Starting some tomatoes

Starting tomatoes from seed is the best way to get plants already suited to the place where they will grow. Shop bought plants can be in shock. However, starting seeds indoors can be tricky especially when extra cold outside results in the house heating system being turned up. The lack of sunshine indoors and chills from draughts can mean weak and tired small plants.

The fluctuation in temperatures indoors is best managed with a plant propagator for starting seeds. The electric heated type work very well and usually produces seedlings within 10 days. The non heated basic propagator, or a home made box covered with plastic, works more slowly. Both can be used together moving seedlings from the heated to non heated to let the delicate plants harden up before potting up.

As soon as 2 leaves are present the small plants are removed from the heated unit and placed in the non heated one for a few days. Once settled the little plants are carefully potted up into small pots to live outside the propagator, still indoors. Using planting cells or small pots makes it easier to pot up moving the plant and soil block together into the new pot. Regular gentle watering (daily) is required to make sure the plants do not dry out.

The small potted plants now need a light source to encourage their next stage of growth. This can be a windowsill (away from drafts and cold) or under a grow light. A further stage of potting up in a week or two into larger size pots helps prevent the plants becoming long and straggly. In total house grown tomatoes can go through 3 stages of potting up before the plants are ready to move outside.

In about a month or six weeks, the potted plants can start visiting outdoors for a few hours of natural sunshine. The sooner this can start the better but cold winds even on sunny days must be avoided. However, armed with a good range of tomato types (see below) the gardener can bring on plenty of plants ready for the summer and give away extras (the weaker ones) to friends and family.

Garden Shed Links: