Status: 02/01/2023 12:47 p.m
If you want to prefer tomatoes, you should pay attention to the right time when sowing. The period of time before planting outdoors should not be too long. What is important when sowing?
Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables when it comes to growing them in your own garden. Although they can also be bought as a young plant and then planted directly in the bed, growing your own seeds has great advantages: seeds are much cheaper and the selection of varieties is many times larger. Who so-called seed resistant varieties used, can propagate tomatoes from seed itself. The seed is durable for several years.
When can you start growing tomatoes?
As a rule, tomatoes should not be brought forward before the middle to the end of March.
Most seed packets state that tomatoes can be pre-grown from the end of February. However, this is only recommended if you have a greenhouse that is protected from frost. The young plants can then continue to grow there in April. Who plans to plant the tomatoes outside in the bed or planting on the balcony, it is better to wait until mid/end of March before planting. If tomatoes are sown too early in the year, they may fall short by the time they are planted out Eisheiligen develop long, thin shoots in mid-May. The plants then develop poorly and are rather weak and susceptible to diseases.
On the other hand, if tomatoes are sown too late, it can happen that they did not have enough time until autumn to develop many fruits. The harvest can then be smaller.
The right soil and growing pots
It doesn’t take much to sow tomatoes: the best substrate is suitable potting soil. It contains few nutrients, so the plants tend to be strong and compact and not grow too quickly. High-quality potting soil can also be used – for example, if the plants are sown directly into larger containers and are to grow there for a longer period of time. So they are already supplied with fertilizer for later growth phases.
For example, special small growing pots that are commercially available are suitable as planters. You can also easily make your own out of cardboard. Bowls, pots or other vessels are also suitable as long as they have a drainage hole for excess water.
Sowing tomatoes – this is how it works
Egg cartons are ideal for breeding.
Fill the planter with soil and make sure that the soil is distributed as evenly as possible everywhere. This avoids the seed germinating at different times. When sowing, make sure there is enough space between the seeds so that the young tomato plants don’t get in each other’s enclosure later. It should be about an inch.
Tomatoes germinate in the sun and should only be lightly covered with soil. A sieve, for example, is suitable for distributing the soil. Use the same soil as the substrate as for the planter. Press the soil down lightly and water it carefully or spray it with an atomizer so that the seed is not washed away.
Place the tomatoes on the windowsill after sowing
In order to create an optimal climate for germination, the cultivation vessel should have a transparent lid, for example from a mini greenhouse that you can easily make yourself. Remove the lid for about two hours daily to prevent mold from forming. The soil should always be slightly moist but not wet. A window sill in a bright location is suitable as a location.
The right room temperature
For germination, the room should be between 22 and 24 degrees.
The room temperature is particularly important: for germination, it should ideally be between 22 and 24 degrees. Because: The higher the temperature when germinating, the better the yield is usually later. At the optimum temperature, the first plants will sprout after just a few days. When the cotyledons are showing, the tomato plants should be cooler, at around 18 degrees room temperature. So they don’t grow so much in length, but rather strong and compact.
The lid of the mini greenhouse can then be removed. When the second pair of leaves has formed, the young plants can be pricked out, i.e. isolated. Then they come in a larger pot with normal potting soil. There they can continue to grow until they are planted outdoors in mid-May.
Further information
