~Sunday, March 17, 2013
By popular demand, it’s time to
share my mom’s “know how” in growing tomatoes by seed. The main reason she starts them by seed is it’s
hard to find San Marzano tomato plants at the nursery—and virtually impossible
to find that variety at the grocery market as well! Last weekend my mom called me and said, “It’s time…you better get over here!” So, I grabbed my camera and my notebook
for my eagerly awaited lesson. (This
blogging deal is as much for me as it
is for you! I told my mom by the time
she’s tired of gardening, I will be a pro at it; even though, I very well know she
is not quitting any time soon!)
To dry tomato seeds (my mom did this stage the previous season):
1. Squeeze seeds out of tomatoes and rinse clean
with cool water.
2. Spread seeds apart on a sheet of aluminum to
dry completely. (This will take about
two weeks.)
3. Place dried seeds in a small Ziploc bag, or a
plastic container, and store in the pantry until ready to plant in the middle
of March.
To plant tomato seeds:
1. Purchase moisture control potting mix. (My mom
said not to skimp on this step—buy the good stuff!)
2. Fill four-inch plastic containers (or small
trays) to the top with potting mix, and water slowly until soil is fully
saturated.
3. Scatter seven tomato seeds on top of moist
soil; cover with an additional inch of soil and water one more time.
4. Use small wooden coffee stirring sticks,
label by name and date, and insert into containers. (For instance, my mom
planted San Marzano, Heirloom, and Cherry tomatoes this year.)
To maintain:
Place containers in a spot
outside that receives bright light or partial sun; moisten soil every other day
with a gentle spray of water. When
seedlings in each container begin to grow, and are roughly one-inch tall, leave
the two strongest looking plants intact and pull out any other plants and
discard. (Usually only four out of the
seven seeds planted will take.)
Upon my mother’s insistence, we
all will have to wait until her tomato plants start to grow to continue the
lesson—she wants her information to be as accurate as possible—so stay tuned for Growing Tomatoes (Part Two)!
