Tomato Seeds Archives - Page 2 of 2

Tomato Seeds – Storage and Care

Selecting an ideal tomato for its seeds is a pivotal step in storing the most enduring tomato seeds. If you are negligent in selecting a high quality fruit for its seeds, the resulting tomato plant will also suffer in quality.

Below are a few key components to look for when selecting the right tomato for its seeds:

� Be certain that you extract seeds from an open-pollinated, rather than a hybrid, tomato.

� Make sure the tomatoes you select are fully ripe. Seeds from an overly ripe tomato could already be on their way to germinating or even accumulating mold growth

How to Sow Tomato Seeds

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The following sowing and transplanting methods are available to the amateur gardener who wants to grow tomatoes outside without the use of a greenhouse.

Tomato seeds can be sowed directly into a seed bed. However, this is by far the riskiest method in temperate climates. It is only suitable for those areas which have a last frost date in MARCH. In all other areas, the soil is unlikely to be warm enough at a time which will allow the tomato plant to develop and fruit. The soil temperature must be at least 15C (60F) at the time of sowing and during germination. It is possible to utilize a cloche or cold frame. This will warm the soil prior to planting and protect the plants in their early stages.

Using a trowel, dig a shallow drill 2.5cm deep (1in) deep in the prepared bed. Place two seeds every nine inches in the drill and cover the seeds to a depth of 2.5cm (1in). Water well if the conditions are at all dry.

The seedlings should emerge in about 10 days. When they are 5cm (2in) tall, thin to one plant every 45 to 60cm (18 to24in).

Sow Tomato Seeds Early for a Bumper Harvest

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Well it is that time of year again – tomato time. Yes it is time to think about starting your tomato seeds growing so you can get a bumper harvest this year.

Where I live it is still far too cold to start tomato seeds growing outside. You can either think of growing them in the house on a sunny windowsill or growing them in a greenhouse but inside a heated propagator. I use both methods but prefer the kitchen windowsill method. This room is a lot warmer than my greenhouse and the temperature is more even. And the light from the window isn’t too bad.

You need to sow your seeds on the surface of a good quality potting mix and can either do this in small flats or in cells in plug trays. I prefer to use plug trays as it is easy to just get one tomato seed in each cell. If you do use flats, then rather than sprinkle the seeds from the packet again try spacing the tomato seed out in rows. If you do just sprinkle them out of the packet you will end with lots of your tomatoes growing together and crowding each other. Spacing them out individually helps them grow better, makes them easier to transplant and will help lessen disease.

Once you have then on the surface of your seed potting mix, sieve some more on them, just enough to cover them or use a covering of fine grade vermiculite. You need to water the seeds. Many people do this with a watering can but I prefer to stand the plug tray or flat in a tray of water and let it soak up water like a sponge. The will make the seed moist. After that stand it somewhere warm at 65F to 75F until the seeds germinate then reduce the temperature a little.

I stand mine on the kitchen windowsill and to make sure they do not get too stretched looking for the brightest light, I stand them on an upside-down flat (or seed tray). This raises them up slightly above the window frame and the other thing I do is turn the plug trays every day so the tomato plants do not get bent towards the light but grow as straight as possible.

When the seedlings first emerge from the potting mix they put up a shoot with two seed leaves on. These are not the true leaves of the tomato plant but these will appear after a few days to a week. Once the real leaves appear your baby tomatoes plants wait until there are two pairs and then these need transplanting into larger pots.

When to Plant Tomato Seeds?

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Probably you know that tomato is a fruit and it does not stop any one of us from planting one in our vegetable garden. It is nutritious and contains lycopene that is a very effective cancer-fighting antioxidant. And the best part is — it is one of the easiest to grow in your home garden. However, if you do not plant your tomatoes at the right time, you will either get a sick plant or no fruits at all. Now, you surely do not want that, do you? These tips will help you with picking the best time for planting tomato seeds.

If you have decided to go with seeds instead of seedlings, you need to start them about 6-8 weeks before the last anticipated frost. This means in January if you live in a desert region and February if you live in the mild-winter areas. Remember, tomato plants need a consistent temperature of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit to grow.

When you start your seeds this early, it will give your seeds the time to germinate and be ready for planting in the soil when the temperature reaches the required warmth level. If your seedlings are ready to be planted and the outdoor temperature is still too cold, you will end up with a plant in a cool soil that just refuses to bloom.

Heirloom Tomato Seeds Are Popular With Home Gardeners

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Exactly what are heirloom tomato seeds? They are seeds that are still of the original varieties that have never been crossed in any way in the growing process. To provide the best looking fruit for the consumer market many tomato plants have been crossed, but the heirloom seeds have been saved in their original varieties. There are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes available today according to one of America’s top tomato seed suppliers. Doesn’t this number seem absolutely mind blowing? Who would ever have thought that one fruit could have so many varieties?

Why The Popularity Of Heirloom Tomato Seeds?

It is a much publicized fact that the heirloom tomatoes have a much better flavor than the commercially grown tomato (the crossed varieties). In many cases the heirloom tomato is not the ‘perfect’ looking tomato but when it comes down to growing tomatoes for your own home use it is the flavor that is usually the most important.

Varieties of Heirloom Tomato Seeds for Sustainable Gardens

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Planting a garden with heirloom tomato seeds, fruits and vegetables helps create a sustainable lifestyle. For generations people have planted and harvested crops, saving seeds for replanting in the spring, however with the introduction of hybrids and genetically modified crops this has become more difficult. These plants have been developed so their seeds will either be sterile or will revert back to lesser quality parent plants. This has led preservationists within the gardening community to increase their focus on heirloom tomato seeds.

Consumers who purchase their tomatoes in the store often complain about their lack of flavor and pale color. These are often grown by commercial growers using chemical based fertilizers,herbicides and pesticides some of which contain carcinogenic compounds. While this type of farming has become large scale and may to some extent be necessary to produce a large quantity of food for the world, it is not without risks.

As consumers become more health conscience, they pay more attention to the food they consume, including the method of production. Certified organic heirloom tomato seeds are a starting point for developing a healthier lifestyle. Certification of organic seeds is granted by the USDA through the Certified Organic National Program. When ordering seeds with this distinction documented proof should be available on the company’s pages.

Heirloom Tomato Seeds – Why Use Them and How To Save Your Own

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Nothing tastes better than homegrown tomatoes in your salads and dishes and did you realize that if they are heirloom tomatoes they are even much better tasting! Growing tomatoes at home is not only easy,once you have the knowledge, but they also provide a bounty of health benefits that can keep so many illness at bay. Heirloom tomatoes seeds are best when it comes to nurturing a small garden in your home.

Why choose heirloom tomatoes seeds?

Tomatoes developed for commercial purposes have specific traits that means they can keep best in the marketplace until sold. These commercially grown tomatoes have a thicker skin, are more resistant to insects and will ripen gradually. These characteristics are great when it is for industrial farms that need to ship these tomatoes in large quantities around the world, but unfortunately, these tomatoes lack a lot when it comes to taste and nutrition.

Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors – Planning Is Crucial for Success!

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Starting tomato seeds indoors is an important know-how, to get a jump on your growing season, giving you a head start so that your tomatoes will be able to ripen on the vine. This is especially important if you reside in an area where your growing season is shorter than normal. When you start your seedlings indoors you are able to get a bountiful crop of tomatoes from your plants and extend your harvest.

We all know that growing your own garden-fresh tomatoes is far more economical in the long run than buying tomatoes at your neighborhood store. By starting tomato seeds indoors yourself, you can increase those savings by a sizable number in contrast to the outlay of buying tomato seedlings at your local garden center.

Starting your own tomato seeds is fairly simple as long as you follow some key gardening suggestions. Planning is the first step, and it is crucial. You will need to start your tomato seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost date. It is important to check a climate zone map for your area. That will tell you what the average frost dates are for the growing season in your region.

Heirloom or Heritage Tomatoes

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Heirloom Tomatoes, also known as Heritage Tomatoes, are known for their many different varieties. Each tomato encompassed in the Heirloom tomato family has its own unique taste, appearance and shape. Such differences are caused by mutations, intentional or not, within the Heirloom Tomato Seeds.

Although this family of tomatoes still uses the name “Heirloom” because they are said to have been passed down through the family, this is no longer the case. The varieties of seeds that are passed down through the generations are referred to as Family Heirlooms, whereas the other types have different names. The name Created Heirlooms refers to varieties that are made by cross-pollinating two different types of Heirlooms.

Heirloom tomatoes seeds that are produced by companies, and have been in circulation for about 50 years are referred to as Commercial Heirlooms. Many of the Heirloom varieties are called Mystery Heirlooms. These Heirlooms get their name because no one is actually sure which two Heirloom seeds came together to create this specific tomato.