I had good luck planting them in mounds via slits in a heavy duty landscape fabric. Not one rotted. Lesson learned from a previous adventure.
We planted using X’s cut in landscape fabric too, but we overwatered and our tomatoes seem to have root rot. We are hoping to harvest soon, but the plants are very damaged. Next year we will leave more room for air at the base of the plants and water much less!
We had good luck the first year that we planted a garden. But something is always killing the vines before they ripen. So I usually grow cukes in a flower pot.
This year I had some seeds that I needed to use before they got too old, so I planted the minnesota midget. I am hoping the DTM is short enough to allow a ripe one or two before the vines die.
I really haven’t figured out what is wrong-disease or bug-but when the plant goes it goes quick.