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Best Growing Tomatoes Book!
How To Grow
Amazing Tomato Plants!
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Sowing tomato seeds and handling of transplants:
Sow seeds six weeks (for determinate varieties) to eight weeks (for
indeterminate varieties) before the last frost date in your area.
The best planting medium is a sterile seed-starting mix. Good
drainage and aeration are important for starting seeds. Plant seed
¼" deep in shallow flats or cell
packs and maintain soil temperature in the range of 75-85 F (24-29
C). Under optimum conditions, most varieties germinate in five to
fourteen days, but under less than ideal conditions, germination may
take at least three weeks. When the seedlings have produced four
leaves (two seed leaves and two true leaves), transplant to 3" pots
or large cell packs. Seedlings in plastic pots require much less
water than those in peat pots. After transplanting, keep seedlings
at a lower temperature at night, 50-55 F (10-13 C), to promote
earlier flowering in some varieties. Day temperatures should rise to
75-85 F (24-29 C) to promote rapid growth.
Expose plants to light and air currents as much as possible to
harden the plants and promote stockiness. If fluorescent lights are
used, keep the seedlings no further than two to four inches below
the lamps, otherwise seedlings may become leggy. To keep seedlings
stocky indoors, direct a gentle breeze from a low-speed fan toward
the seedlings for several hours a day. Water sparingly, but do not
allow the growth to become checked. Fertilize with complete, soluble
organic fertilizer or fish emulsion if leaves become yellow and/or
purple. Leaves with a purple coloration may indicate phosphorous
deficiency. Yellowed leaves may indicate nitrogen
deficiency. For transplanting to the garden, average soil
temperature at 8 a.m. (4 inches deep) should be above 60 F (16 C).
To facilitate drought resistance and a larger root mass for nutrient
absorption, set the plants deep in the topsoil to encourage
development of adventitious roots that develop along the stem.
Selecting the plants:
Selection of seed plants begins at the seedling stage and continues
before the plants have flowered. Remove any weak plants or those
with any off-type foliage before these can pollinate with any other
plants. Pay attention to the foliage of the plant and be aware of
any increased or decreased susceptibility to disease, insects, or
environmental conditions. If you see a plant with some unusual or
potentially useful characteristic, you may want to transplant it and
isolate it for future evaluation.
When to harvest seed:
Tomatoes should be harvested at the "dead-ripe" stage, but they
should not be left on the vine so long that there is evidence of
decay. They should have developed full color, and the fruit wall
will have softened enough to have a slight "give." During very hot
weather, I recommend harvesting tomatoes about two days before they
are dead ripe so that they can continue to ripen off the vine in the
shade. If your growing season is shortened prematurely by frost you
can harvest the fruit and allow it to ripen off the plant.
Interestingly, seed harvested from immature fruit at the “breaker
stage” (when it shows the first blush of color) will often germinate
well, but such seeds will not retain their viability as well as seed
harvested from fully mature fruit. If you do harvestseed from
slightly immature fruit, it should be labeled as such.
Growing tomatoes guide How to grow tomatoes guide Tomato Plants and Seeds