[MittleiderMethodGardening] How to grow tomato plants from seed

 

I think the most important thing I can say about growing tomato plants
from seeds is to never use soil from your garden. You need to use a soilless mix which does not have any soil in it. Soil can carry so many diseases.

Most nurseries and even Lowe's and WalMart carry Seed Starting Mix. It holds water well and is soilless. You want healthy seedlings. (Mixing your own from sawdust/peat moss & sand works very well - JK)

Ultra violet light, one to two inches above your seedlings at least 14 hours a day would be great. (Fluorescent lights - 1 warm and 1 cool, 1" from plant leaves, 16 hours per day is good, but sunlight is far better. Get them to the sun whenever possible - JK)

Seeds have enough fertilizer in them to take them to the second true set of leaves, then you can start feeding with half strength liquid
plant food. Be careful not to burn. (Dr. M recommends beginning the feeding as soon as plants emerge by using the Constant Feed Solution of 1 ounce Weekly Feed per 3 gallons of water - JK)

There is so much more to growing seedlings and you can find it by doing a Google search. (Or you can look in the Mittleider gardening books, Gardening Course, Gardening by the Foot, Let's Grow Tomatoes, and Grow-Bed Gardening, all of which have sections on seedling production - JK)

Just wanted to get across to you that soilless seed starting mix is the thing to use.
Good luck.
Joanne

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