Tomatoes should be planted after the soil has warmed to the touch. Plant several varieties such as 'Big Beef', 'Beefsteak', 'Early Girl', 'Better Boy', 'Sweet One-Hundred' or 'Ace' to ensure a longer harvest. Place the tomato plant in the prepared hole, and fill around the roots with soil. Mark the plant with a tag indicating the variety and date planted, and water through the hole in the mulch, avoiding getting water on the leaves. Once the plants are in the ground, continue to water as needed.
Tomatoes are deep rooted, and infrequent, deep watering is best.
Plants that have been over-watered have less flavorful fruit and are more susceptible to fungal diseases. Clip off the side growth on young tomato plants to encourage fruiting instead of excess vegetative growth. Continue pruning throughout the life of the plants. Monitor your local weather forecasts if you've planted your tomatoes early in the season. Frost will kill them quickly, so if cold weather is on the way, cover your plants to protect them overnight, then uncover them the next morning.