When it comes to caring for tomato plants, focus mostly goes on soil, water, and sunlight, forgetting an essential aspect of tomato care–Spacing! For a bountiful harvest, you need to save up as much space as possible without overcrowding the plants. But exactly How Far Apart to Plant Tomatoes? Do all the varieties require equal spacing? Is spacing depends on the type of planting method? Let’s discuss it in detail.

Check out our article on best secrets to grow great tomatoes here

Do all Tomato Varieties Require Equal Spacing?

The simple answer is “No.” Broadly speaking, tomatoes have two categories–Determinate and indeterminate. The spacing depends on the variety you choose to plant.

Determinate Tomatoes

These tomato plants remain compact in size and reach only 1-4 feet height (depends on the cultivar), and once they attain the maximum growth, they stop growing.

The ideal spacing between successive plants ranges from 12-24 inches. For large varieties, 18-24 inches of space between plants is recommended.

Indeterminate Tomatoes

Indeterminate tomatoes are tall and spindly and need the support of a trellis. They won’t stop growing on their own unless the growth ends with either these varieties succumbing to death due to weather change, frost, or when you prune them back heavily.

Space them 24 inches apart from each other, if they’re pruned well and trellised. For large varieties, 24-36 inches of spacing between plants is recommended.

Note: As they grow, the plants occupy more space, just to be on a safer side provide a bit more space than necessary.

How To Space Tomatoes According To Garden Type

Apart from the varieties, the tomato plant spacing also depends on where you are planting them–Containers, ground, or raised beds.

Spacing in Containers

Note: Tomatoes planted that closely grow well when their basal leaves are removed.

Check out the best tomato varieties for containers here

Spacing in Ground

Spacing tomatoes in the ground is a pretty straightforward task as you need to provide 18-24 inches gap between each plant of determinate varieties and 24-36 inches for tall indeterminate varieties. If your tomato bushes are not staked and sprawling on the ground, maintain 36-48 inches of spacing.

The gap between rows depends on the space in which you’ll be able to maneuver without trampling over plants. Generally, 32-36 inches of space between rows is considered best, but you can make it a bit narrow or wide, depending on your needs.

Spacing in Raised Beds

In raised beds, keep your tomato plants at least 18 inches apart, this much of spacing is fine for most varieties. Large indeterminate cultivars can be 24 inches away. If the raised beds are deeper than 12 inches or more, you can plant tomatoes a bit closer. This is because the roots will have more space to grow with the added advantage of better nutrient availability.

Tomato Spacing Experiment

A series of 8 experiments were performed in Yolo County, California, between 1946-1949 to determine the ideal tomato plant spacing using the “Pearson” variety of heirloom tomatoes. They spaced tomatoes 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60, and 72 inches apart.  The observations were interesting:

  • Close spacing of 12, 18, 24 inches increased production heavily.
  • But the 12 inches gap didn’t provide the maximum yield.
  • The 12 inches spacing was also related to the risk of fungal diseases, difficulty in picking tomatoes.
  • In every test, closed spacing produced more tomatoes in early yields.
  • The increased spacing of 48, 60, 72 inches produced larger tomatoes but low yield.
  • Wide spacing also caused sunburn in tomato plants and less temperature control.
  • 18, 24, and 36 inches of tomato plant spacing was found perfect.
  • 18 inches distance produced more yield but smaller fruits, whereas, 36 inches produced bigger fruits but lower yield. Therefore, the 24 inches spacing was ideal!

You can read about this experiment in detail here.

  • Akingbala Olayinka
  • November 24, 2021 At 12:08 am
  • Thank you for the advice on tomato spacing as a beginner you open my eyes to many hidden techniques on tomato planting. I intend to start as a market supplier of tomatoes in dry season. I will required newsletters from as a guide.
  • Thank you
  • Reply

Thank you for the advice on tomato spacing as a beginner you open my eyes to many hidden techniques on tomato planting. I intend to start as a market supplier of tomatoes in dry season. I will required newsletters from as a guide. Thank you

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