The most important part of the entire transplanting process is tracking the weather and knowing the average last frost date for your area. You can look up your average last frost date online using the Almanac site. As a word of caution, there is still a 30% chance of there being frost after this date, which is why it is so important to be mindful of the current temperatures and forecast.
PacNW springs can be very unpredictable, and in 2022 the spring was exceptionally cold and rainy, and while I generally aim to have tomatoes in by mid-May, the outside and ground temperatures were still significantly below normal so I decided to hold off. Eventually summer would come, right? The last weekend in May there was a freak frost occurrence, and the following week the nursery and hardware store were filled with people re-purchasing plant starts as there's had been killed off by the frost. Learn from their mistakes so you don't have to toss the seedlings you have been doting on for months.
I've found most of the online guidance for transplanting and what temperatures tomatoes can grow in comes from people who do not live in the PacNW. We live in a very cool, temperate climate, which means we almost never reach the optimal temperatures for our tomatoes, especially at night, and our growing season is significantly longer than most other areas in the US. I would caution that just because our growing season is longer, does not mean it is necessarily more productive.
Again, determining when to transplant isn't necessarily a science, but I try and wait for a long stretch of sunny or partly sunny days in the forecast with average to above average temperatures. Also ensure that nightly low's are a minimum of 40 degrees, but you should aim to have them in the mid-upper 40's. This is much lower guidance than what you usually find online, but is reflective of the reality of the cool spring temperatures in the PacNW - if we waited for lows to consistently be in the low-50's we would be waiting until late June.
While you wait for the elusive PacNW warm, sunny weather it is time to get your supplies for transplanting the tomatoes and amending the soil to set you tomato infant up for success. I recommend getting a fresh bag of compost (I usually use fish compost), bone meal, slow release fertilizer, epsom salt, and Jobe's Tomato Fertilizer Spikes . I use the Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Flower & Vegetable, but have used other brands with success in the past as well. I prefer the slow-release fertilizers because we live near a body of water and slow-release is supposed to significantly reduce the amount of runoff into the ground and water. I'm also lazy and prefer to not constantly have to fertilize my plants and it helps regulate their nutrients so you aren't over fertilizing and growing a giant green, tree with no tomatoes. I'm a big fan of and highly recommend the Jobe's fertilizer sticks, and stick 2-3 near each of the tomato plants and that feeds them for a majority of the season.
In the late fall and/or early spring when I'm turning the soil, I usually mix in a handful of bone meal where I plan on planting tomatoes. The bone meal contains calcium which is essential in the fruiting process of tomatoes and ensures large, meaty tomatoes. When I go to transplant the tomatoes I throw in another small handful of bone meal at the bottom of the hole. I also have watched some youtube videos where people use powdered milk instead of bone meal, so that could be an option as well if you aren't inclined to use bone meal or don't have any on hand.
Always dig and bury your tomato deep, as tomatoes can grow roots out of the existing stem and this will encourage more growth longer-term. Be sure to pinch off any stems that will be below the soil line. In the hole I toss in a small handful of bone meal, a handful of fish compost, a tablespoon or two of slow release fertilizer, and a usually around a teaspoon of epsom salt - again not a science I usually just eyeball it. Then mix this around with some of the dirt at the bottom and place your tomato plant. Then make sure to then do a deep water of the soil around your tomato plant.
For those who are using or have a water soluble fertilizer such as miracle grow, this would be a good time to use to give the plant a jump start, but I would recommend sticking to slow-release for the remainder of the season.
So you followed all of the above and then the predictably, unpredictable PacNW weather cooled down? You can protect your tomatoes overnight if the temps drop below 40 by covering them with a cloche or plant cover, or there are fillable 'water walls' that can be used to insulate the stem/plant from colder temperatures. I have never used one personally, but my grandmother would use them to jumpstart the season. Here is an example available on Amazon . My guidance would be to just be more conservative and wait to plant your tomatoes to avoid all of the hassle and risk associated with planting tomatoes earlier.
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