Grow Your Own Tomato Seedlings

Starting your own tomato plants can be fun and rewarding. Aside from not having to buy your seedlings from a nursery, you have the option of growing virtually any variety. Some nurseries only carry a few types of tomato plants, and the selection can be limited. Starting seedlings for a lot of people can be frustrating, so here's a quick and dirty guide on how to do it yourself.

You should start your seeds about 1 month to 2 months before your last expected spring frost. Start out with a thin flat. A celled flat is not needed at this point, because you will eventually move these small seedlings into a bigger celled tray once the true leaves appear. A seedling will emerge from the soil as two false leaves that are long and thin and do not resemble a mature tomato leaf. Within about a week, a true leaf will appear to let you know that it's time to transplant into a bigger flat. I use fluorescent lights to grow my seedlings. A greenhouse can also be used as long as the temperature is kept in the mid-sixties. The spring sun indoors can be quite weak and will produce long and leggy seedlings that may flop over and break, ruining your efforts and frustrating you further. Give your seedlings a good amount of light, they will need at least 8 hours per day. I keep my seedlings within inches of the lights to maximize the usable rays all plants need for photosynthesis

First, spread some good, sterile potting soil in a flat at least an inch thick. Sow your seeds in the flat about an inch away from each other. Cover the seedlings with a thin layer of soil no more than a half inch thick. Keep these seedlings moist and they should germinate within a week. Once the seedlings appear, move them under the lights. The true leaves should appear within a week of being under the lights. Tomatoes seem to do well with a little drying out, but don't over water. "Damping off", a plant disease common with seedlings, can be triggered by over-watering. This is when the seedling stems rot at the base, but it can be avoided by using sterile soil and keeping the moisture and light requirements ideal.

Once the true leaves appear, it's time to transplant into a celled flat. Fill your cells with the soil and give a good watering to settle it in. Poke a small hole in the top of the soil to transplant the newly emerged seedlings. Then,use a fork or chop stick to gently pry up your seedlings from the flat being careful not to tear any of the small roots. Gently pick the seedlings out by the false leaves and place them in the holes in your celled flat. Move the soil around the base of the small plants and pat down. Once this is done, water your seedlings and keep them in a bright spot away from direct sunlight for about a day. This will get them accustomed to their new temporary home and will keep them from burning up under the lights.

After a few days, move them back under the lights and let them grow. Transplant them into the garden when the soil temperature stays around 65 degrees and the air temperature stays around the 50's. If this can't be done, you may have to transplant into bigger cells. This is all weather permitting, but don't jump the gun and put your plants out to early. They may never fully recover from being too cold. Once you master growing from seed, you may never buy another nursery tomato plant.