Growing tomatoes in the San Francisco Bay Area Some things I think are true, most of the time. 1. The soil is extremely important, and often neglected. If you are growing in containers, using the best soil money can buy is advised. Soil aeration is often neglected. There are two ways to starve your tomato roots of oxygen. First, if your soil is compacted, there won't be enough good air spaces for oxygen to diffuse into the roots. Second, if you over water (leaving soil waterlogged) you will fill up the air spaces and starve the roots of oxygen. 2. Don't over-crowd. One plant per 10+ gallon container is best. If you put more plants in a container they will likely just suppress each other. Over-crowding early in the season also leads to disease. If you are planting in the ground, you want to give your plants plenty of space. 3 feet clearance from neighbors is good. But if you plant in a row, you can plant as close as 18 inches, as long as you have wide rows for