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If you love succulent tomatoes, mid-March to early April is the time
to start your own plants from seed. It's the only way to have the
very best tasting and old fashioned heirloom varieties which are not
usually available as nursery started plants. It's fun to watch the
whole growing cycle and the seed starting process is my favorite way
to celebrate the gardening season as I watch baby seedlings grow
into sturdy plants bearing wonderfully colored, superb tasting
fruits to relish freshly picked.
Why Start Early
Tomatoes are heat-loving plants that need a long warm growing
period to grow from seed to fruit. Except in the most tropical
areas, all U.S. summers are too short for them to complete their
fruiting cycles before summer's end if started directly in the
ground, since seeds won't germinate until frosts have ended and
weather warms up. We need to give plants a critical headstart by
germinating and growing seedlings in the warm indoors in early
spring. Then when it warms up outdoors in late spring, we can plant
out sturdy, well-established seedlings to bear fruit before cold
weather sets in.
When to Sow Seed Indoors
Generally, the time to start your seeds is about 6- 8 weeks
before the last expected spring frost date in your area, planting
the seedlings outdoors about 2 weeks after that date. Another way to
figure is to plan on setting out sturdy seedlings in the garden when
night temperatures stay in the mid-50 degree range both day and
night. Count back and sow seeds 6 to 8 weeks before that date
normally arrives. If you don't feel confident about timing, consult
an experienced gardening friend, or ask at a good garden center or
seek the advice of your local Master Gardener program.
(Click
here for a Master Gardener State Coordinator list)
 Getting Started
Your planting containers should be at least three inches deep, with
small holes for drainage. Use plastic yogurt or cottage cheese
containers, 3 or 4 inch plastic plant pots or half-gallon milk cartons
cut lengthwise, all with drainage holes punched in the bottoms. I don't
recommend reusing egg cartons or old nursery packs¯ as they don't
hold enough soil volume and dry out too easily. Buy and use a good
quality seed starting mix, available from any good nursery or garden
center. (Ordinary garden soil is not a good choice - it often contains
weed seeds and fungus organisms and it compacts far too easily.) Seed
starting mixes are sterile and blended to be light and porous so your
fragile seedlings get both the moisture and oxygen they need to thrive.
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 Renee's Garden
Tomatoes:
"Crimson Carmello"
"Camp
Joy" Cherry
"Big Beef" Beefsteak
"Garden Candy" Cherry
"Chianti Rose"
"Rainbow's End
"Italian Pompeii" Plum
"Red & Yellow Mini Pear"
"Summer Feast" Heirloom
"Super Bush"
"Sungold" Orange Cherry
"Mandarin Cross"
"Isis Candy"
To purchase these and other
Renee's Garden Seeds,
click here
Try these great recipes from
Renee's cookbooks:
Chunky Green and Red Sauce
Tomato-Lemon Chutney
Cherry Tomato Stir Fry
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In a big bucket, add water slowly to the seed starting mix and combine
well. You want it to be thoroughly moistened but not soggy - about the
consistency of a wrung-out sponge throughout before you fill your
containers. Fill each container to an inch below the top and tap it on
the tabletop to settle the mix. Use a plastic or wooden marker with the
variety name and sowing date and slide it into the container. With the
side of a pencil or chopstick, make a seed furrow about 1/4 inch deep
and carefully drop in individual seeds about an inch apart. Sift some
more starting mix between your hands to fill the furrows and firm gently
to be sure the seeds have good contact. Use a spray bottle to water the
seeds in with a fine mist.
 Germinating and Growing
Tomatoes need warm 75 to 85 degree conditions to start germinating. Put
the containers in a warm place where they'll get bottom heat like on top
of the water heater or refrigerator or use a fluorescent shop light
suspended just 1 or 2 inches above the container and it will provide
warmth . Keep the container moist, but not soggy. You can cover it with
plastic wrap or an old piece of rigid clear plastic to conserve moisture
if you like, but be sure to pull it up to check daily to be sure they
aren't drying out. Water as necessary with a very gentle spray of water.
If container should get too dry, you'll need to set it in a pan of water
so it can soak up water again from below. Expect germination to take 5
to 10 days. Don't keep your containers in the windowsill during the
germination period; cold air at night will affect germination. Check
often!
Just as soon as any baby seedlings begin to emerge above the soil level,
it's critical to give them light right away. Remove any covering
immediately and provide a strong light source. While a south-facing
windowsill is traditional, it's far from ideal, and dimly-lit plants become tall
and spindly. I like to start my
containers from the beginning under grow lights or a simple fluorescent
shop light suspended from chains so I can move the lights up as the
plants grow. The fluorescent lights under your kitchen counter will work very
well for this. Raise your
flats closer to them (4" to 5") with some bricks or fat cookbooks. Tomato seedlings grow best in the 65-75
degree temperature range.
 Pricking Out and Potting Up
When seedlings are 2 to 3 inches tall and have several sets of true
leaves, it's time to move them to deeper containers or individual pots
so they have room to grow. Fill the new containers with pre-moistened
mix. With the help of a fork thrust to the bottom, lift the seedlings
gently from your germinating container. Try to get all the roots and
disturb them as little as possible. Make a planting hole in the new
container and nestle the seedling into its new home a little deeper than
it was originally. If your tomato plants are spindly with long stems,
you can actually bury the stems right up to the topmost cluster of
leaves and new roots will grow along the buried stems. Gently press the
mix around the transplanted seedlings and water them gently to settle
the soil. Now is the time to begin feeding your plants once a week
because starting mixes contain little if any plant food and the
seedlings will have used up the entire stored food source available in
its mother seed. Use a good liquid fertilizer or fish emulsion diluted
to half normal recommended strength. Continue to give your rapidly
growing seedlings as much light as possible and rotate them regularly so
they grow evenly and don't lean in one direction.
 Planting Seedlings in the Garden
In 3 or 4 weeks, or when the weather outdoors has warmed into the 50
degree range at night, it's time to "harden off"¯ or gradually over 4 to
6 days to acclimate your seedlings to outdoor conditions. Put them
outside in a protected shady spot for a half day at first, then 2 or 3
full days, then gradually move them into full sun, starting with
mornings then all day long. Plan to transplant into the garden in the
late afternoon or on a hazy or cloudy day to minimize stress. Set them
about 3 feet apart in the garden into rich well-amended soil in full
sun. Tomato plants can be buried several inches deeper than they were
planted in their containers. Firm the soil around the plants and water
well. Set in stakes or cages for tall-growing tomatoes at planting time.
Keep your young plants moist but not soggy. I like to mulch them with a
good thick layer of compost, well-aged manure, straw or other organic
material. This will provide the even moisture balance needed for
healthy, disease-free growth and early big fruit sets, and will also
discourage weeds.
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