There are many things to think about when planting tomato seeds but it’s not as complicated as I thought. I planted my own last year and had great success.
WHERE TO PLANT
Just a space close to a window in the house. Our window faces south so it doesn’t get direct sunlight but they do well. A table to put the pots on. I used large baking sheets that have an edge all the way around to set the pots on to keep the moisture contained and to protect the table, I used plastic directly on the table and then a layer of towels under the baking sheets.
WHAT TO PLANT IN
Last year I planted the seeds in clear, plastic drink cups and poked holes for drainage in the bottom. This worked very well but when the plants got larger the cups weren’t weighty enough to stay put. This year I invested in small terra cotta pots that I can use over and over. I am also excited about this option because we are trying to stay away from using plastic. (With the terra cotta, I have been cutting a small square of burlap to put over the bottom hole so the water drains thru but keeps the soil in the pot.)
PLANTING MEDIUM TO USE
The planting medium I used is our potting mix which is a perfect blend of our living verma compost and seed starter. If you are planting tomato or pepper seeds in a tiny seedling tray or pot, then seed starter is a good option but when you transplant the seedlings into a larger pot, then the seedlings will need nourishment so at that time, potting mix, is needed.
TYPE OF SEEDS
The type of seeds to plant depend on what kinds of tomatos you like and use, the kind of tomatos that grow well in your area and the size of plants you can accommodate.
First decide if you want determinate or indeterminate plants. Determinate plants stay small and compact and can be planted in a large pot or area with a smaller tomato cage. The indeterminate plants grow quite tall. Our tomato plants have grown to be as large as 6 feet tall. Liam has made me some very strong and tall tomato cages out of cattle panel. Look on the seed packet to see if they are determinate or indeterminate and decide before you buy.
Tomatos tend to split when they get rained on. Since we get rain in the northwest even in our driest summers, rather than stressing about the rain and trying to cover the tomatos, I have had great success with growing smaller tomatos and picking them often. There is a wide variety of small tomatos – cherry, pear, Roma.
WHEN TO PLANT SEEDS
Timing is important and I have to admit I don’t have this down. It’s nice to plant them early so the ripening season is as long as possible but if you plant the seeds too early then the plants will be too tall and awkward to plant in the garden. Last year I planted way too early for the northwest. I planted the seeds the middle of January and they were way too tall in the house and then way too tall in the greenhouse before the soil was warm enough to plant outside. I ended up repotting the tomatos in larger pots in the green house with tall posts that Liam made for me to tack them to. Some, I even clipped in half and replanted the tops and bottoms. They were 5 feet tall by the time I planted in our raised beds. I buried 2 feet of the plants under the soil but they were still too tall. This year I planted the seeds mid February and then also just started some the beginning of March. Ideally, if you don’t have a greenhouse, and don’t want to keep replanting in bigger pots before their final growing spot, it’s best to have plants be about 12 to 24 inches tall when the soil is warm and there’s no chance of frost.
CARING FOR THE SEEDS
Plant the seeds in pots or plastic cups and put the pots on large baking trays.
I’ve made little markers for each pot out of cut up cardboard milk cartons. They are coated with wax so they don’t break down so quickly. I use a “Sharpie” to display the type of tomato & I also mark an “I” or “D” for indeterminate or determinate.
I water with a small watering pot – a little each day so the soil stays moist but not too wet.
And then watch the seeds sprout! It takes the tomato seeds quite a long to time to sprout – 7 to 10 days. Just when you start to get worried, you can see a tiny bit of green popping up.
Once the seedlings are about an inch – thin to just one seedling per pot before the roots get intertwined. I choose the strongest one closest to the middle of the pot. The seedlings will bend to the light as they grow, so I turn the trays once a week. I read that having a fan on the seedlings makes the main stems heavier.
When the ground is warm, it’s time to plant them outside.
I will write another article on planting tomatos outside.
