Have you been trying to grow tomatoes from seeds but you’re not having much luck? Not to worry, we have 8 top tips that will help you with your tomato growing at home, who knows, you may even give us a run for our money!
Step 1 – Start Fresh
Spring is the perfect time for a fresh start by blowing away the winter cobwebs and allowing spring to flourish, so why not that include this in your tomato growing process? If you are reusing plastic module trays, wash thoroughly in warm, soapy water to remove old soil and other accumulated minerals. Also, use a new bag of high-quality seed-starting mix to help the growth of your plants. Avoid cheap imitations, which are often the cause of seedling failure.
Step 2 – Keep your containers organised
A great way to improve your seed growth at home is by organising your containers and keeping track of what plant is where. Write variety names on your containers with waterproof markers to ensure that you can clearly see which plant is where no matter the weather conditions.
Step 3 – Plant your seeds in dry soil
It is important to plant your tomato seeds dry because the furry coating on tomato seeds softens when water is added. This helps the seeds stick in place among soil particles and promotes better and healthier growth.
Step 4 – Ensure your plants have plenty of water and light
Your plants should be having plenty of water and sunlight to promote their growth. This can be done by keeping the tomato seeds at a warm room temperature and spraying them with water twice a day. In doing so, your plants should sprout within a week. Once the seedlings break the surface, move them to bright light for optimum photosynthesis opportunities.
Step 5 – Be wise when watering
Make sure you thoroughly moisten the seed starting mix, until the containers feel heavy with water. Then spritz more water over the top to ensure your plants are hydrated.
Step 6 – Don’t rush hardening off
Don’t rush the process of exposing your plants to sunlight. Instead, gradually expose your indoor-grown tomato seedlings to increased sun and wind. A good hardening-off chamber is an opaque storage bin with the lid removed, this is because your plants will then be exposed to the elements but not so much that they will be damaged. Allow at least a week for your plants to prepare themselves for outdoor life.
Step 7 – Pot your plants in stages
As your plants grow, ensure that they are in a pot to accommodate their fluctuating size. It is important that your plants have enough room to expand as they progress into a fully grown tomato plant, if they are squashed or don’t have enough room this will hinder their growth.
Step 8 – TCL goes a long way
Last and certainly not least, ensure that you are growing your tomato plants with love and handle them carefully during the growing process. Never touch the main stem of tomato seedlings, because the juicy tissues are easily bruised which can affect the growth of your plant. As long as you handle them with care, your plant will flourish into a fully grown tomato plant.
And there you have it, our top tips on growing tomato seeds! Let us know if these tips work for you, we can’t wait to see your homegrown tomatoes!
