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GREENHOUSE VEGETABLES AND PLANTS - TOMATOES |
How to sow seed for greenhouse tomatoes. Pricking out, timings and temperatures all explained. |
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GREENHOUSE VEGETABLES AND PLANTS - TOMATOES |
How to sow seed for greenhouse tomatoes. Pricking out, timings and temperatures all explained. |
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| ACTIVITY | WHEN / HOW LONG? | WHERE? |
| Sow tomato seed in trays (see note 1 below). The best temperature for germination tomato seed is 18°C /65°F. See note 2 below. | Mid mid-February | Indoors or wherever a constant temperature can be maintained. |
| Prick off into 12cm / 4½in pots filled with good quality multipurpose compost. Lightly water the pots. See note 3 below. | This should occur about 12 days after sowing seed when the seedlings are just large enough to handle. | Pricked off seedlings should be moved to a frost free greenhouse. |
| Watering should occur when needed to keep the compost slightly moist. | Whenever needed. | |
| Feed with general purpose liquid fertiliser. Start feeding four weeks after pricking off. | Little and often is the best feeding regime. The cooler the temperature, the less feed is required. | |
| Temperature control from pricking off up to planting out. | The reasonable, economical temperature range is from 14°C /57°F at night to 18°C /64°F at night. See note 4. |
Ensure the compost is moist then sow tomato seed on the surface of the lightly firmed down compost. Sprinkle on the compost so that the seeds are just covered then lightly firm down the surface. Cover the trays with paper or similar to block out the light.
Where sowing lots of tomato seeds, they are best sown in trays because this reduces the amount of
heated space they occupy. They need a temperature of about 18°C /65°F and this
cannot be maintained in an unheated greenhouse during winter and early
spring. If only sowing a few seeds then they can be sown directly into
12cm / 4½in pots.
Plastic pots are best. They can easily be cleaned after use, ready for
next year.
To prick out seedlings, gently ease up the soil directly below them with something like a small plant marker. Gently ease the seedling (with any roots) out of the tray holding the leaves but not the stem which can very easily be damaged.
The economical, ideal temperatures for growing tomato seedlings after pricking out is given in the table above. However, many, many factors affect what temperatures you grow your own tomatoes at between pricking out and planting in their final position. Factors such as available heating, levels of sunlight, what temperature zone you are in all have an influence on temperatures.
However, there are some definite "dos" and "donts" at this stage of growing tomatoes. These are:
| 1 | Don't let the temperature fall below 4°C / 41°F. Tomatoes plants are killed by the cold. |
| 2 | Do keep greenhouse glass clean to allow maximum light transmission. |
| 3 | Do ventilate the greenhouse immediately temperatures reach 22°C / 72°F. These temperatures can be reached surprisingly early in the year. High temperatures often occur at the same time as high levels of humidity, both can cause damage to young tomato plants. |
| 4 | If temperatures are kept low, then reduce feeding and watering. |
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GO TO NEXT PAGE ON SUPPORTING AND TRAINING GREENHOUSE TOMATOES |
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