After a few years of buying tomato seedlings to grow some people start thinking about trying to start their tomatoes from seed. Somehow it is a lot more meaningful to grow things from seed. Rather than adopting an already born seed you feel like you have created the tomato plant. Or it could be that I feel like this because I am Italian and growing tomatoes is the main focus of my garden. I have had mixed luck with the few attempts I have made to grow from seed.
Start by finding good, fresh seeds from a source you can trust. There are so many interesting types of tomatoes. Everything from heirloom to San Marzano plum tomato seeds is available. Italians particularly like the San Marzano plum tomato as it is known to be the best tomato in Italy for making the gravy (tomato sauce). Of course you have to remember that San Marzano is a region of Italy and where you try to grow these tomatoes may have totally different soil and growing conditions.
Choose a soil to start the seed in that does not compact easily. Your best bet is a commercially prepared seed starting mix. Tomato seeds should be started 6 to 8 weeks before planting outside which should be one to two weeks after the average last frost of the season in your area. When ready to plant the seeds moisten the mix with warm water and let it sit overnight. It should be damp when ready to use, not soggy, kind of like a wrung out sponge.
You can start growing your seeds in any small container. Many people use the tomato germinating flats purchased at local garden centers that have plastic domes to put over them. The key thing is to make sure the containers can drain any excess water.
Plant the seeds about 1/8 to ¼ of an inch deep. Try and lightly firm up the mix around the seed to make sure the seed gets moisture from the mix. Cover your containers with the dome or with plastic that allows some air to circulate. Put the containers in a warm spot out of direct sunlight. The optimum temperature for germination is from 70 to 80 degrees. The seed usually germinate in 5 to 10 days. Seeds will germinate at lower temperatures but at a slower rate.
The seeds need to be in bright light once they sprout out of the soil. You need very strong light to support tomato growth. Consider using a florescent light a few inches above the seedlings 12 to 18 hours a day. Otherwise put in a south facing window.
When watering soak the container and let it get almost dry before watering again. The first leaves are called Cotyledons and are actually part of the embryo of the seed. The next leaves that develop are true leaves of the seed and when these develop it is time to transplant into a larger container. Don’t let your plants become root bound. If you see this occurring transplant the seedlings again into a larger container.
When it is time to put the plants outside make sure you harden the plants by taking them outside slowly, a few hours at a time. Try to keep them out of the wind and full sun when you first put them out. Once they seem like they have hardened off and adapted to the outside conditions it is safe to leave them out there permanently.
