To "prick out:" lift seedlings from below, holding each one gently by their baby cotyledon leaves and scooping up entire soil ball from below. We find an old fork works well for this.
If roots have grown together into a clump, gently tease seedlings apart, holding by baby cotyledon leaves. Transplant each seedling into its own container at least in. Make a hole to receive each seedling.
Insert each seedling into the hole to the base of its cotyledon leaves. Tomato seedlings will readily grow new roots along their buried stems and the resulting plants will be sturdy and vigorous. Gently water in the seedlings to settle the plants. Here are examples of what healthy and cold stressed seedling look like. Remember that seedlings need to be kept at about 65 - 70 degrees after they have true leaves and until they are ready to go into the garden.
When spring weather has warmed up and night temperatures are regularly in the 55 degree range, it's time to plant well rooted, established seedlings outdoors. First plan to acclimate your plants: move them outside into the sun, first for a few hours , then gradually increasing over a weeks' time until they are in full sun all day. This process is called "hardening off" and it avoids transplant shock. At transplanting time, if hardened off young plants are more than 6 in.
New roots will form along the buried stem. Tip out plant by overturning pot to squeeze or tap out the entire root ball. Prepare your nursery pot.
Fill it halfway with potting mix. Tap the pot to let the soil settle, but not so much that it becomes compacted. If you started with a biodegradable tray, use a pair of scissors to cut the cells apart so you have separate pots to plant.
Place a biodegradable tray cell directly into the larger sized pot, being careful not to tear it. Repeat with the rest of your seedlings. Gently remove tomato seedlings from the tray one at a time with a small spoon or widger. Place the spoon as far down into the cell as possible to avoid damaging the roots. Tomatoes are one of the few plants that do well when their stems are buried deeply in the soil. Remove any lower leaves from the bottom two-thirds of the stem, and make sure the tomato still has at least two sets of leaves above the soil.
And leave enough stem free so that there are at least a few inches between the soil and the leaves. Add more soil until there is only a half an inch or so of head space at the top of the nursery pot, tap the pot gently to settle the soil, then water with your spray bottle or watering can. If the root ball is still small and stringy, fill your nursery pot with soil and tap to settle the soil, until there is an inch or so of room left at the top. Place the young tomato into the hole, sinking it down as deeply as possible without bending the stem.
Add soil, filling the hole and the nursery pot. Water your repotted tomato and return it to its germination station, place it next to a sunny southern window, or place it under your grow lights, keeping the light inches away from the top of the plant. Your next step will be to give your tomatoes a transition period to adjust from their protected life in your home, greenhouse, or cold frame to their new location out in the elements. Tender transplants are vulnerable to outdoor weather conditions.
Providing them with a gradual transition to the outdoors will help them become stronger and more resilient. As Lois Miklas, Master Gardener Coordinator at Penn State Extension points out, a whole host of changes occur in young plants during this period: leaf surfaces thicken and strengthen, they become less prone to freezing, more food is stored in plant tissues, roots grow more quickly, and stem and leaf growth slows.
These changes make plants more resilient and able to withstand temperature changes, less frequent watering, and breakage from wind gusts. During the hardening off period, gradually introduce your plants to the outdoors during the day for a few hours at a time, slowly increasing the amount of time they spend outside and the amount of direct sunlight and wind exposure they receive.
Hardening off your young plants may seem like a lot of work. When is it time to transplant your tomatoes to your garden or pots and containers? You can check your soil temperature with a soil thermometer. Keep in mind that this is not the same thing as the ambient air temperature. Dig a hole a little larger than the pot from which you are transplanting, and add some worm castings or compost to the soil.
Trim it before planting it so the top is level with the potting mix, the same way you did with your biodegradable seed starting trays. If your tomato is in a plastic pot, squeeze the sides of the pot to loosen it, and tilt the plant sideways to slide it out. Try to avoid pulling the plant out by the stem, and only handle the soil if you can. Plant your tomatoes at least as deep as their seed leaves. Planting more deeply is preferable, and will help your plants develop a strong root system.
For further guidance on transplanting your tomatoes into the garden , see our complete guide to growing these summer veggies. Nice work, gardener! You are now ready to let your plants grow, and await boatloads of delicious homegrown tomatoes.
Have you started tomatoes from seed before? Do you have any other tips for success to share? Or if you have previously been unsuccessful at growing tomatoes from seed, perhaps this article helped you troubleshoot what went wrong. Let me know! Looking for more tomato growing and harvesting information? Be sure to check out some of our other guides next:. See our TOS for more details. Originally published January 3, Last updated April 19, Uncredited photos: Shutterstock.
Kristina Hicks-Hamblin lives on a dryland permaculture homestead in the high desert of Utah. Originally from the temperate suburbs of North Carolina, she enjoys discovering ways to meet a climate challenge.
Kristina loves the challenges of dryland gardening and teaching others to use climate compatible gardening techniques, and she strives towards creating gardens where there are as many birds and bees as there are edibles. Kristina considers it a point of pride that she spends more money on seeds each year than she does on clothes.
I sometimes place large rocks about inches away from plants, to not interfere with the roots but to give them more warmth to grow by. Also, if I do the inverted tomatoes I like to hang them on the south side of the brick house. I have harvested tomatoes as late as November, in Detroit, Michigan that way, because of the heat to the plant during the day and the bricks give off warmth at night for a longer growing season. Way too much info all we need is depth, how many weeks to harvest and where to plant while spread from another plant.
Not pages n pages of descriptions. I always try to make sure to explain things for beginning gardeners who might need more detail. As far as weeks to harvest, that depends on the tomato variety — usually this ranges from days but can be longer, depending on the variety.
And … Read more ». What a wonderfully detailed article! Thank you so much for putting so much time and thought into helping beginners like me. My quarantine garden thanks you. Hi Elizabeth! Best wishes to your garden and tomato plants! Thanks so much! I truly needed to read this. Cannot wait to start the journey of gardening and harvesting tomatoes. Best of luck to you on your gardening journey! Kristina, thank you for this article. Wonderful written and super informative!
I just started gardening last year and I did container tomatoes but it was not a good start and will do it differently this year and trying to start earlier from seeds. I also will have my tomatoes in the ground and hope they will do better this year. Happy seed starting! As a nerd that enjoys all the reasoning behind why I am being told to things a certain way — this article was perfect! Thank you for the detailed information! Annie, You and I must think alike! Personally I want to know how everything works and why.
And thanks so much for letting me know you found this article helpful. Best of luck with your tomato seedlings! The amount of time needed under grow lights will vary widely depending on the type of grow lights you use. Keep in mind that if you also have sunlight in addition to the grow lights, the seedlings would need less time under the grow lights. Once my seedlings come out of the starter trays, I transplant my seedlings in a water bottle. I cut the water bottle in half, put some drainage holes in the bottom.
Plant my seedlings and then I put the other half with the cap back on the bottom half. As the plant grows I can add more dirt around the stem. I hope this helps. Happy gardening. Place each section directly in the pot, allowing enough space for the plants to grow. Add enough soil to cover the biodegradable tray or container and water it. Keep reading. Hardening off is the transition period to adjust your plants from their sheltered indoor life to their new location outdoors.
As mentioned, the best time to do this is two weeks after the last frost date. Growing your own food should be a relaxing and pleasant activity, so just go with your instinct and have a good time. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Notice: It seems you have Javascript disabled in your Browser. In order to submit a comment to this post, please write this code along with your comment: 1ababb7a7cb37df9ab Search for:. Skip to content. Different Varieties of Tomatoes When picking the right tomato variety for you, there are a couple of things to consider. First, how much space do you have to grow tomatoes?
Item Checklist Before you start sprinkling tomato seeds everywhere, there are a few things you need. Your seed starting kit should include: Organic tomato seeds duh! Organic potting soil or seed starting mix: Avoid using garden soil when seed starting as it may contain harmful pathogens or lack essential plant nutrients.
As an alternative, you can use an egg carton or paper cups. Just make sure to pick one that never contained harsh chemicals, as the residue can damage your delicate baby plants.
Plant markers: Popsicle sticks make great plant markers. Optional utensils: Grow lights and heat mats may or may not be optional depending on your setup. More on this later. When To Start The best growing season for tomatoes is summer, which is why most seed packets recommend starting your seeds weeks before the last frost date.
Place seeds per container to make up for any that may not germinate. Space them out with equal distance between each other.
Sprinkle a pinch of extra potting soil on top of the seeds. Gently pat the surface to make it smooth. Spray your seeds using your spray bottle until the soil is moist but not soaked.
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