More Articles – Discover further gardening resources here. You haven’t really experienced what a tomato should taste like if you’ve never bit into a fragrant, vine-ripened, sun-warmed tomato that was just gathered from your own garden. And once you have, you will never again be content with the mediocre imitations that are sold in supermarkets.
Tomato plants, fortunately, are not difficult to cultivate and may produce an astounding amount of fruit. Tomatoes are long-season, heat-loving plants that won’t survive frost, so it’s best to place them in the garden as transplants (young plants) when the weather has warmed up in the spring. This is because tomatoes won’t produce fruit if they are exposed to temperatures below freezing.
There are tomato transplants available for purchase, but establishing your own tomato plants from seed indoors has a distinct sense of accomplishment to it. In addition, if you cultivate your own tomato transplants, you will have access to hundreds of different types of tomato, which are typically marketed as seeds but not as transplants very often.
- Tomato seeds
- Sterile potting soil for seed beginning
- sterilized containers for beginning seeds
- A warm location with adequate light, either from the sun or from artificial lighting
- Fertilizer
Can you start tomatoes indoors too early?
To answer your question in a nutshell, “yes,” it is far too early to start tomato seeds at this point. In general, tomato seeds are planted around six weeks before the date of the last expected frost in the area. If, on the other hand, you have access to a solarium, greenhouse, or any other warm space, you may start tomato seeds very early and end up with enormous plants that are ready to be planted in the spring.
What happens if you plant tomatoes too early?
The second most common mistake is planting tomatoes too early. Tomatoes thrive in warm climates and soils. Do not give in to the temptation of planting your crops too early just because you have experienced a few warm days. Tender, immature tomato plants are vulnerable to a wide variety of issues that can be caused by planting them too early.
From the possibility of damage caused by frost and freezing temperatures to rot and mold. It is important to let the weather get warmer before attempting to raise the temperature of the soil. Wait till the earth has warmed up before you get too excited about planting those transplants. To fully warm the soil, it takes anywhere from seven to ten days of temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day.
Before planting, it is best to hold off until nighttime temperatures remain in the range of 50 to 55 degrees for an extended period of time.
How many seeds do I need to plant tomatoes?
Put your tomato seeds in the ground. Put two or three seeds in each container or cell, then use a seed starting mix like Miracle-Gro® Seed Starting Potting Mix to promote rapid root development.
Do tomatoes need darkness to germinate?
When you are beginning seeds inside, the temperature should be between 70 and 80 degrees. In order to facilitate germination, the growth mix should be damp but not soaked. Germination of seeds does not require the presence of light; nevertheless, after the seeds have germinated, you should provide the seedlings with at least 14 hours of light every day.
