Tomato cultivation is steadily increasing in the Sicilian countryside where careful management of clay soils allows successful yields. The crop is established in the first week of May and rainfall is adequate to obtain a sufficient production without irrigation. In these areas a recent development in tomato production for processing is the use of transparent polyethylene (PE) mulching. The aim of this study was to verify the effects of transparent PE mulching vs bare soil and of three different plant densities (0.74, 1.1 or 2.2 plants per m2 ) on a tomato crop in the Sicilian countryside. Applying PE mulch and planting at a density of 2.2 plants per m2 resulted in the highest yield (58.6 t per ha). The lowest production (15 t per ha) was obtained on bare soil and by planting at a density of 0.74 plants per m2.