Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors
Starting tomato seeds indoors allows for a longer growing season, which means tomatoes not only bear fruit earlier, but they can be harvested longer before the frost sets in the autumn!
When you start with seeds, you have full control over the type of tomatoes you want to grow. Since tomatoes are heat lovers, most gardeners don't have growing seasons long enough to start tomatoes from seed outdoors. To get around that, tomato seeds are often started indoors.
1. Thoroughly moisten the seed-starting mix, and then fill the containers to within 1/2" of the top.
2. Firm the mix but don't compact it.
3. Place two or three seeds into each small container or each cell of a seed starter then Cover the seed with about 1/4" of soil and gently firm it over the seeds
4. Water. You don't need to soak the soil, just moisten the top layer.
5. Place the pots in a warm spot.
6. Keep the mix moist but not soaking wet. lay some plastic kitchen wrap over the tops of the pots.
7. Check pots daily. As soon as you see sprouts, remove the covering and place the pots in a sunny window or under grow lights, keeping the lights just an inch or two above the tops of the plants.
The young seedlings need to be kept at 18°C (64°F).
The best tomato seedlings are short and stubby rather than tall and thin.
2. Firm the mix but don't compact it.
3. Place two or three seeds into each small container or each cell of a seed starter then Cover the seed with about 1/4" of soil and gently firm it over the seeds
4. Water. You don't need to soak the soil, just moisten the top layer.
5. Place the pots in a warm spot.
6. Keep the mix moist but not soaking wet. lay some plastic kitchen wrap over the tops of the pots.
7. Check pots daily. As soon as you see sprouts, remove the covering and place the pots in a sunny window or under grow lights, keeping the lights just an inch or two above the tops of the plants.
The young seedlings need to be kept at 18°C (64°F).
The best tomato seedlings are short and stubby rather than tall and thin.
Tomato plants are ready for thinning when seedlings reach 2-3 weeks of age or approximately 3-4 inches in height. When choosing which seedlings to pull and which to leave, keep the larger, more-developed seedlings and remove weaker, smaller seedlings.
Thinning seedlings means to remove all or part of a plant to make room for the growth of others. Select the strongest, healthiest seedling and use a pair of scissors to cut off the others at the soil line. The reason you will want to cut the seedlings instead of pulling them is to avoid disturbing the delicate roots of the neighboring seedling.
You can give your plant the correct amount of sunlight, water and nutrients but if you don’t give them enough room to grow, they will not be able to thrive. They will compete for nutrients and you will be left with two smaller plants, instead of one large, healthy plant.