You may wish to leave blank rows which can be used for the sprayer and later as truck rows for hauling tomatoes out of the field. For early production you should set plants the first two weeks of April. For later production you should consider direct seeding. Irrigation is necessary during most seasons. Tomatoes need at least one inch of water per week.
Irrigation increases yields and reduces blossom-end rot and sunburning.
Two to three sidedressings of 20 to 30 lb nitrogen per acre at each application will be necessary. You may wish to include an equal amount of potassium with the side-dressing depending on the soil's natural potassium content. When rains of 1.5 inches or more occur additional side-dressings are necessary. Harvesting of most varieties will begin about 75 days after field setting. With the concentrated fruit set of most new varieties you should harvest most of your fruit in 2 or 3 pickings.