Over the years we have found that a standard bulb planter is the best tool for setting out our tomato and pepper starts in the spring. It works well for broccoli and cabbage plants too; in fact, everything we grow in our standard 2½” deep pots are set out with a common bulb planter. Our gardening methods involves not tilling the ground in the spring. In the fall, winter wheat is sown in the garden as a cover crop. The “cover” keeps winter weeds from getting a foothold and pumps organic matter into the soil, among other things. Dead wheat stubble is all that litters the ground in the spring at planting time.
With a push and a twist a perfect hole is made for the tomato or pepper plant. We drop the start undisturbed into the hole and press a little of the soil from the hole back around it to fill in the cracks, and water the new plant well to further settle it into its new home.
We hope this helps you in your garden this spring. If you don’t already have a bulb planter, below is a link on Amazon to a very affordable one. Clicking through from this site helps pay the bills for our website. Thanks in advance.
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