When to start growing tomato seeds
Step by Step: Growing Tomatoes from Seed
if you've never bitten into a fragrant
vine-ripened Sun warm tomato harvested
fresh from your own garden you haven't
tasted a real tomato
fortunately tomato plants are easy to
grow and they're one of the easiest
plants to start indoors from seed here's
how to grow your own tomatoes from seed
to harvest plan to sow the seeds indoors
about 6 weeks before your average last
frost date begin by moistening a sterile
seed starting mix such as our
germinating mix don't use garden soil
which often drains poorly and may Harbor
disease organisms add mix to the
containers here we're using our grow
ease seed starter gently firm the mix to
remove air pockets use your finger or
pencil to poke two holes per cell each
about a quarter inch deep planting two
seeds per cell increases the likelihood
that at least one seed per cell will
germinate shake some seeds into your
hand and place one seed in each hole
sprinkle additional mix over the cells
to fill the holes and cover the seeds
once again gently firm the mix to
eliminate air pockets and then water
lightly to ensure good seed to mix
contact use a plant mister or apply a
few drops of water to each cell place
the tray in a warm place about 70 to 75
degrees Fahrenheit at this point you
don't need to worry about providing
light covering the tray helps retain
moisture which is important for
germination check daily taking care to
keep the planting mix moist but not
saturated once you see the first sprout
place the seedlings under grow lights
keep the lights a few inches above the
tops of the plants remove the greenhouse
cover so air can circulate around the
seedlings
this helps prevent disease problems keep
the planting mix moist but not soggy a
self watering seed starter makes it easy
you fill the reservoir and it delivers
water to the roots when they need it
when the seedlings are about two inches
tall it's time to thin choose the
strongest healthiest looking seedling in
each cell and remove the others by
snipping them off at the soil line once
the seedlings have two sets of leaves
it's time to start feeding them every
week with a soluble fertilizer
ideally one formulated for seedlings
about a month after so
gently remove one of the seedlings and
look at the roots when the roots begin
to fill the cell it's time to repot each
seedling gets its own container in this
case a four-inch self watering
transplant pot place a thin layer of
soil in the bottom of the pot and place
the seedling in the pot fill the pot
with moist planting mix unlike other
types of seedlings it's okay to bury the
stem of a tomato plant in fact it's a
good idea because the plant will grow
roots along the Buried stem water the
planting mix and then place the
seedlings back under the grow lights for
a few more weeks of growth this seedling
was transplanted into a cow pot these
biodegradable pots can be planted right
in the garden once all danger of frost
is passed it's time to transplant your
seedlings into the garden if your
seedlings are more than about a foot
tall it's best to plant them in a trench
so you can bury the lower part of the
stem begin by pinching off the lower
branches and leaves you want to avoid
burying any of the foliage to prevent
rot begin by digging a trench about
eight inches deep and six inches wide
lay the plant on its side in the trench
gently bend the stem so the top portion
is above the soil line fill in the
trench firming the soil around the stem
so it's upright water thoroughly and add
a support here we're using a tomato cage
be prepared to protect the seed links
with a row cover like our garden quilt
if a late frost threatens keep the
plants watered and fertilized and you'll
be harvesting ripe tomatoes in about two
months
