Sometime in late January to early February, I usually start thinking about sowing tomato seeds indoors. The last frost date in our area (Zone 7B/8A) is around April 2nd, and ideal time for seed sowing starts in early-February as it needs 6 to 10 weeks before being transplanted outdoors. I actually sowed tomato seeds on three different dates this year. The first batch on February 1, next on February 14, and the last one on February 23. I’ll explain why I did that later.
If you sow them too early, it gets difficult to manage them as they get taller and bigger. It takes a lot of precious indoor space. If you sow them too late, your growing season could be cut shorter, meaning less harvest. For example, when I lived in Central Texas, I always planted tomatoes outside at the end of February or beginning of March and took a risk of frost, as the tomato season was short. By the end of May or early June, it was over. Temperature is consistently hitting above 90F/32F and a couple of 100F/38C mixed in. Tomato’s ideal day time pollination temperature is between 70F/21C and 80F/27C, and its pollination will be affected above 90F/32C. So, it was necessary to start early.
In GA, we have a much longer tomato growing season, so it is best to plant them outdoors after the last frost date. I started my first batch of tomatoes on February 1st indoors using a heat mat and a humidity dome. They sprouted within 3 days, and they were growing fine under the grow light. When the outside temperature hit 70F/21C, I decided to take them out and acclimate them slowly. The sun is much better than the indoor grow light, right? Then, the accident happened. As I was opening the door, I knock off the tray, and all my seedlings fell on the deck. It happened right before a work meeting, and they were not in a good shape when I came back one hour later.
I tried to save as many as I could, but it was obvious I needed to start all over again. So, I sowed the second batch of tomato seeds on February 14th. I thought that was done. However, as I was browsing through a seed catalog, there were some varieties I wanted to try. So, the third and last batch of tomato seeds were sowed on February 23rd.
It turned out it was a good experiment to find out what worked for my area. Let’s see what I have now.
This is one of the few tomatoes that survived from the fall. It says “black cherry”, but I have no idea what variety it is. It was transplanted into a gallon container, so it is a pretty good size that can be planted outside already. However, I won’t take a risk as we are expecting a severe weather this weekend and possible freeze again next week.
This is the second batch which was planted on February 14th. They were transplanted into a 4″ Epic 4-cell seed starting trays. I read about keeping them in a high temperature, high humidity environment using a humidity dome, so I gave it a try. I didn’t not monitor the temperature carefully, and it went much higher than 90F/32C, and it burned some leaves. I believe they will recover fine, though. Another lessons learned.
Finally, this is the last batch that was planted on February 23rd!! I am trying a determinate variety for the first time, called “Patio Choice”. They are still in the Epic 6-cell seed starting trays. It has been around 70F/21C, so they are growing under the sun. I’ll bring them in when it gets less than 50F/10C.
What did I learn from all this?
- Sow tomato seeds towards the end of February. No need to hurry here. If I get antsy, I will sow some other seeds like herbs so that it will keep me occupied.
- Don’t do anything in a hurry, like 2 minutes before a meeting!
- Monitor temperature if I use a humidity dome again. This was the first time I burned plants. Now I know.
Nowadays, big box stores and nurseries carry a lot of different varieties of tomatoes. But it is always fun to try growing on our own from seeds. You can pick varieties you love, which may not be easily available. I always like to experiment and learn something from it.
It is a small investment to buy a humidity dome, a heat mat, a thermostat, and a grow light. But in my opinion, it is worth it. It is so satisfying to see that such a tiny seed can grow more than 6 feet tall and provide abundance of fruits!
What tomato varieties are your favorites? Let me know in the comment section!
Happy Gardening!
