Tomatoes are a useful fruit that many people love to plant and grow at their own home. Growing a garden can be a fulfilling use of your time and it is also very beneficial in the long run. However, there are many of us who just do not know how to go about planting tomatoes. Here is a step by step guide to growing tomatoes from seeds.
First you need to buy your seeds approximately eight weeks before you plan on putting them in your garden. This will be about eight weeks before you expect the last frost to be. You will want to get your seeds started in your home, get them ready for the outdoors, then plant them after what you believe is the last frost.
Of course, when you are buying seed, you will need to decide what kind of tomatoes you like. There are lots of different varieties of tomatoes, and the stores in your area will have the tomatoes that grow best in that area. Do not be afraid to find the ones that look good to you. Maybe grow a variety, and then decide which you like the best.
Once your seeds are home, you will want to plant them in a seed tray. You can find seed trays with plastic lids on them at gardening stores. These are great because they make a greenhouse effect for your plant, but you may use something you have at home also. Use potting soil and fertilizer to fill your tray up until it is about one inch from the top. When this is done, you can plant the seeds about two to four inches apart. Spray your new plants with some water and, if you have a plastic lid, put it on top. Find a warm area for your seeds to stay.
It will not be long until you begin to see your little seedlings sprout. Keep them sprayed with water, but be careful not to add too much water. Keep them warm and watch them grow.
At the time your seedling are a couple of inches high, you can move them to larger pots. Be careful when moving them that you do not break the stem. You will want to prepare the soil just as before for the new pots, and then plant them in a small hole that you can poke with your finger. When they are planted, you will want to take them outside and allow them to have plenty of sunshine.
When they reach about six inches, you will again move them to larger pots. Again, prepare the soil, and move them carefully. As before, keep them outside in the sunshine.
Finally, after they have grown to about eight inches in height, it is time to plant them in your garden. After preparing the place in which they will be permanently planted, you will cover them up so that only the top four to five leaves on the stem are showing. The roots will then begin to grow and soon you will see beautiful tomatoes coming up.
Of course, do not forget to keep an eye on them, staking them when they start to grow tall, and making sure to keep the bugs away. Then, enjoy your tomatoes and the fact that you grew them yourself!
Peter Young is a tomato growing enthusiast. For more great information on growing tomato plant, visit www.tomatogrowingadvice.com.
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