How To Start Tomato Seeds Indoors (Part One)

Hey Guys,
I hope everyone is doing well.

Tomatoes are in the spotlight on the blog this week and we've talked a lot about tomatoes....

For today I just wanted to share some helpful hints about how to start tomato seeds indoors.

So let's dive right in...

As I've mentioned many times before right now, tomato plants and seeds are notoriously cold-sensitive, they really do thrive in warmer climates, and for many of us, this presents it's own problem because in some parts of the world, the growing season is simply too short to grow tomatoes outdoors from seed.

There's a solution however, and it's a simple solution at that, growing tomato seeds indoors is the perfect answer for those of us who otherwise would be unfortunate as the growing season is too short.
The best timeline would be to start tomato seeds indoors at least 6-8 weeks before the last predicted frost date in your area.

Keep in mind that tomato seeds usually germinate within 10 days. The plants also develop quickly I found that out as a surprise as my own tomato plants sprouted within a couple of days which was much quicker than I was expecting!). Tomato plants develop quickly if you keep them warm, with lots of light.

For example, if you plan to transplant your tomato plants outdoors in early May, start your seeds indoors mid-to late March.

Your transplant timing will depend on your last frost date, which is determined by your USDA hardiness zone.
So, by now.. you've gotten a start on growing your tomato seeds indoors, keep your tomato seedlings warm with lots of light, keep the soil moist but NOT waterlogged, if the soil gets too wet, you'll likely run the risk of root rot in your tomato seedlings. 
You don't need to plant your tomato seeds too deep into the soil, spacing is another important thing to keep in mind because if all goes well, tomato plants can grow really big. 

At this stage, once your tomato seedlings have started to sprout, you're almost ready to transplant your seeds outdoors.

I'll give more helpful hints about the process of transplanting your seeds outdoors in the next part of this blog series.

Thank you for reading, 
Until Next Time, 
Kim