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by: Adam Bradley
Gardeners can choose either to buy seeds or a partially grown plant for their
gardens. Those "purest", who insist on growing tomatoes from seeds, however,
should be aware of how to start the plant and care for it as it matures.
The process begins indoors in a container. The first step is getting a seed
starting mix and filling the container with it. Next, create small furrows and
place the seeds in them. The seed starting mix should be moist before the seeds
are planted. Now the seeds can be completely covered by the soil and gently
watered.
The planted seeds will need a warm place to grow. And once the stems poke out of
the soil, a good light source will become necessary as well. This can be
achieved either with natural sunlight (as on a windowsill) or with florescent
light bulbs.
It will take about a week for the plants to germinate, or emerge from the seeds.
If you have multiple varieties of tomato plants in the container, carefully
label them, as they will all look alike at this stage.
After a second week, the seeds should be emerging out of the soil. You may see
baby cotyledon leaves at this point. They should be green, a marker that they’re
getting the light they crave to grow properly.
After a month it will be time to transplant the seeds. They will begin to grow
large enough that they will require their own space in order to continue
growing. Transplant them by lifting the seedlings from below, holding their
leaves gently as you do so. You can scoop up the entire fledgling plant from
below and move it to its own container.
The new container should be larger than the old one, but once again the soil in
it should be well moistened before the plant is placed inside. Dig a hold for
the plant and then place it into the container so that the roots are completely
covered. You can also bury part of the stem, as tomatoes tend to grow new roots
along buried stems. Gently water the plants and ensure that they are once again
placed in a warm, sunny environment.
Depending on the climate, the plants may need to be kept indoors for a time.
They cannot be planted outside until the low temperature at night is well above
freezing. Cold can kill or rot the plant, so be sure it is warm enough outside
before making the second transplant. The plants take about six to eight weeks to
grow from a seed, but should not be started until two weeks after the last
expected frost.
When it is warm enough, you can transplant them outside. Simply dig a hole for
them, overturn the container the plant is in, set the plant in the new hole
(again burying part of the stem) and cover with soil.
The tomato plants will now be large enough to require frequent, regular watering
and a cage or other support to grow on. Tomato plants can grow to be quite
large, so adequate support is crucial.
When to harvest the tomatoes from your plants depends on the variety of tomato
planted. Heirloom tomatoes should not be harvested until they are fully ripe,
but slicers can be harvested at any stage.
About The Author
Adam Bradley just wanted some great tasting tomatoes! His family had so much fun
"tomato farming" it got out of hand. When people began asking for advice he used
first hand knowledge and research to offer tips on growing tomatoes seeds. Read
more here: http://tomatogardencenter.com/growing-tomato-seeds/. He invites
anyone who would like some great tomato growing tips, to his free Mini-Course on
growing tomatoes: http://www.tomatogardencenter.com.
The author invites you to visit:
http://tomatogardencenter.com
Article Source: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_1797.shtml
Tags: Growing
Tomatoes -
Seeds to Fruit |
