Starting Seeds Indoors

Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost is due in your area. Use a soilless potting mix or other seed starting medium in shallow flat boxes or small individual pots, or seed starting system. Sow seeds about an inch apart or two to a pot, gently pushing them into the moistened medium about ¼ inch. Cover them lightly with the medium and water gently. Maintain uniform moisture and a soil temperature of about 70°F. Seeds should sprout in 3 to 7 days.

To prevent seedlings from becoming thin and spindly, set fluorescent lights about 1 or 2 inches above the developing foliage, adjusting them so that they are always about this distance above the top foliage of the growing plants for 6 to 8 weeks. Researchers have found that brushing seedlings gently several times a day reduces average plant height by about 20%, and promotes shorter, sturdier stems.

Transplant seedlings into increasingly larger pots once or twice before they go outdoors. Set them slightly deeper in the soil each time. Allow them to get large and sturdy before setting them outdoors. Ease their transition by exposing them to outside air during the day, then bringing them in at night, for a few days prior to planting out.

For more details see our file Starting Seeds For The Vegetable Garden

Planting Tomatoes Outdoors

Tomato plants are essentially tropical plants, needing warm days and cool nights. They prefer daytime temperatures between 70°F and 75°F. They drop blossoms if it is cooler than 55°F or hotter than 90°F and are very sensitive to frost, which blackens and kills them.

Tomatoes need at least 6 to 10 hours of sun daily plus some afternoon shade in really hot climates. They accept almost any kind of soil, as long as it has lots of organic matter in it to help it hold moisture and drain well and is on the acid side (pH 6.0 to 7.0). Add organic matter such as peat moss [750 100], chopped leaves or compost to lighten and loosen clay soil or plant tomatoes in raised beds to improve soil drainage. Mix in some all-purpose slow-acting granular fertilizer [660 200] or a fertilizer product for acid-loving plants when preparing the soil. Follow directions on the package label.

Amendments In Planting or Transplanting
There are a number of products at the garden center that will help your newly planted or transplanted plants deal better with the stress inherent in the planting process. All healthy plants have beneficial fungi, called mycorrhizal fungi, living on their roots. You can buy these valuable additions to your plant’s ecosystem. See the file describing Using Micorrhizae When Planting.

In addition, there are a number of products such as seaweed, compost tea, and beneficial soil microbes that when added to the planting process will help your newly established plants get going faster. See the file New Technology In Plant Growth Activators

Steps for Transplanting Seedlings

1.) Water seedlings well 1 to 2 hours prior to planting, to keep their rootballs intact during the transplanting process.

2.) Plant on a cloudy day or in late afternoon or evening to protect seedlings from the hot sun while they cope with transplant shock. The soil is cooler and the relative humidity higher then, reducing moisture stress on the new plants.

3.) Space transplants 1½ to 2½ feet apart. With a trowel dig individual holes a bit deeper than the seedling’s rootball or container. Deep planting encourages roots to form along the buried stem, increasing the plant’s capacity to take up water and nutrients, resulting in stronger plants.

4.) Gently coax each seedling from its container, set it in its hole and fill in with loose dirt. Press the soil gently around the main stem. Water transplants generously and then do not allow them to dry out.

Planting Tomatoes in Containers

Locate containers where plants will receive 6 to 8 hours of sun. Plant seedlings in sterile, soilless potting mix. While determinate, or compact, dwarf varieties purposely bred for containers are ideal, indeterminate or cherry type tomatoes do well in containers too, as long as they are supported with stakes or a trellis of some sort.

Containers must have drainage holes in the bottom and be at least 1½ feet deep. Mix some slow-acting granular fertilizer into the potting mix initially, or plan to fertilize container plants every 2 weeks with general purpose liquid fertilizer. Keeping plants moist and protecting them from excessive heat are the biggest concerns.

Good container tomato varieties include: ‘Patio Hybrid’, ‘Roma’, ‘Small Fry’ and ‘Tiny Tim’. Plan to water thoroughly whenever soil surface feels dry. During the hot summer this may mean twice a day, especially in terra cotta containers.