For lovers of homegrown Tomatoes in temperate and cool areas, it can seem like a very, very long winter. If you're itching to get your Tomatoes going but it's still too cold or frosty outside, you can get a head start on the season by growing Tomato seedlings indoors. Then you'll have seedlings ready for planting out as soon as any chance of frost has passed.
There are lots of different Tomatoes to choose from, including Yates Tomato 'Big Beef', which is a large juicy Tomato with old-fashioned beefsteak flavour. It's great for growing both in vegie patches and pots.
If you love smaller Tomatoes then try Yates Tomato 'Tommy Toe', which produces flavoursome apricot-sized bright red fruit. Or for small spaces, Yates Tomato 'Patio' is a petite-sized plant that's perfect for pots.
Fill small pots, punnets or trays with a quality seed raising mix like Yates Seed Raising Mix.
Make small holes in the seed raising mix, 3 – 6 mm deep, with a narrow dowel or pencil. Check your chosen variety for the correct sowing depth. Place 1-2 Tomato seeds in each hole, cover with seed raising mix and gently firm down, to ensure good contact between the mix and the seeds. Water gently to moisten the mix.
Place the pots or punnets in a warm, sunny spot. A brightly lit windowsill is ideal. Keep the mix moist and seedlings will start to emerge in 10 – 14 days.
Tomatoes need a warm sunny position that receives at least 6 hours of sunshine a day.
Whenever possible, it is best to avoid growing Tomatoes (or other vegies in the same plant family, like Capsicums and Eggplant) in the same spot each year. By practicing crop rotation, you can help reduce the build-up of pests and diseases.
Before planting seedlings in a well-drained garden or vegie bed, enrich the soil with some handfuls of Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.
When growing Tomatoes in pots, use a pot at least 40 cm in diameter and use a quality potting mix like Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.
When the seedlings are around 5 cm tall, they can be transplanted into their final home, in either a vegie bed or a pot.
Only transplant seedlings out once there will be no more frosts! Tomatoes are not frost tolerant.
Gently remove plants from the small pot, punnet or tray and if more than one seedling has grown in each spot, carefully separate them.
Unlike many other plants, Tomato seedlings can be transplanted more deeply, and around a third of the lower stem can be buried. Additional roots will develop on the stem below the level of the soil or potting mix.
If the variety of Tomato you're growing is tall and requires supports, insert stakes or a Tomato cage around the seedlings at the time of planting.
To promote healthy plants and a great harvest, Tomatoes need regular watering, feeding and protection from pests and diseases.
For garden-grown Tomatoes, feed with Yates Thrive Natural Vegie & Herb Organic Pelletised Plant Food.
For pot-grown Tomatoes, feed with Yates Thrive Natural Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food.
Visit our comprehensive guide on How to Grow Tomatoes for more information.
