There are several reasons why you should consider planting tomatoes in raised beds.

In a raised bed the soil can warm up faster in the spring and also depending upon your soil it can drain better. My soil is always wet in the spring because it contains a lot of clay. After the area has been dug up well,some gardeners make permanent raised beds,by enclosing the perimeter, and then preparing the soil.

I prefer not to but that is a personal preference. Either way the soil has to be prepared. If it has not been used before then after digging it up very well and removing rocks, stones and anything else that should not be there, add Compost, Dried cow manure (if in the spring) and you can add some top soil the 1st couple of years. Then hoe everything in, so the compost get's down a few inches and the soil is mixed evenly. Remove any stones or other debris you may find as you rake it out.

Mound up the soil about six to eight inches high and depending upon how much space you have, about 2-3 feet wide and the length can be as long as you wish the bed to be. It can 8-10 feet in a small garden or 50-100 feet if you are able to and can use the crop.

As long as the days are warming up and the nights are at least 50 degrees F, just make sure the beds are well drained from any recent rain and let's start planting.

Tomato plants can grow roots anywhere on the stem if covered with soil. So they can be planted straight down or with some of the stem sideways enabling it to warm up quicker and for the small plants to root better. Even in a raised bed where the soil is much better I always plant my sideways.

If you plant them straight in, just dig a hole deep enough so the soil can cover most of the stem and leave about 3-4 inches above the ground. Of course some plants you buy to plant may be much larger so just remove the bottom set of leaves but still plant them deeper than in the growing pot.

After that, water immediately, usually once a day in the beginning. As the days get warmer water regularly to keep the soil damp about a half to 1 inch down and gradually mound up more soil around the stem but away from the leaves.

Give your plants some TLC during the summer and then enjoy the beautiful tomatoes.