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.
Once you have determined the type and variety of tomatoes you would like to plant you can purchase your seeds from your local garden center or online. Seeds are inexpensive, but it is a good idea to choose a superior grade of organic and heirloom tomato seeds. The reason for this is that you want to insure that no chemicals were used on the seeds themselves or the parent plant. There are a number of excellent places to buy organic seeds online.
Once you buy your seeds, it is good practice to read the directions on the back of the seed packages of each different variety of tomato. A green thumb, sometimes, can be a direct result from taking the time to follow the instructions on the back of each package. The seed companies are kind enough to give us information on when to plant the seeds, how long it takes for that certain seed to grow, how far apart they should be planted, and when to harvest. There is wealth of information on each individual package that you can use for your tomato gardening plan.
Another important tip, before starting your tomato seeds if you are using containers, or seed trays from a previous year is that they must be properly cleaned and disinfected before they can be used. Doing this will help prevent the spread of some diseases like blight.
This can be accomplished by rinsing them with a solution of two parts vinegar to one part water or you can use a 10% solution of bleach. Once cleaned and rinsed they can be set out to dry.
It is a good idea when starting tomato seeds indoors to use a top grade of organic seed starting mix. You must not use regular garden soil to start your tomato seeds because it is packed with bacteria and fungi that target tomato seeds and seedlings. An alternative to seed starting mix would be to make your own by preparing a mix of sifted top soil, compost and perlite. This can be used, but it should be first sterilized before starting tomato seeds.
One important recommendation I have, is to label your planted seeds with the name of the variety and type of tomato, and the date planted. This is essential if you are planting a number of different tomato seeds at the same time. If you are a novice to starting tomato seeds indoors, there is nothing like having all your seeds come up, and you have forgotten what seeds you had planted in the first place and what date you actually started them. Marking the label with the date of when the tomato seeds were planted will help you keep a log of when that specific variety is expected to germinate. I always keep a tomato journal so that each year I can check back at what worked and what didn’t. What seed variety I liked and where I purchased it from.
Keeping a journal and recording everything you do when you are tomato gardening makes each and every year easier. Besides, I love looking back at my gardening journal and seeing how my past failures have influenced today’s triumphs.
Judith is an avid gardener and has been passionate about growing tomatoes for years. If you are looking for more information on starting tomato seeds indoors and planning your tomato garden you can find expert advice here.
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