So you might wonder, what are the advantages of starting these veggies from seed? The first reason that comes to mind is that starting your own tomatoes from seed at home is a good way to save money, leaving room in your gardening budget for other things. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Before you dive in, first things first. Some of these are necessities, such as the seeds, starting mix or soil, containers, and a spray bottle.
Supplies like plant markers, a widger, and a germination station are highly recommended, but there are many options for you to choose from for these, including some DIY possibilities. There are also a couple of items on this supply list — grow lights and heat mats — that may be luxury bonus items, or may be required, depending on your setup. Seed catalogs contain a huge selection of varieties including short season, long season, determinate and indeterminate , cherry , grape, plum, cocktail, beefsteak, paste, heirloom , open-pollinated, hybrid , potato leaf, red, green, yellow, orange, indigo, purple, black, white, and even striped tomatoes.
Feel free to consult our articles for helpful recommendations detailing the advantages of some of the best heirloom cultivars , our favorite hybrid varieties , and the types best suited to canning. The large fruits can weigh up to 1 pound each, and have dense, juicy flesh. Providing a change from the typical red varieties, the flesh of this one is dark, with seeds surrounded by green gel. The flavor of this heirloom is sweet and somewhat smoky, ready to add brightness and an intriguing depth to your summer meals.
Planting a few extras will help you make up for any losses, particularly with types known for having lower rates of successful germination. If stored correctly, in a dry, dark, and cool location, they will remain viable for five years after harvest. To sow your seeds, you can use either potting soil or a soilless starting mix — just check your packet to make sure your soil or starting mix is sterile.
Regular garden soil that has not been sterilized can compromise the health of your young tomato plants, potentially introducing harmful pathogens, such as those that cause damping off. The stems will shrivel, and the young plants will collapse and die. You can read more about protecting your baby tomatoes from damping off in this article , just remember that starting out with sterile potting media is your first line of defense.
While sterile potting soil mixes are commercially available, the lightweight media in soilless seed starting mixes enables tender roots and shoots to emerge, and makes transplanting of seedlings easier. I like to use a soilless potting mix myself — but I always look for those that incorporate the more environmentally sound coconut coir instead of peat moss. You can also find an organic coconut coir seed starting mix in a convenient, space saving block from Burpee.
You just need to add water and the block will expand to 8 quarts, ready for use. You have many different options when it comes to what type of containers to use as starter trays. You can purchase plastic or biodegradable trays that are specifically intended for growing starts. Or you can repurpose egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, paper or plastic cups, or nearly any other shallow container that will hold your potting mix. Also make sure the containers are not too big. Cardboard egg cartons may work for smaller starts, but tomatoes will outgrow their shallow cells very quickly.
And the year I tried using toilet paper rolls as seed cups, they started falling apart well before the tomatoes were ready to transplant. You can get creative and find other containers to start your tomato seeds in, but if you want to hedge your bets, your best option may be to purchase seed trays intended for this purpose.
Now I stick with plastic trays, which have the bonus of preventing my starts from drying out too quickly between waterings. If plastic seems like the best option for you too, these 6-celled trays are an excellent gardening supply for growing starts. Each cell is 1. You can find them in packs of 10 trays at Burpee. Just make sure to thoroughly wash them out with hot, soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and then disinfect them. I recommend a hydrogen peroxide based disinfectant over chlorine-based household bleach, since chlorine bleach can be problematic.
According to an article published by the Baxter County Master Gardeners , chlorine bleach can damage your garden tools and irritate or burn your skin, inhaling the vapor can aggravate certain medical conditions, and it may prove toxic to your plants if any residue remains.
This household cleaner really is not as harmless as we might think, despite its widespread use. BioSafe Disease Control fungicidal spray is a good alternative to chlorine bleach. It contains hydrogen peroxide so it is safe to use on pots, tools, and other surfaces, and it will kill pathogens that cause plant diseases — including those responsible for damping off — when used as directed.
Each cell in the tray is approximately 3 inches square by 3 inches deep. Tomatoes can grow quickly, so having larger-sized nursery pots on hand for repotting is also a good idea. Pack of 20 Round Nursery Pots. For germination, tomatoes require heat and high humidity — conditions that create a greenhouse effect. In other words, they need a warm and humid germination station.
There are a few options you can choose from to create a humid, warm environment for your tomatoes — and your choices range from the extremely low budget to the serious long-term gardening investment. If you want to keep your spending low for this project, you can create greenhouse conditions by covering your seed trays with plastic wrap. And remember to remove the plastic wrap soon after your sprouts poke their heads up above the soil, to ensure air circulation and reduce the risk of damping off.
These germination stations come with a flat for holding your seed trays, and a plastic dome to retain heat and humidity. You can find a cell growing tray with a drip tray and clear humidity dome from True Leaf Market. I grow my starts in a terrarium — a mini greenhouse — placed next to a sunny and warm south-facing window. My young tomatoes get plenty of warmth and humidity this way — and they are protected from my curious cats.
While I have a couple of repurposed reptile terrariums that I use, my favorite terrarium is a more decorative model. And you can find it for purchase at Wayfair. This setup works particularly well if you receive a lot of warming sunshine in the spring, but not so well if your spring weather is gloomy and rainy, or too cold.
Set up your cold frame facing full south where it will get direct sunlight, providing your young starts with both light and heat. You can read about making your cold own frame in our article on some of the best DIY greenhouses and cold frames for your backyard. Cold frames may come with built-in ventilation, or you can prop them open to ventilate and prevent interior temperatures from getting too hot during the heat of the day.
If a cold frame seems like the best option for you, you may want to try this inch vented polycarbonate model from Juwel. If you want the best setup of all for growing your own tomatoes from seed, a greenhouse is the ultimate choice — and will give you the space to start an endless selection of cultivars of your favorite summer veggies. Just make sure you avoid the most common greenhouse mistakes — read our helpful article on this subject to learn more.
If the idea of setting up a greenhouse has your green thumb twitching, you might consider making a DIY greenhouse out of pallet racking. Monticello Greenhouse. Or have a look at this selection of aluminum and polycarbonate Monticello brand greenhouses, available for purchase from Arbico Organics. Garden Candy Cherries are beautiful in the garden and kitchen. Big Beef beefsteak giant slicers are heavy with sweet flesh and lots of juice - perfect for open-faced "BLT" sandwiches.
Cart Log In Menu. Gifts for Gardeners. Gardening Resources. Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors Technique Tips with Photos Printer Friendly Version 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 degree range both day and night.
Count back and sow seeds 6 to 8 weeks before that date normally arrives. If you do not 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. Water gently and label each variety. As soon as seed begin germinating and stems start to show above the soil, it's critical to provide a strong light source such as fluorescent bulbs or a very sunny window.
Tomato seedlings emerge fast and show vigorous growth under warm, bright conditions, so there is little point in starting seeds very early.
Tomatoes are the first veggie many gardeners grow from seed, mostly in pursuit of interesting varieties that are rarely available as seedlings. To improve your shot at success, here are my top tips for growing tomatoes from seed. If you are reusing plastic cell packs, wash them well in warm, soapy water to remove old soil and accumulated salts. My favourite containers are small paper cups with several holes punched in the bottoms, because I can write the variety names on the cups.
Also use a new bag of high-quality seed-starting mix. Avoid cheap imitations, which are often the cause of seedling failure. Write variety names on them with waterproof markers, or you can make labels from utility tape. Labels work better than little stakes, which wiggle around amongst the tomato roots and can be accidentally lost.
I learned this one year when a gust wind toppled the table that held dozens of seedlings. Most survived with prompt repotting, but I had to guess which markers went with which tomatoes.
And because they take three months or so to produce ripe fruit, most gardeners want to get the process started early. So how do you know when your average date of last frost is? Find yours, subtract six to eight weeks and plant your tomato seeds. As for the container, cell packs the tiny plastic pots grouped together in packs often used for flower and veggie seedlings are OK for starting tomato seeds, but a better idea is to use a small pot at least 3 or 4 inches tall and wide so the seedlings can grow to a healthy size without their roots being constricted.
The seeds will need a sunny window with at least 4 hours of direct sun each day, but preferably more. Also: the warmer it is, the faster tomato seeds will germinate.
A simple approach is to cover the pots tightly with plastic and take advantage of the greenhouse effect to warm up the soil when the sun is out and hold on to the heat at night. Otherwise, they may succumb to damping off disease, a fungal infection that proliferates in still, moist air.
This appears as brown and grey spots on the leaves followed soon after by the death of the seedling. Damping off is a big challenge with tomato seedlings in general, so try to provide good air circulation during their infancy period indoors. A tiny fan or heat vent nearby is helpful, as is an open window from time to time but only when outdoor temps get up to room temp. There are thousands of tomato varieties, but they all fall into a few broad categories.
A single plant may produce scores of tomatoes over the course of the season, so you may want to strategize and plant one or two from each of the main categories. Cherry tomatoes , such as Sun Gold, Napa Grape and Pear Drops, have the quintessential sweet-tart tomato flavor and are great for salads and snacking on whole. Because the fruit is small, these are the first to mature. Sauce tomatoes , such as Roma, Amish Paste and Big Mama, have a richer flavor and much lower water content than other varieties.
Beefsteak tomatoes , such as Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple and Brandywine, have the biggest fruit and the greatest range of flavor and form. They are commonly sliced for sandwiches or making caprese salad, though the best varieties can be eaten like an apple. There are also many all-purpose tomato varieties that have traits from each category.
0コメント