How to Grow Tomatoes From Tomato Seed
Tomato plants are widely available every spring, but finding heirloom options sometimes poses a challenge. If you decide to grow your own plants, sow the seeds six weeks before the risk of all frost has passed, at which point you'll be able to move the plants outdoors. For container-grown tomatoes, your planting schedule has some flexibility, since you'll have control over light and temperature, but steps for sowing the seeds will be the same. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Seeds
- Planters for seeds and plants
- Potting soil
- Perlite
- Compost
- Peat moss
- Water
- Clear plastic film
- Fertilizer
Instructions
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Obtain peat pots, seed trays or other clean planters in which to sow seeds. If you're going to transplant your seedlings outdoors, use peat pots. You may keep your seedlings in the pots when you transplant them, which decreases the risk of root injury. Before planting seeds in previously used seed trays, sterilize them with a rinse made of nine parts water and one part household bleach.
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Mix equal amounts of sterile potting soil, perlite, compost and peat moss to make a loose and well-drained soil, as the Ohio State University Extension recommends.
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Fill your planter with the potting mix, leaving 1/4 inch of space between the rim and the soil surface. Plant your seeds 1/2 inch deep. If you're using seed trays that can accommodate many seeds, space them two to three inches apart, the website for Canadian Country Woman advises.
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Water the soil with a fine mist to avoid dislodging the seeds. Cover the planter with a piece of clear plastic film. The plastic prevents water from evaporating and keeps the environment warm for the seeds. Moisten them as needed. Seeds won't germinate if they dry out.
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Put the container with the seeds in a warm place. According to the Canadian Country Woman website, tomato seeds germinate better when the soil temperature is 75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Remove the plastic cover and move the planter to a sunny location when the seeds sprout. Germination usually happens six to 14 days after sowing. The ideal temperature for your seedlings to thrive is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit during the day with a drop of no more than 20 degrees at night.
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Water your seedlings regularly to keep the roots from drying out. One effective irrigation method is to place your planter in a larger tray with water and let the soil absorb the moisture through the drainage holes.
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Transplant your tomato seedlings as they outgrow their containers. When the plants have one or two true leaves, begin to move them to bigger pots. If you're keeping them in containers, a 12-inch planter may be the last size you'll need.
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Feed your seedlings a commercial tomato plant food or manure tea every 10 days to promote fruit production. Keep your plants irrigated between feedings.
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Begin to harden your tomato plants off two weeks before you transplant them outside. Leave the planters out for increasingly longer hours during the day, taking them indoors for the evening. If you're keeping them in indoor containers, continue to water and feed them until harvest time.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit half full of red tomato seeds on a white plate image by ESGatell from Fotolia.com
