Tomatoes from seed?

[odd_duck99]

I am a baby gardener, and I have heard that tomatoes are difficult to grow from seed. I can see that being both true and not, as we had some sprout in a random pot of dirt that was never watered, under our covered patio on the north side of our house! We don't even know how they got there! Does anyone have any tips for getting good plants from seed? What conditions do they like? I'm in Washington State (USA), so they would have to be the earliest tomatoes I can find. If anyone has any tips on good, very early kinds that produce a lot of fruit, it would be appreciated too!

 

[Dawn419]

The volunteer tomato plants are a favorite of mine. I figure that it's bound to be a sturdy plant for it to come up of its own accord.

Silvery Fir Tree would probably be a good variety for your area as it is one of the earliest tomato producers that I know of right off the top of my head.

Tomatoes like it warm/hot but won't produce blooms or fruit once temperatures hit 95F and above. They need protection from the cold and frosts so I start my seed early (now) and grow them out in coldframes until it's safe to plant them in the garden.

 

[ORChick]

If you live west of the Cascades you might take a look at Territorial Seeds - http://www.territorialseed.com/. Many of their seeds are offered specifically for the Pacific Northwest. The gardening information they have for each seed type is also very good. I keep one of their catalogs on hand just to access their information, even though I don't always buy seed from them.

 

[odd_duck99]

That's a great idea! I was thinking about looking at their stock. My mom in law actually lives in the town they are located... I'm lucky! ^_^

 

[Wannabefree]

The only tip i have for actually getting them off to the right start is follow the directions on the seed trays. You have to have them VERY close to a light source. I mounted flourescent lights to the bottom of shelves on an old book shelf, and put them under it for 15 hours per day. I have some very nice strong tomato plants now getting ready to be set out here in a few more weeks. Oh and don't overwater!!! I did some of mine! The cotyledon leaves(first leaves to come out) were very yellow, and no true leaves were coming out. A few were starting to dampen off, so I withheld water for 2 days and let them completely dry out in their little peat pots. I still lost several, but saved the majority of them and they are now starting to grow tre leaves and bounce back from my abuse

 

[HandledWithCare]

We just started our tomato seeds--orange Brandywine and Big Boy--so I don't have advice or experience yet but I hope they're not that bad :/ now I'm scared.

HWC

 

[Mattemma]

When I would plant I would get little,but then there would be volunteer plants popping up all over that did well. I always toss bad tomatos and pumpkins out in the yard. I like buying a few tomato plants since they are cheap,but I still get a packet of seeds to give it a whirl.Try both!

 

[so lucky]

odd_duck99, are you planning to grow your tomato plants under flourescent lights till time to transplant? If so, like Wannabefree said, have the baby plants very close to the lights. No more than 2 inches from the bulbs. You don't need gro-lights, just shop lights. To make the stems sturdy, and help prevent damp-off, run a fan on low towards the plants for a few hours each day. You can rotate the plants or move the fan occasionally.

 

[odd_duck99]

odd_duck99, are you planning to grow your tomato plants under flourescent lights till time to transplant? If so, like Wannabefree said, have the baby plants very close to the lights. No more than 2 inches from the bulbs. You don't need gro-lights, just shop lights. To make the stems sturdy, and help prevent damp-off, run a fan on low towards the plants for a few hours each day. You can rotate the plants or move the fan occasionally.

They will be under a light. Technically it is a light for growing real plants in a fish tank, but it does the trick! I may need to experiment with how close to put the plants to it though, as I think it might be a bit stronger than a normal shop light. (makes sense if it is made to grow things through water!) I will try the fan idea too and see what happens!

 

[me&thegals]

Tomatoes are extremely easy to grow from seed. Give them warmth and close light (1-3" above top of plant or soil) and enough room to grow their roots. Even volunteer tomatoes do great!