Instructions on How to Plant Tomato Seeds

Grow your own tomatoes by planting seeds.

Instead of purchasing tomatoes from the store, you can grow them at home by planting tomato seeds. Starting your own tomato seeds will save you money. The cost of purchasing tomato seedlings from nurseries and buying tomatoes from a store adds up over time. When planting your own tomato seeds, you can grow multiple varieties of tomatoes or stick with one strain. Once you germinate the seeds, you can plant them in pots or plant them directly into the ground.

Things You'll Need

• Pint-sized plastic zipper-sealed bags
• Seed-starting potting mixture
• Plastic tray
• Water
• Container
• Gravel
• Potting soil
• Tomato cage or stake
• Low-nitrogen fertilizer

Instructions

1. Fill a plastic zipper-sealed bag halfway full with a seed-starting potting mixture. Place the bags on a plastic tray so that they remain upright with the opening facing you.

2. Plant the tomato seeds into the soil 1/4 inch deep. Sow one tomato seed in an individual plastic bag. Water the soil to keep it moist. Seal the plastic bag, and continue to water the soil if it feels dry to the touch.

3. Place the plastic bags in a warm room. They will germinate within 14 days.

4. Open the bags after the seedlings germinate. Fold down the plastic bag so that you have easy access to the tomato seedling.

5. Keep watering the soil to keep it moist. Place the tomato seedlings in sunlight for at least six hours a day.

6. Harden the seedlings by placing them outdoors. Acclimate the tomatoes outdoors in direct sunlight for one hour the first day, and then increase the time they are outdoors until they can withstand six to eight hours a day.

7. Plant the tomatoes in tilled soil outdoors or place them in a container lined with gravel and filled with fresh potting soil. The tomato will need six hours of sunlight a day. Only plant them after the threat of frost passes.

8. Space them 2 feet apart so that the roots can spread. The spacing will also depend on the tomato variety and the way you are growing the tomatoes. Dig a hole as large as the tomato plant. Pack the soil down around the tomato plant.

9. Water them to keep the soil moist. Place a tomato cage once the stalks begin to bend to keep them from lying on the ground. You can also place a stake next to the tomato plant to tie the tomato to once it becomes top-heavy.

10. Apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer to the soil by following the directions on the package. Do not fertilize the soil when you notice green tomatoes growing.

References

• University of Illinois: Tomato
• Gardener's Net: How to Grow Tomatoes
• University of Missouri: Growing Home Garden Tomatoes