July 11, 2025, 9:14 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Tomatoes have specific requirements for location, soil, and care. If these needs aren’t met, the plants will grow poorly and produce few fruits. Adequate warmth and nutrients are particularly important. Therefore, a raised bed can be the ideal type of bed for planting tomatoes. MyHOMEBOOK explains what to watch out for.
It’s hard to imagine a time when people in Germany didn’t know about tomatoes. In fact, the heat-loving fruit only made its way from Central and South America to Europe in the 16th century. Today, it is one of the most popular vegetables for home gardening, as myHOMEBOOK discovered in a reader survey. Besides the classic garden bed, tomatoes can also be cultivated in raised beds. However, one should avoid the following mistakes.
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When setting up a raised bed, there are several general points that hobby gardeners should consider. For example, the bed should be filled in layers: gravel or clay at the bottom, followed by tree and grass clippings, then leaves, compost, and finally fine potting soil. If planning to plant tomatoes in the raised bed, one should also keep the following things in mind.
1. The Wrong Bed Partners
A raised bed offers ideal conditions for tomatoes to grow and thrive. It provides warmth and plenty of nutrients. To make the most of these conditions, ensure that tomatoes do not compete with other bed partners.
Poor neighbors include peas, fennel, cabbage, dill, and sunflowers. Cucumbers, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers should also not be planted next to tomatoes in the raised bed.
2. The Wrong Variety
Raised beds, as the name suggests, are elevated bed forms. Depending on the variety, tomato plants can grow up to two meters high. To avoid needing a ladder during harvest, choose low-growing varieties for the raised bed. These include bush and dwarf tomatoes with varieties like ‘Minibell,’ ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy,’ and ‘Pendulina.’
3. Lack of Drainage
To produce many juicy fruits, it is important to water tomato plants regularly. The soil should be well-moistened. However, waterlogging must be avoided. If the plants are in overly wet, heavy soil, the roots will rot. Root rot prevents the plant from being adequately supplied with water and nutrients. In the worst case, it dies.
It is therefore crucial to integrate a drainage system into the raised bed. This allows excess water to drain away and prevents the roots from becoming too wet.
4. The Wrong Location
Before setting up or building a raised bed, carefully choose the location. In most cases, the bed is difficult to move later. If it is too dark or in a windy spot, it is unsuitable for planting tomatoes. They prefer a sunny and wind-protected location.
Also interesting: What Not to Plant in a Raised Bed
5. Not Enough Space
In a raised bed, space should be well allocated, and a plan should be made in advance: How large is the area, and how many tomato plants will fit? Once the space is used up, unlike a regular bed, it cannot simply be expanded.
However, sufficient spacing is crucial for tomato plants. Ideally, there should be 60 to 80 centimeters between each plant. If too many tomatoes are in the raised bed, air cannot circulate properly, increasing the risk of fungal diseases spreading.
6. Raised Bed Is Not Deep Enough
Tomatoes need enough space in all directions–including downward. As deep-rooting plants, it is essential to make the raised bed deep enough. It should be filled to a depth of at least 40 to 50 centimeters.
A strong root system is crucial for robust, healthy plants with many juicy fruits. If space is lacking, the roots remain weak and cannot adequately supply the plant with water and nutrients.
7. Ignoring Crop Rotation
If growing tomatoes in a raised bed was successful one year, different plants should be chosen for the following year. Hobby gardeners should rotate the location of tomatoes annually and observe a break of three to four years. Ignoring crop rotation and planting tomatoes in the same spot every year significantly increases the risk of diseases like late blight.