Growing strong tomato seedlings at home

When planting tomato seedlings, you need to consult the lunar calendar, but this is only a step-by-step process. You also need to check the growing season for a particular variety and accurately count 60 days from planting to the day the seedlings are planted outdoors.

Special care Tomato seedlings need careful attention while they're under the plastic wrap. Once the first sprouts appear, 4-5 days after planting, they can be moved to a windowsill and provided with standard care: plenty of light, watering, and fertilizing according to a schedule. We'll cover all the steps for growing tomato seedlings at home in this article.

What to grow in

Many gardeners prepare the soil for future seedlings as early as fall. This is a complex process that takes a lot of time and effort. Therefore, another, more modern group of gardeners recommends using special peat pellets. They are sold at gardening stores and range in diameter from 2.5 to 7 centimeters. These pellets are extremely convenient for growing tomatoes; choose ones that are 4 cm or larger.

In addition to soil or peat pellets, you'll also need plastic trays with cells for indoor growing. Each container should have a tray and a lid (if you don't have a lid, you'll have to use simple plastic film). For seed germination, you need high humidity and a specific microclimate; a lid or plastic film helps with this.

Planting seeds

Pour plenty of water into the cell containing the tablet or soil. The soil should be moistened a few days before planting the seeds. Make a 1-cm hole in the center and place the seed in it. Use your fingers to cover the soil around the future tomato plant.

Now cover each container with a lid or, if you don't have one, with regular cling film. The film is thin enough to easily secure the edges. Place in a warm place and don't open the film until the first shoots appear. Then remove the film and place the container on a windowsill.

Important! Depending on the variety, tomatoes typically sprout 4-6 days after planting. Immediately after sprouting, remove the film to prevent overheating the plant.

Temperature required for seedlings

This is a crucial question when growing tomato seedlings indoors. It's not always possible to create the optimal temperature at home. From the moment the seeds are planted, the temperature should be around 20 degrees Celsius. Once the seedlings emerge, the temperature should be around 16 degrees Celsius; at night, of course, it can be lower.

Tomato seedlings can then be safely grown at a minimum temperature of 6-8 degrees Celsius. However, a slightly higher temperature is certainly beneficial. This will ensure vigorous, rapid growth.

Interesting! For every square meter of open ground, you can plant 4-5 tomato plants. By comparison, the same plot of land will only support 1-2 cucumber plants or rhubarb roots, but 7 eggplants and up to 20 lettuce heads.

Seed processing and preparation

This step is crucial when planting tomatoes. Soak the seeds in a 1% potassium permanganate solution for half an hour. Then rinse them in warm, clean water and soak them for 24 hours. During this time, the seeds will swell, after which they need to be hardened. Keep the seed dish at a temperature between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius for 12 hours. Then, keep it at 20 degrees Celsius for the same amount of time.

Hardening off the seeds begins a week before sowing. When the first leaf appears, you can transplant the tomato seedlings. Once the main root is established, adventitious roots will begin to grow vigorously.

We provide proper care

At night, tomato seedlings that have strengthened a bit after being uncovered should be taken out onto the balcony or loggia. It's important that the temperature there is around 10 degrees Celsius. After another three days, water the tomatoes with room-temperature water. If the seedlings are weak, you can use a micronutrient fertilizer. Dilute 20 grams of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.

When consistently warm days arrive, tomato seedlings should be brought outdoors. Initially, for a few hours, and then gradually increase the time. This is necessary to ensure the tomatoes thrive after being planted outdoors.

Important! When purchasing ready-made seedlings at the market, choose those with dark green leaves. Store-bought seedlings should be planted on cloudy or rainy days.

This is how to prepare tomato seedlings at home, step by step and consistently. This process takes about two months. But if done correctly, you'll be transplanting a robust plant into the open ground that will produce an excellent harvest.