Tips for Starting Tomato Seeds

Tomatoes are a must for every garden but starting tomato seeds can be a little bit challenging, especially if you have never done it before! Between selecting your desired variety, finding an adequate location, and keeping the seeds and sprouts healthy, there’s a lot to handle. For those ready to take on this process from the start, here are some valuable tips to make it as smooth as possible!

Pick your variety!  

We offer a wide selection of many different types of tomatoes. We recommend deciding on a variety by first determining what your end goal is! Cherry tomatoes are great if you just want a tasty snack or a complement to your veggie assortments or salad. Slicers are a great option for killer sandwiches and burgers. If you want to go big, beefsteak tomatoes are a mighty choice. These tomatoes are the star of the show with their large, meaty, and beautiful appearance, and go wonderfully in BLTs and Caprese. And you can’t forget Paste Tomatoes! If you want to get serious with pasta, making your own sauce is incredibly easy with oven-roasted paste tomatoes.

Get Your Seed Starting Supplies

Having the right tools for starting seeds is a must! Keep in mind that there are a lot different options for seed starting supplies, so choose what works best for you! Here is what we recommend:

• Seed Starting Trays/ Pots - Traditional seed starting trays are available with several different cell sizes. If you are newer to seed starting we recommend trays with larger cells. You can also use compostable pots such as peat pots, manure pots, or paper pots if you want to plant the entire thing in the soil without disturbing the roots. 

• Transfer pots- If you are initially starting your seeds in small cells/pots, transfer pots will be where you continue to grow your tomato plants once they establish a root system.

• Seed Starting Soil- Any good quality soil for planting or tomatoes specifically, will suffice. We recommend the Hoffman Seed Starter, as it is easy to work with and very consistent. 

• Grow lights - Grow lights are an essential tool when starting tomato seeds! Unless you have a greenhouse, using lights is crucial in order to ensure your seedlings do not get leggy.  

• Heat Mat- Tomatoes need warm temperatures to germinate. If you have a seed starting area that is at least 75°F you should be okay without a heat mat, otherwise a heat mat is essential. 

Planting Your Seeds! 

It is best to wet your soil before filling your trays to ensure that you have even moisture throughout your seed starting mix. Once you have moistened your soil, it is time to fill up your trays and place a couple of seeds in each cell. Tomato seeds are small, so they only need to be planted about 1/4" deep. Once placed, spread a small layer of your soil over the top of the seeds. Putting a thin layer of vermiculite on top of the soil can help to keep the soil moist but it is not required.

Other Tips & Things To Watch Out For

When starting tomato seeds, there are a few key things to watch out for. There is a fine balance between not enough water and too much water so make sure to check on your seedlings regularly to maintain an even moisture level. Watering with a spray bottle, or bottom watering, is recommended, as it does not disturb the seeds and helps prevent overwatering. Underwatering can lead to poor germination, and dry/yellow leaves. Overwatering can lead to dampening-off, and several root related diseases that cause the seedlings to die.  

Another common challenge people run into with tomato seedlings is that they become very leggy due to lack of light. The term "leggy" refers to the seedling reaching for light so much that the stems are weak, causing unhealthy plants in the long term. You will want to keep your lights only a few inches from the tops of the seedlings, and then gradually raise the lights as your plants grow.

Any questions about starting tomato seeds, please contact us at 717-299-2571 or email info@rohrerseeds.com!