Every year, I try my best to grow tomato plants 100% on my own. That means that I always start them from seed rather than buy plants. The advantage to growing them from seed is that I get to see them from start to finish and I get a little bit better at growing them every time I do it. The dissadvantage to doing it this way is that I am putting all of my hopes into plants that may or may not make it once I plant them in the garden. This is true with pre-grown plants but if they die, you can always go back and buy new ones and have only invested the money you used to purchase the plants rather than the money and time and effort of getting seeds to germinate, growing them under grow lights, potting them up into soil, and then aclimating them to outdoor temperatures.
Last year, I grew and assortment of heirloom tomatoes plus a few odds and ends that I purchased and were given to me. Because of the terribly wet spring and then a very cold summer, I did not see any tomato fruit until late August all the way into October. Some of them managed to ripen but the rest stayed green and then turned brown after I tried to salvage them indoors. I am hoping that 2011 will bring a better tomato season for those of us in Western Washington.
This year, I am growing heirlooms again. Due to lack of financial resources, I am using leftover seed from last year and have been successful at germinating it. The seed was sown into Jiffy Pots on March 13, 2011 and the plants are now 4 weeks old. As you can see in the photo, they are outgrowing the Jiffys and need to be up potted. Some are also turning yellow which is a sign of stress and lack of nutrients such as iron. I have recently given then a very weak dose of Miracle-Gro to green them back up. I am hoping to buy some potting soil this weekend to pot them up as they will begin to decline if I wait too long.
Here are some of my Helium articles on growing tomatoes:
Tips for growing tomato plants from seed
Tips for growing heirloom tomato plants from seed
Next post: Growing carrots
Do you have any recommendations for growing Roma tomatoes in Western Washington temperatures? I would like to grow tomatoes to eat with homegrown basil in August.
ReplyDeleteWay cool, I am impressed. You have more patience than I do. I buy 6 plants every year and always get great results, but totally appreciate your persistance and patience, a great fun thing to do with little ones. We always had a full blown garden when Jack was a youngster. Just tomatoes these days, have fun!
ReplyDeleteMom, romas can need to have a long season and heat, like most heirlooms. Success with either of these is to start them early and then plant them where they can get lots of heat.
ReplyDeleteThankyou, Kami, for reading my blog. Yes, it does take more work growing tomatoes from seed, but I love getting to see the plants go through the process of growing, fruiting, and eating!
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