How To Grow Tomatoes

It is time to start planning your tomato garden for the bounty you will enjoy all summer long. Some parts of the country still have snow on the ground, but planning is the first step in preparing your garden, and there are things that you can do right now to ensure your tomato plants will be successful this year. If you’re green thumb has been restless all winter, you can start your seed selection process now, and have your seeds in hand by the time the ground thaws, and your garden bed preparation begins.

Flipping through the pages of seed catalogs and looking at all the different types of tomatoes is not only fun, but necessary if you are going to select the right plants for your garden. A visit to your local nursery or garden center can provide you with tomato seed varieties that will do well in your region, but if your interested in something exotic, order it from a seed catalog or on the internet.

You can start seeds for seedling transplants, about five to six weeks before the last anticipated frost in your area. This will allow the seedlings that you have started from seed, to be ready for the garden when the soil temperature is warm enough. If the soil is too cool for your seedlings they will struggle, and not be successful, productive tomato plants.

Prepare to grow seedlings, by finding a suitable container to plant your selected seeds. You can use everyday house hold items like paper cups, clean yogurt containers, empty egg cartons, or whatever your imagination and ingenuity can convert into mini planters. Start by filling your containers with a good quality potting soil and plant the seeds at about an eighth of inch deep. Moisten the soil with a few good squirts from a spray bottle, and your seed will begin its germination process.

When your seedlings have a couple of leaves on them, place a small fan set on low directed at the seedlings and let them sway in the “wind.” This will help them get accustomed to outdoor conditions, and will give them the opportunity to grow strong stalks. When the daytime temperatures begin to rise, you can put them outdoors in the sun for a few hours a day. When the plants have four or more leaves, and the soil temperature has increased enough they are ready to be transplanted into their new garden home.