For the first time we have started tomatoes from seed indoors. The seedlings are getting their true leaves. I hope to keep them alive until time to transplant into the ground. Any advice would be appreciated. They appear more "washed out" looking in the photo than they really are. The seeds are from Burpee and they sprouted quite nicely. Only one little pot was without a germinated seed. ( photo / image / picture from Tammyd's Garden ) tomato seedlings ( photo / image / picture from Tammyd's Garden ) tomato seedlings ( photo / image / picture from Tammyd's Garden ) moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
They sure did well! I think it's great that the Kindergarten class planted tomatoes...all of my kids brought home bean plants at that age. It's hard to get excited about just 1 bean plant, but 1 tomato plant produces so much more!! Well done!
Thank you Netty but it wasn't done in an actual kindergarten class. The title was changed and what I meant was that I am so new to growing tomatoes that it is like being in kindergarten... I am looking forward to the great taste of homegrown toms! They say that store bought tomatoes are going to be really expensive due to weather problems for the growers.
Sorry Tammy, we have some teachers on the Stew who have their students plant seeds and I thought that was what you were referring to but the title sounded confusing. So I changed it and made it even more confusing didn't I
they look good!!! I did mine earlier as they are ready to go in the ground now but have to get he spot ready yet. I keep mine moist .... and once they have gotten another set of regular leaves on them then I would consider putting them out. Even though we are a lil warmer here in Texas I still plan on using my milk jugs as a protection till they are bigger. by milk jugs I mean ...I use gallon milk jugs cut the bottom off and use them as a mini greenhouse over each tomato plant...this helps protect them form winds, birds, squirrels, beating rain...etc. I also do it with my peppers and other plants you would buy and out out as it helps protect them as they get going.
Beautiful seedlings. Tomatoes seem to be the easiest vegetable to grow for me. It must be almost time to plant in Virginia. Do you know when the last frost is supposed to be in your area?
When my tomato seedlings get the the stage yours are in the pictures, I transplant them into 20 oz drinking cups after pinching off extra seedlings and leaving one healthy plant per peat pellet. (or newspaper pot, or jiffy pot or whatever you've started them in). I've used 20 oz. styrofoam and those red and blue plastic ones. First, I put holes in the bottom of the cup for drainage. Next, I label the cup with permanent marker. Put a little damp potting soil in the bottom of the cup. Then set the tomato baby in the center of the cup and fill in with more potting soil. Plant deep. You need only the top true tomato leaves showing. Bury the first leaves, you don't need to pinch them off and risk tearing the stem of your plant. Roots will form along the whole stem. You can make your life easier by putting the potting soil in a bucket or dish pan and add water to make a nice damp soil--you don't want it dripping wet. You plants can stay in these cups for up to a month to develop a good rood system. I use a weak solution of an organic fertilizer. But, you can use a weak solution of something like Miracle Grow to water the cups at transplanting time. By weak I mean maybe a teaspoon to a gallon of water, not the usual amount is says on the label. You should be able to keep your tomatoes in these cups for up to a month. Mine are usually in the 20 oz cups for about three weeks. No earlier than a week after transplanting and before you plant them in their permanent home, take the plants outdoors for about 2 hours a day for the first 3 days. Then an hour or two longer for another three days to harden off. Then try leaving them out 6 or more hours the last three days. Be sure to check the plants for water daily. They will dry out quicker outside. Some people leave them out overnight a couple of nights. I never have. I feel better knowing my plants are safe on the kitchen table overnight. We get cats that like to explore and the occasional skunk or racoon that just love to dig holes. I manage pepper plants pretty much the same way except they can't handle the deep cold while my tomatoes have always been okay unless there's a frost. When they go out permanently, I use wire covers that I made years ago for several days. These wire cages also permit me to throw old bedsheets over the plants at night until I'm sure there won't be a frost. My tomato plants were planted in garden beds yesterday. They were happy this morning and of course I am too.
I plant them deep because I want a nice large root system and a thick, sturdy stem. Roots will start to grow from the stem that's under the soil. If you've done a good job moving them to larger cups and the conditions are right (fertile potting soil and enough water and sunlight), the plants start to grow faster now. They'll get taller too. The stems will be nice and sturdy--not wiry looking and weak. I try hard to time this all just right because I sure don't want to have them get too tall for their cups and then have to move them again before I can transplant them. It was pretty close this year. It took 9 weeks about a week longer than usual. My target date for permanent planting in the garden (here in Southern Arizona) is March 20th with frost protection at night. If I wait until the average frost date, April 20th, then I might not get slicing tomatoes because the temperatures can climb to 100 degrees by May 20th. Flowering abruptly stops. It's critical for me to do everything I can to help my tomatoes up front. By frost I should state that I mean a light frost that happens somewhere around daybreak and lasts a short time. The sun comes out and it's gone. The ground doesn't freeze.
Pricklypear, you sound very experienced with tomatoes and you garden them very intelligently. I forgot about the heat. I noticed than on some very hot days here it killed off the flowers. It makes me wonder if you can find a heat-tolerant cultivar. There has to be one out there, or you can develop one yourself and make serious bank! $$$ I found this one, by the way. http://reviews.burpee.com/1031/100187/reviews.htm
The wire cage/bedsheet idea sounds really smart too. Easier than making newspaper hats for every plant?!
There was a time I couldn't get a decent tomato to grow in this desert. Cherry tomatoes did well, but have you ever tried to eat a sandwich with sliced cherry tomatoes? Delicious but Messy! I got busy for several years (career-wise) and didn't garden. When I got back to it, I tried tomatoes again. This time I paid attention to every little thing and made extensive notes. I finally figured it out. Last summer I had more tomatoes than I could can, freeze and eat fresh. I expect to get the same performance or better this year. Last year was the hottest summer here since 1993 according to one weather report. I was elated when I heard that. It meant that I grew good tomatoes under very difficult conditions. I just checked my garden notebook. Heatwave is on the good tomatoes for the desert list. I haven't tried it yet. But I read the reviews you linked to and I should probably order seed for next year. Thanks. Heat tolerant varieties are available. But, that usually means the plants will survive high temperatures and not burn up. The fruit will continue to ripen. But, pollination usually stops until it cools down a bit. Here in this desert I plant tomatoes in semi-shade. I wouldn't do that in Maryland or in Virginia where I was raised. 100 degree temperatures are rare back there. Here it's quite common during the day and can last for several weeks. We had a couple of 110 degree days. Now that's hot. Even the lizards stay in the shade on those days.
Wow what some great advice! Maybe I have a chance after all to keep those "mators" living until I can get them in the ground. The average last frost date for this zone is anywhere from April 1 through April 30th. So I should be transplanting them into the 20 oz cups soon. I would have never known about planting them deep up to the true leaves. We have already been discussing about pinching off the first leaves and I was worrying about that. Now it's a relief to know that I can skip that step. The wire covers/bed sheet/milk jug ideas are great also. Thanks so much everyone.
