Tomato Time

Every year at the beginning of March, I used get a call from my Grandfather. “Tomato time,” he would say, and this rather cryptic phrase was all that was required to summon me to his house the following Saturday, full of expectation. For this was one of my favorite rituals of the gardening season: starting the tomato seeds. It’s hard to explain precisely why I so enjoyed this process. Perhaps it was seeing all those wonderfully lush photos on the seed packets, promising delicious delights so different from the horrible, hard, red balls we were currently enduring at the grocery store. Or perhaps it was the relief that after so many months of winter we could actually do some activity that didn’t involve snow. Or maybe it was simply the fact that I felt privileged to be my grandfather’s chosen assistant in this annual ritual. Whatever the appeal was, it was memorable: to this day I can still see the peat pots all lined up ready to go, feel their rough texture in my hands as I filled them with soil, and remember my excitement as those dead bits of matter called seeds transformed themselves into growing, living green plants over the following weeks. 

What you need to get started: water-proof pen, labels, a plastic plate to hold the seeds, an articulated flat, and some soil-less mix.

Filling the flat.

Careful watering from above, BEFORE planting.

Making the divot.

Plant two seeds in each depression.

Cover lightly with soil-less mix.

Of course thirty years ago – the timing of this tale – there weren’t scores of tomato plants available at every nursery and box store (for that matter, there were no box stores!) and you may be wondering if starting your own tomato plants is still relevant in today’s gardening world. Well, the answer is a resounding yes, and here’s why: Short of a few specialty suppliers (more on that at the end of this article) there are very few places you can purchase the wonderful, rare varieties of tomatoes that make growing your own so worthwhile. By and large, you’ll find the selection at most garden centers limited to five or six of the same old varieties, which while producing satisfactory tomatoes, aren’t all that different from what you could buy at a good farm stand. For the real beauties of the tomato world, those luscious, mouthwatering globes, you often need to start the plants yourself from seed.

Although the peat pots and potting soil of my grandfather’s day are no longer the preferred method for starting tomatoes, the process remains an easy one, something that you – and perhaps even a young assistant – can do in under an hour. The most important thing you will need is some soil-less mix. This sterile growing medium, as its name implies, contains no actual dirt, but rather a blend of peat moss and vermiculite ideal for starting seeds and discouraging disease. You’ll also need some sort of growing container, preferably one with individual 3” x 3” growing cells like we show here. These articulated flats are available at most garden centers, and eliminate the need of transplanting your seedlings twice: once from a general starting flat into individual containers, and then again into the garden. With this process, several seeds are planted into each cell, and the plants remain in the flat until they are ready to be set out in the garden.

To begin, place sufficient soil-less mix into each compartment to fill the cells within a quarter inch of the top. Smooth with a board or ruler to even out the surface.

Water with a fine spray before you plant, thoroughly soaking the flat. Notice how the spray nozzle is set for a fine mist, and is held well away from the flat to avoid disturbing the soil. This is how you will want to water the flat after planting as well. A overly heavy stream of water can easily wash away your seeds.

Using your thumb, make a small divot in each cell, then gently place two seeds in each depression.

Cover lightly with soil-less mix. If you’ve thoroughly watered the flat, it won’t be necessary to water again for a day or two, or until the soil feels dry to the touch. Remember that tomatoes are children of the tropics, and need to be kept warm during the germination process, so place the flat somewhere where the temperature will consistently hover around 70? in bright southern or western light. (If you lack a ready made growing space, light conditions can be ameliorated with fluorescent lights, and temperatures regulated with a seed-starting heat mat; both grow lights and mats are available at most garden centers Also, if your relative humidity is extremely low, you may want to purchase a plastic dome for your flat. Keep it in place until the seedlings begin to touch the top.)

Keep the flat consistently moist; the seedling should sprout within two weeks. When the plants have reached a height of two to three inches, remove the weaker plant in each cell, leaving one tomato per compartment. Tomatoes are generally sown two months before the last frost-free date in your area, so adjust the timing of your sowing according to your individual climate. One last tip: once all danger of frost has past, place your plants outside in dappled shade for seven to ten days before planting; moving them directly into the garden without a transition period can cause a severe case of sunscald which can damage or potentially even kill your plants.

Sources:

Gary Ibsen at tomatofest.com has one of the largest selections of tomatoes seeds available anywhere. Also be sure to check out Laurel Garza at heirloomtomatoplants.com. Laurel ships plants (many varieties exclusive to her company) all over the country, and she is a great resource if time or space don’t allow you to start your own seedlings this year.