Jeanne Marcis serves as senior multimedia solutions consultant for Clipper Magazine. Outside of work, Jeanne Marcis enjoys spending time in her garden and plants both herbs and vegetables. One of the trickiest vegetables to grow is the tomato, especially when individuals expect excellent flavor combined with early yields.

Part of the trick to getting early yields of flavorful fruit involves the planting process. One key to helping plants flourish is covering the soil with black or red plastic for a few weeks before the tomatoes are actually planted. This step raises the temperature of the soil a few degrees and encourages early fruit formation after planting.

When it is time to put the plants in the ground, they should be deeper in the soil than they come in the temporary pot. Ideally, the soil should come up to the top few leaves so that roots can sprout along the stem. Larger root systems result in stronger plants that grow more quickly.

Individuals can keep the plastic down when they place tomato plants in the ground, but if they choose not to, then they should avoid mulching until temperatures rise enough to keep the soil warm. Mulching too soon will actually cause the soil to cool and stunt plant growth.