Some sow their first tomato seeds of the year in January. Come February, quite a few more will join them.
Tomato seeds should be planted 8 weeks before planting out and planting out needs to be in a frost free environment. So those being sown now and next month will be for the greenhouse or polytunnel.
Being an outdoor grower I’ve got a while to wait. In the meantime I thought I’d remind myself of the basics. Last year seems a long time ago. If I reaquaint myself a little at a time, it might come back for when I need it.
Temperature
Tomato seeds germinate at temperatures of 18 – 20C which means popping them into a heated propagators or later on in the spring, onto a sunny window sill.
Young plants need the temperature to be over 10C to grow plus plenty of good light.
Sowing
Seeds come with a built in storehouse of food. This provides the energy to germinate and send up a shoot from under the compost to above ground. At germination stage the only external resources required are air and moisture.
Larger seeds can be planted deeper. Their size means a larger food store, so allowing a longer journey before reaching light.
Tomato seeds are small. I remember shaking them from the packet and being amazed at their daintiness. They travel light and rely on getting to the surface sooner rather than later. So place on the surface of the compost and then cover thinly with compost – no more than 5mm deep.
Lets hope like the seeds, the rest of my tomato growing know-how isn’t buried too deep.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I am finding myself getting a bit impatient on the slowly coming Spring. It is everything I can do to keep from grabbing my seed starting trays and sow a few seeds, but it is still very early for me to begin that here. I am still about 2 months away from being able to start seeds, but I am counting the days.
I look forward to see what tomatoes you will be growing this year.
Hello
I feel the same – but I know if I sow to early there will be nowhere for the plants to go and then what ?!
I’m looking forward to seeing what I am going to grow this year as well !I don’t know to be sensible/ realistic and choose some varieties based purely on blight resistance or just to go for ones that take my fancy !
My preference would be to have 1 or 2 standard red round varieties and then have some fun with the rest … I still have some time to make up my mind – decisions , decision !
I too am itching to get things started properly. I have just sown another pot of Red Robin compact Toms which I like to keep growing throughout the cooler months.(with vermiculite topping) I place the pot in a sunny window which has a radiator under it ( The window not the pot). This enables me to have some fresh sweet fruit during the duller months rather than relying on the leather water jackets sold by the supermarkets at this time of year. Though of course not in the quantities I would like.
I find here in the south of the UK I can grow the small cherry Piccolo and the Roma plum type grow really well. I don’t seem to have as much luck with the standard types. Doh! I’ve got some cream sausage to try this year so will see how they grow.
Hello
Thank you for stopping by.
You are so right about supermarket toms at the moment. Tough and red on the outside and green and hard in !
I love the fact that you keep going with indoor plants in the winter. I grew Red Robin outside last year and wasn’t that taken with it but as an indoor plant I can see it would be great.
The standard types weren’t my greatest success either . I did better with Cherries and smaller standards like Tigerella and Darby Stripe. I did grow Cream Sausage which was good – both to look at and eat. Its great to be able to grow different varieties that offer so much in the way of colour, appearance and use.
The days are getting longer and lighter ( or is just that the very full moon !) which is a cheering thought.