It's Tomato Starting Time!

Welcome back, and thanks as always to all who read my blog.

Finally it is time to start tomatoes, at least here in central New York State.  The general rule of thumb is to start them about 8 weeks before they can be transplanted into the garden.  This will give the plants ample time to reach decent size by then.

As mentioned in a previous post, I use a seed starting tray with peat pellets to start tomato seeds:

The peat pellets provide a good seed starting medium and they are easy to use. All you have to do is add water, and a few minutes later they will expand to look like this:

The peat pellets are covered with a mesh material to hold them together.  I tear back the material and flatten out the soil to provide a better planting surface to place the seeds on.  In the photo above you can see which ones I have "modified".  

The next step is to carefully place the seeds on the peat pellets.  I usually place 6 to 8 seeds on each pellet:

After planting the seeds, cover them with about one quarter inch of a good potting soil or seed starting mix. Gently water to moisten the soil that was just placed over the seeds.  The best way is to use a spray bottle which will gently moisten the soil without washing it away.

Be sure to label the tray with the varieties that you planted.  It will be impossible to differentiate the tomato varieties if they are not labeled.

Finally, gently firm the soil with your hand and place the plastic dome on the seed tray.  Place in a warm location.  A sunny location is not necessary for germination, but a few hours of sun here and there will probably speed up the germination process.  I try to pick a location where the temperature remains pretty steady throughout the day and night.

You are probably wondering which varieties I planted.  In a previous post I wrote about which ones I purchased.  Below is what I planted today:


The first variety I planted is the Tomato Heirloom Rainbow Blend from Park Seeds:

Contains Aunt Ruby's German Green, Dixie Golden Giant, Black from Tula, Brandywine Red, Big Rainbow, and Cherokee Purple.


Next is the Artisan Blend from the Jung Seed Company:

Unique Appearance - Exceptional Flavor
Whether you're a master chef or a home cook, you'll love all the options these tomatoes bring to the table. The breeders of Artisan's focused on combining excellent flavor with unique colors and shapes. The results are these beautiful and tasty, round and elongated, striped and blushed cherry-type fruits that range from 1.5 to 2 inches in size, resist cracking and keep well. Indeterminate plants stay healthy and extremely productive over an extended period.

The third variety I planted is San Marzano, which is a good Roma type tomato, great for making sauce:

Finally, I planted an Italian bunching tomato called Grappoli Corbarino, which is also a paste tomato that I wanted to try.  I found these seeds at the Christmas Tree Shoppe:

It finally looks like the weather might break later this week and weekend with temperatures finally reaching the normal range for late March which is in the forties.  I will most likely get out my portable greenhouse this weekend.  I should be able to get my onion plants out in the greenhouse during the daytime starting next week, especially if is sunny.

Until next time.