The beginner’s guide to growing tomatoes from seed
Tomatoes are such an exciting plant for any gardener of any level. From a beginner’s standpoint, they offer so many different varieties and their quick
growth keeps your interest during the waiting period.
My first year gardening I was zealous about purchasing all the heirloom varieties from nurseries. It may have not been the most cost effective move but I was able to practice seed saving. This gardening year I’m using all of my own saved seed. In this article I want to help guide the beginners in how to start growing tomatoes from seed.
Let’s go!
Buying seed
Buying seeds is always such a fun part of growing anything. As a beginner you’re probably overwhelmed with the walls of seed packets hanging at any garden center.
Don’t worry…. there’s really only a few things to know.
Tomatoes are open pollinators, meaning that they can easily breed with one another. Because of this, like any other vegetable and fruits, they are categorized as heirloom, hybrid, or F1 hybrid.
Let’s learn what that means…
Heirloom
A variety needs to be at least 50 years old to be labeled as an heirloom. What’s attractive about growing heirloom tomatoes is the stories and the history in their past. They offer beautiful colors, shapes, and flavors. These are definitely what got me excited about growing tomatoes in the first place.
Hybrid
All heirlooms at one point were hybrids. A hybrid is when two different varieties cross pollinate with one another to create a new tomato. Then that new tomato is bred again and again to strengthen the genes from that cross. . Many hybrids are preferred for pest resistance, geographical preferences, and growing habits.
F1 Hybrid
These are first generation crosses. Meaning that if you were able save the seed from a fruit produced from a F1 hybrid you would not be guaranteed another tomato like the parent plant. For beginners I recommend sticking to heirlooms or hybrids for your first go.
When to start your tomato seeds
Tomatoes need to be warm. They shouldn’t be planted outside until your nights are at least 50 degrees fahrenheit….minimum.
Because of that you’ll end up wanting to start your tomato seeds about 8 weeks before your last frost date.
An easy way to calculate when to start your seeds is counting backwards. Find your last frost date by typing it in on a web browser or hopping onto the national garden association website and typing in your area code.
I’ll link that here for you.
Once you have your last frost date calculate 8 weeks backwards from that.
What do you need to start seeds
I went into much more detail in a previous post about what materials you should get to successfully start seeds indoors. I’ll link that post here for you.
Basics are going to be a rich potting soil, seed starting trays, and a light source.
Tomatoes are heavy feeders. Normally I would suggest starting any seed in a finer seed starting soil. Because seed starting soil is void of nutrients, I feel it’s best to start off with nutrient dense soil.
My tomatoes are happier for it.
Set yourself up for success and figure out your light source before you sow your seeds. If you have plenty of hours of direct window light you will be able to place your seeds there. However, more than likely you’ll want to invest in grow lights. Having enough good light will prevent your seedlings from stretching and becoming weak and leggy.
Sowing tomato seeds
Tomato seeds are small blonde, flat disk like seeds. They don’t mind transplanting so you’re free to sow them densely in smaller trays.
I personally sow two seeds per pot. That way if they both come up I can pinch off the weaker plant. If there’s only a 50% germination rate I’ll at least end up with one.
Fill your seeds trays and tamper down lightly with pre moistened soil. Place the seed about a 1/4 in below the soil line. In less than a week’s time you should expect to see germination.
Once the seedlings have their first seed leaves, you’ll be able to separate them into their larger pots.
Tomatoes are very forgiving when it comes to handling, but won’t recover from their main stem being damaged.
To separate your tomatoes, remove the clump from the seed tray and gently separate the seedlings by pulling on the leaves. If you damage a leaf your seedling will have a better chance of surviving than it would be bruising the stem or ripping the roots.
Caring for your seedlings
After your tomatoes get their first couple sets of true leaves, you’ll want to feed them with a diluted seed starting plant food. Follow the directions on the backside of the plant food for measurements.
As they grow you want to make sure their pot is big enough for their growth. After a while you may start to notice the roots growing out the bottom or the leaves turning yellow or droopy. That is a sign that the plant is struggling.
Another tip in the beginner’s guide to growing tomatoes from seed is suggesting getting them more growing room by transplanting.
As always, I got a little impatient and started my seeds a little too early. Because of that, I spent the afternoon transplanting my tomatoes once again into gallon sized pots.
Observing your tomato plants
Your tomatoes will tell you exactly what they are feeling by their leaves. Tomatoes love the heat but at the same time are heat sensitive.
High maintenance I know
Tomato leaves will start to curl inward if they get too hot either out in the sun or under your grow lights. It can also be due to soil moisture, so make sure to never let your seedlings dry out.
Pro tip: tomatoes don’t like their foliage getting wet. They easily contract diseases when exposed to moisture. Best practice is to water from underneath by pouring water in the bottom of the seed tray or at the base of the seedling.
My seedlings are on a rotation with light. We like to mimic the sun. In the morning the grow lights get turned on and at night they get shut off.
Transplanting
Before you transplant you’ll want to harden off your plants.
Hardening off involves getting your tomatoes accustomed to the outdoors. If you were to take your tomatoes from their comfortable spot indoors and throw them outside they would most likely die or be stunted due to stress.
Take them outside for a few hours a day and increase over the span of a couple weeks. Not only will this get them used to changing temperatures, it will strengthen them to slight breeze and the elements.
Once your temperatures are adequate and all danger of low temperature drops have passed you can transplant your tomatoes.
Now tomatoes, unlike other plants, like to be planted deep. Their main talk has hairy like material growing from it. I like to think of them as roots in the making.
I like to remove the lowest level leaves and plant the tomato as deep as I can without touching the next set of leaves.
What this does is give the tomatoes plant a chance to grow a stronger root system. Keep in mind these plants can get upwards of 10 feet tall with the right trellising system, so deep roots are crucial.
Overview
There you go, there is your basic rundown of the beginner’s guide to growing tomatoes from seed. I hope that was helpful and prompted you to do more research.
In my opinion, growing tomatoes is super fun and a great way to harvest something all summer long. With the right care they will abundantly feed you and your family.
Best of luck and happy seed starting!
