What to Plant Before Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a staple of most backyard vegetable gardens, but before you start growing them, it's essential to consider what to plant before tomatoes. Preparing your garden for tomato plants can help ensure that they grow successfully, yield a massive harvest, and are relatively pest-resistant.

Legumes

Planting legumes before tomatoes is an excellent way to replenish nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is a crucial nutrient for plant growth, and legumes can help to fix it in the soil, making it more readily available for other crops, including tomatoes. Legumes like beans, peas, and peanuts are excellent choices for planting before tomatoes. Besides, legumes are known to improve soil structure, so planting them helps to boost soil health, which is beneficial for all plants.

Brassicas

The brassica family, which includes cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower, are great crops to plant before tomatoes. Brassicas help to reduce the population of soil-dwelling pests, such as root maggots, which can attack the roots of tomato plants. They also improve the soil's quality by adding organic matter, which enhances soil moisture retention and nutrient levels, which is essential for healthy tomato production.

Herbs

Herbs are another great option to plant before tomatoes, and they also have several benefits for your backyard garden. Herbs like basil, parsley, and cilantro can help to repel insect pests, including aphids and hornworms, which can cause significant damage to your tomato plants. Additionally, herbs can improve soil quality by adding organic matter and increasing soil biodiversity.

Root Vegetables

Root vegetables like carrots, onions, and garlic are an excellent choice to plant before tomatoes. These crops help to break up compacted soil, which improves soil drainage and aeration. Growing root vegetables before tomatoes can also help to reduce weed populations, as they have deep roots that outcompete weeds for water and nutrients.

Cucurbits

Cucurbits, such as cucumbers, squash, and melons, are members of the same family as pumpkins and are excellent options to plant before tomatoes. These crops are known to repel common tomato pests, such as whiteflies and spider mites. Additionally, cucurbits help to improve soil quality by adding organic matter and further breaking up soil compaction.

Conclusion

Before planting tomatoes in your backyard vegetable garden, it's essential to consider what to plant before tomatoes. Growing legumes, brassicas, herbs, root vegetables, and cucurbits before tomatoes can help to improve soil quality, reduce pest infestations, and minimize weed populations. Incorporating some of these plants into your garden's rotation can help to ensure healthy, abundant tomato harvests for years to come.