How to Plant Tomatoes Considering Sun Orientation

Few things are as pleasing to the senses as juicy red tomatoes, unless it is clusters of ripe tomatoes in your own garden. These heat-loving plants prefer fertile well-drained soil that is kept evenly moist, as they are heavy feeders. Deep watering once or twice a week -- and an application of water-soluble fertilizer designed for tomatoes every 2 to 4 weeks -- provides these plants with the resources they need to produce plump fruits brimming with vitamins and nutrients.


Observe the sun's path in your location. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun rises slightly north of true east and travels across the sky to set slightly north of true west during the summer. As summer progresses and the fall equinox approaches, the sun's path dips lower in the sky as sunrise and sunset approach true east and west. A southern- or western-facing garden receives more sun that a northern- or eastern-facing garden.


Note the number of hours your garden area receives full sun. Sunlight does not need to be consecutive, but does need to shine directly on the garden area.


Add up the number of hours of direct sunlight. If the number of hours of direct sunlight equals six or more hours, there is enough light for growing tomatoes. However, tomatoes perform best in 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight. Those in less light will produce fewer tomatoes.


Plant taller crops such as corn, peas or pole beans on the eastern or northern side of the garden to prevent them from shading your tomatoes in the summer sun. In desert microclimates, planting taller crops on the southern or western side of tomatoes can provide shade from the hottest part of the day.