Tomato Plants from Seedshow to grow tomato plants from seeds

Choosing this Seasons Tomato Seed

“I have never met a tomato I didn’t like” I would bet there area probably hundreds of people that would agree with me on that point. In fact there are probably as many people ready to agree as there are different varieties of tomatoes available to grow.

Visit your friendly garden shop and take a quick glance at their newly arrived seed packets. You will be pleasantly surprised to find all the varieties of tomatoes that are available on the market today. These varieties range from the heirloom tomatoes to the genetically engineered varieties. You have miniature tomatoes and you have the large beef eaters. There is a tomato for every persons taste. That fact alone is probably the most difficult decision you will have to make. Which variety do you want to grow this year?

Disease resistance is very important when you finally decide what variety of tomato to grow. Look closely at the information presented for the various varieties and you will notice that it contains the letters V, F, N, or T within the tomatoes description. The letter “V” means the seed is Verticillium Wilt resistant, the “F” means Fusarium Wilt resistant, “N” is the short symbol for Nematodes while “T” is typically used to indicate Tobacco Mosiac. Should you note any of these letters mentioned in the description it merely indicates that the particular variety is resistant to those diseases.

The growth habits of the particular plant is indicated by Indeterminate or determinate. Indeterminate indicates that the tomatoe plant has a tendency to spread while the designation of determinate reveals the plant remains within its limited confines. If the seed is marked as semi-determinate it means although the growing plants do not spread greatly they still require some added space.

To start your tomato seeds indoors sow them in either plug trays or flats. Be sure to read the manufacturers recommendations placed on the rear of the seed packet. They have certain planting depths and recommended spacing for the plants after you thin them.

There are special mixed soil combinations that are created spe4cifically for seed starting. You can readily pick up this seed starting soil at your local garden center. Do not even consider using neither regular potting soil nor the soil obtained from your garden. These soils are not sterilized and can cause what is commonly referred to as damping off in the initial stages of the plants growth.

Upon sowing the tomato seed in trays they should be placed in a 70 to 75 degree location. Should your seed producing area be too cool there are special heating pads that ccan be obtained. Germination should take place within 7 to 14 days of planting the seed.

After the first true leaves begin to develop on the small plants you should transplant them to a larger container. In approximately 6 to 8 weeks your tomato plants should be ready for transplanting within your garden area.

Agricultural research has introduced dozens of new tomato varieties each season several varieties that are hardy and very disease resistant include the several hybrids such as Big Beef or possibly Hybrid Celebrity. Don’t hesitate to try a new variety as you may be pleasantly surprised at both the results of growing the tomato as well as the taste.

Growing your own vegetables from seed is very easy. It is great fun to watch the tiny seedlings emerge from the soil mix and of course is a great deal cheaper than buying ready grown plants. It is not as quick though. The reason why it is cheaper is that you are doing all the work yourself.

So what do you grow them in? Well it all depends on what type of plant you are growing. Before we discuss what type of container you need, you also need to think about what type of soil mix you are going to grow them in.

My father used to just take some garden soil, put it in an old dirty plant pot and grow his seeds. It used to work but it was only his experience which allowed him to be able to identify which was the seedling he was after and which was a weed seedling. Why, well the soil he used was full of weed seeds. He also did not clean his pots which is never a good thing.

There is no reason why you cannot reuse pots year after year, and in today’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle world we live in it is a good idea. I use some pots year after year, not because I am too cheap to buy new ones but simply because there is nothing wrong with the old pots that have been cleaned and sterilized. I simply soak them in a tub of water to loosen any old dirt, wash them in warm soapy water using a stiff bristled brush, rinse in clean water and finally soak in a disinfectant solution. I have used diluted bleach, diluted medical disinfectant, gardening disinfectant and specialist organic gardening disinfectant. They all work, but remember to wear waterproof gloves for this last stage as many of these chemicals are strong and could do some damage your skin. I also buy new cheap disposable pots each year as I can more or less assume these are sterile so there can be no danger of transferring diseases from old dirty pots to new seedlings.

There are not just pots though, I also use trays or flats as they are known in some countries, little plug trays where the seedling can grow in its own cell and old plastic coffee cups which have been washed out. You will need drainage hols though. I have even started larger seeds off in the discarded middles of toilet rolls. These are planted out as they are into your soil mix and the roots grow through the cardboard. The toilet roll eventually degrades into the soil.

Let’s start off by assuming we are sowing into trays. Fill the tray with whatever compost you are using and gently firm this down until you have a fairly level surface. At this stage you need to water this so that the seed will be surrounded by moisture. You then need to sow the seed. Very small seeds should be gently sprinkled, not too thickly, on to the surface of the compost. Larger seeds such as tomatoes can be placed individually on the surface of the compost. A tip here, to help you get them in the correct place, is that you can move them with a small artists paint brush.

Cover the seed to the correct depth with sieved compost or fine grade vermiculite. The back of the seed pack will let you know what depth to cover with. This is important as too much compost will make life difficult for your seedling. Gently water the surface of this compost.

That’s it. Just keep the tray somewhere at the best temperature for the seed. I usually find that my kitchen window is fine. I often cover the seed trays with plastic sheeting until the seedlings start to emerge then take this off.

If you need to water the seed tray, I usually do this by standing it in a small try of water and letting the compost act like a sponge and soak that water up. I find this does not disturb things as much as using a watering can does. Let this water drain away though as the compost needs to be moist but not wet

Finally, when the seedling is large enough to handle and has developed some true leaves not just seed leaves, I transfer it to its own pot of compost and let it grow larger. When you do this you need to be gentle and only hold the seedling by a leaf. Holding by the stem can crush it as the stem is very fragile and this crushing will kill the seedling.

A final point, remember that many seeds can be sown direct into the ground where they are to grow. Make sure the soil is warm enough before you do this and protect your seeds with some form of cloche if it is early in the season.