The fascinating variety of tomatoes only becomes apparent to the hobby gardener when selecting the seeds, in contrast to ready-grown young plants. With these instructions you can grow tomato seeds without any stumbling blocks.
How do I successfully grow tomatoes from seeds?
Tomatoes can be grown by soaking the seeds, growing them in seed trays or pots, separating them after germination and changing the location to a cooler, brighter location. Regular watering and the right substrate mix promote growth until planting outdoors or in a greenhouse.
Sowing behind glass compensates for the climate deficit
Native to warm South America, tomatoes in the local regions do not thrive until mid-May at the earliest. Direct sowing this late would have no chance of success given the ripening time. Therefore, experienced tomato gardeners start growing in protected rooms from the beginning/mid of March. As a result, the young plants start the season with a pleasing growth lead, which compensates for the climate deficit. How to proceed:
- Soak tomato seeds for half a day in water, chamomile tea or diluted garlic juice
- Seed tray or growing pot (€6.00 on Amazon) fill with growing soil, peat sand or coconut hum
- spread the seeds 3 centimeters apart
- sieve the light germinators very thinly with soil or sand and press them down
- spray with a fine jet of water
- cover with glass, plastic or cling film
Tomato seeds germinate reliably at a constant temperature of 20-24 degrees Celsius within 10-14 days. The seeds preferably spend this phase in a partially shaded location because full sunshine would cause the seedlings to starve. Under no circumstances should the substrate and seeds dry out during this time. Watering is particularly gentle from below, using the capillary power of the root system.
Seedlings want to be cooler and brighter
When the delicate cotyledons emerge from the seeds, the tropical plants' light requirements increase. So that the young plants don't rot straight away, a change of location can help. Now it can be cooler at 16-18 degrees Celsius so that the amount of light in the south window is sufficient for further growth.
Isolate correctly with a steady hand
After germination, tomato plants really work hard. Within a few days, another pair of leaves will sprout. Now it is gradually becoming too small in the cultivation container, so the time has come for isolation. What appears to the beginner to be a closed book when it comes to pricking actually only requires a steady hand and these instructions:
- small pots half fill with a mix of vegetable soil and sand or perlite
- Make a hollow in the middle with a wooden stick or piercing stick
- water each seedling a little at the roots
- lift gently out of the substrate using a spoon or the pricking stick
- Transplant into the new pot up to the cotyledons and water
Keep the tomato plants constantly moist in a warm, bright window spot until you plant them outdoors or in the greenhouse.
Tips & Tricks
Sowing tomatoes directly in March or April only has a chance in a heated greenhouse, because only a constant temperature of more than 20 degrees Celsius can encourage the seeds to germinate. Alternatively, it is worth trying to sow extra early varieties, such as the cherry tomato 'Stupice', in the bed in mid-May. With a ripening period of 52 days, the plan could succeed.
