harm your plants or beneficial insects, and you can attract them with flowers like alyssum, calendula, and dill.

Flowers to Plant Between Tomato Plants

Pollinators improve tomato fruit set, size, and quality. Here are compact flowers you can plant directly between tomatoes:

1. Sweet Alyssum

Low-growing, attracts hoverflies and bees
Acts as living mulch

2. Calendula

Upright but compact; long bloom time
Attracts parasitic wasps and ladybugs

3. Dwarf Nasturtiums

Sprawling, pollinator-attracting, and edible
Great for edges or in between rows

4. Violas / Johnny-Jump-Ups

Small, early bloomers loved by native bees

5. Chives

Upright habit, purple blooms loved by honeybees
Deters aphids

Thanks for reading along, guys!

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realfarmerjeff

Jeff has a deep passion for gardening. Each year, he cultivates hundreds of pounds of vegetables—along with the occasional fruit—turning his garden into a thriving and productive space. Combined with Kyrié’s cooking, together, they create exciting meals using Jeff’s harvest.