Best Way to Start Tomato Seeds Indoors (or Outdoors)
Summary
TLDRIn this gardening tutorial, Brian from Next Level Gardening shares his 25 years of experience to ensure a bountiful tomato harvest. He reveals a secret hack for maximizing growth and production by showing how to sow seeds in party cups with the right potting mix and moisture. The video covers seedling care, including using a double cup method with marbles for drainage, maintaining proper humidity and warmth, and the importance of light for seed germination. Brian also discusses the use of a fan for strengthening seedlings and the process of transitioning them to the garden with a deep planting technique to encourage root development.
Takeaways
- 🍅 The secret to successful tomato growing starts with proper seed sowing techniques.
- 🌱 Use 18 oz party cups for sowing seeds and ensure they are filled halfway with seed starting mix or indoor potting mix.
- 💧 Pre-moisten the growing medium to a consistency like a wrung-out sponge to avoid overwatering.
- 🌿 Sterilized soil or seed starting mix is recommended to prevent fungus gnats and diseases like damping off.
- 🌱 Plant two seeds per cup for an insurance policy against seed failure, and thin to one seedling once they germinate.
- 🌳 The 'Double Cup' method with a marble and a clear cup can help regulate watering and monitor root development.
- 🌡️ Maintain a consistent temperature of around 75°F (24°C) for optimal tomato seed germination using a heat mat or warm appliance.
- 🌞 Provide light as soon as the seedlings emerge, with a grow light or direct sunlight, and adjust the light source as the plants grow.
- 🌬️ Use a fan to strengthen seedlings by simulating outdoor conditions and reducing fungal issues.
- 🌱 Fertilize seedlings with a half-strength liquid organic fertilizer every two weeks once they have their first set of true leaves.
- 🌱 When transplanting to the garden, bury as much of the stem as possible to encourage root development and plant health.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The main focus of the video is to provide tips and a secret hack for growing tomatoes successfully, starting from the right way to sow the seeds to maximizing growth and production throughout the summer.
What is the significance of the 18 oz size for the party cups used in the video?
-The 18 oz size is important because it provides enough space for the tomato seedlings to grow without being too large, ensuring that the seedlings have adequate room for their roots to develop properly.
Why is it recommended to use seed starting mix or indoor potting mix for sowing tomato seeds?
-Seed starting mix or indoor potting mix is recommended because they are typically sterilized, which helps prevent the growth of fungus gnats and fungal diseases like damping off, providing a healthier start for the seeds.
What is the purpose of using vermiculite in the seed sowing process as described in the video?
-Vermiculite is used as a protective layer over the potting soil to deter fungus gnats and fungal diseases. It also helps in maintaining moisture around the seeds, which is crucial for germination.
Why does the video suggest sowing two seeds per cup?
-Sowing two seeds per cup serves as an insurance policy to ensure at least one healthy seedling grows in each cup, as not all seeds may germinate successfully.
What is the 'Double Cup method' mentioned in the video and how does it benefit tomato seedlings?
-The 'Double Cup method' involves placing a planted cup inside another empty cup with a marble at the bottom. This method helps in maintaining proper moisture levels and allows the grower to monitor the water level, preventing overwatering or underwatering.
How does the clear cup in the Double Cup method benefit the seedlings?
-The clear cup allows the grower to see the water level and the roots developing, which helps in monitoring the health of the seedlings and adjusting care as needed without disturbing the plants.
What role does humidity play in the germination of tomato seeds as per the video?
-Humidity is crucial in maintaining moisture around the seeds, preventing the top of the soil from drying out, which can hinder germination. The video suggests using a plastic bag to create a humid environment for the seedlings.
What is the ideal temperature for tomato seed germination according to the video?
-The ideal temperature for tomato seed germination is around 75° Fahrenheit (24° Celsius), which can be achieved using a heat mat with a thermostat or placing the cups on a warm appliance.
Why is light important for tomato seedlings after germination, and what are the different lighting options presented in the video?
-Light is essential for seedlings after germination as it provides the energy they need to grow. The video presents three lighting options: clip-on shop lights, fluorescent tubes, and professional grow lights, each with different specifications for lumens and Kelvin to mimic sunlight.
How does the video suggest handling seedlings that have two seedlings growing in one cup?
-When two seedlings grow in one cup, the video suggests waiting until they have their first set of true leaves, then selecting the stronger one and removing the weaker one at the stem, or if desired, transplanting the weaker seedling into a separate cup.
What is the hack mentioned at the end of the video to supercharge the tomato seedlings when planting them out?
-The hack involves filling the cup with more potting soil up to the rim, encouraging the tomato plant to develop more roots along its stem. This results in a more robust plant with a stronger root system, which is then planted deeply to take advantage of the additional roots.
Outlines
🍅 Starting Seeds for Maximum Tomato Growth
Brian from Next Level Gardening shares his 25 years of experience in growing tomatoes, emphasizing that success begins with proper seed sowing. He suggests using party cups as seed starters, cutting them to a specific size for planting. The choice of growing medium is crucial, with sterilized indoor potting mix or seed-starting mix recommended to prevent fungus gnats. Vermiculite is optional for an extra layer of protection. Seeds are planted with a 1/4-inch covering, and a 'Double Cup' method is introduced for better moisture control and root development. The importance of observing water levels and maintaining proper watering to avoid over or underwatering is highlighted.
🌱 Creating the Ideal Seedling Environment
The video script describes the process of creating a suitable environment for tomato seedlings. It starts with maintaining humidity using plastic bags and ensuring warmth, ideally around 75°F, using a heat mat or other heat sources. Light is not necessary for germination but is crucial once the seedling emerges. Different lighting options are discussed, including clip-on lights, fluorescent tubes, and professional grow lights, with an emphasis on lumens and Kelvin for light intensity and color temperature. The script also addresses the issue of seedling stretching due to inadequate light and the need to keep the seedlings close to the light source.
🌱 Advancing Seedling Care and Hardening Off
This section details the care of tomato seedlings after germination, including the use of a fan for strengthening the plants and reducing fungal issues. The importance of thinning to one seedling per cup after the first true leaves appear is discussed, along with the introduction of liquid organic fertilizers. The script also covers the process of filling the cups with more soil to encourage root development along the stem, which is a unique characteristic of tomatoes. The goal is to create a robust plant capable of withstanding diseases and producing more fruit.
🌱 Planting Out and Supercharging Tomato Seedlings
The final paragraph outlines the process of planting the tomato seedlings in the garden. It emphasizes the advantage of tomatoes' ability to grow roots along their stem and suggests burying as much of the stem as possible. The video script advises removing the first truss of flowers to focus the plant's energy on root and stem development. It also provides tips on planting depth and the use of organic granulated fertilizer. The script concludes with a teaser for future videos that will follow the tomato plants' progress throughout the season.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Seedling
💡Sterilized Soil
💡Vermiculite
💡Double Cup Method
💡Humidity
💡Heat Mat
💡Grow Light
💡Fan
💡Organic Fertilizer
💡Root Development
Highlights
The success of tomatoes starts with the way you sow the seeds.
Use party cups in size 18 oz for sowing seeds, and cut about one inch tall triangles for drainage.
Pre-moisten seed starting mix or indoor potting mix to the consistency of a wrung-out sponge.
Sterilized soil is recommended to prevent fungus gnats and diseases.
Vermiculite can be used as a protective layer against fungus gnats and damping off.
Fill cups about halfway with soil and sow two seeds per cup for insurance.
The Double Cup method with a marble can help prevent overwatering.
A clear cup allows monitoring of water levels and root development.
Maintain a water level about halfway up the triangle for optimal seed contact.
Use a sandwich bag to create humidity until the seedling emerges.
A heat mat set to 75°F (24°C) is ideal for tomato seed germination.
Light is not needed for germination, but is essential once the seedling emerges.
Use grow lights or fluorescent tubes with specific lumens and Kelvin ratings for light.
Maintain a 16-hour light and 8-hour dark cycle for seedlings.
An oscillating fan strengthens seedlings and reduces fungal issues.
Thin out to one seedling per cup once the first set of true leaves appears.
Begin fertilizing seedlings every two weeks with half-strength liquid organic fertilizer.
Fill the cup to the rim with soil to encourage root growth along the stem.
Plant seedlings deep to bury as much stem as possible for a strong root system.
Remove the first truss of flowers to focus energy on root and stem development.
Ensure the planting date is after the last frost date for the area.
Transcripts
I hope you guys are ready to have your
best tomato year ever because that's
what's going to happen after watching
this video I've been growing tomatoes
for 25 years and I know a secret and
that is the success of your Tomatoes
starts right now with the way you sew
the seed stick around to the end because
I'm going to show you a hack to
supercharge your seedling when you plant
it out for maximum growth and production
throughout the summer by the way I'm
Brian with Next Level gardening and if
you could let me know in the comments
where you're from and how many years
you've been growing tomatoes and if it's
your first year definitely let us know
that now let's get growing so first
let's talk about what we're going to sew
the seeds in and that would be one of
these party cups could be any color any
brand you want them to be the 18 o size
though that's important so if you have a
party collect all the cups and reuse
them these things will last for years
the only thing we need to do to the Solo
Cup is to cut about one inch
tall
triangles
just like that about three will
do now the growing medium I'm using is
nothing fancy it's just some seat
starting mix um or indoor potting mix
you want to pre moisten it and you want
it to be about like a a rung out sponge
so when you squeeze it you might get a
few drips but that's about it you don't
want water to come pouring out now the
reason I say indoor potting mix or seed
starting mix is because typically those
are sterilized why is that important if
you've ever grown seeds indoors and had
little flying fungus knats all over the
place probably came from your soil and
if you get sterilized soil uh the eggs
won't be in there not saying they won't
find it later but at least you're
starting off on the right foot I'm also
going to be putting vermiculite over the
top of the potting soil once we've uh
sewed our seeds this is just another
layer of protection against fungus gnats
and also a fungal disease called damping
off but that's optional all right so
we're going to fill our cups about
halfway full you don't have to really
pack it down you know just a little bit
but about halfway full and that's it now
we're going to put two
seeds right there in the cup now you're
going to cover them up with about 1/4
inch of seed starting mix or like I said
I'm using
vermiculite then we're just going to
water it
just enough to wet the vermiculite and
what that's going to do is that's going
to pull that seed right into intimate
contact with the potting soil now the
reason I sewed two seeds in here is one
is an insurance policy so you can always
make sure you got at least one seedling
coming up in each cup now at this point
you can either leave them like this or
you can do the Double Cup method I tried
the Double Cup method last year as an
experiment and I really thought it gave
me good results so we need another cup
of the same size either colored like
this one or clear you'll also need some
marbles you can get these at the Dollar
Tree and they'll last you forever if you
have everything but the marble and you
want to get this started today you can
just use a small pebble the same size as
a marble now I'm going to use the clear
cup I'll tell you why that's great in a
minute all right you got your empty cup
and your planted cup we're going to drop
a marble in the clear one and place the
planted cup inside now that marble holds
it a bit off of the bottom of the cup
now some people plant in the clear cup
so they can lift it out and they can see
the root development we're not growing
these in here for very long just a few
weeks so I'm not really concerned about
the root development I'm more concerned
about seeing through this cup and how
much water is in there eventually you'll
also see roots coming out of the bottom
of the drainage hole so you'll be able
to see the roots no matter what but
being able to see the water level lets
you know if it needs to be watered or
not I got this idea from Gardener Scott
about the clear Cup on on the outside
and I think it's brilliant because seeds
and seedlings are most often killed by
underwatering or overwatering so being
able to see right in there let you know
if you're doing it right if you see the
water level and it's touching the Red
Cup at the bottom you don't need to
water it may look dry on top which is
okay um the best place for the water
level to be is about halfway up that
triangle I don't know if you can see
that that allows the water to Wick up
through this soil but you don't want it
above that triangle that means you're
going to flood your seeds so about a/
inch of water or halfway up that
triangle is the sweet spot but I would
rather there be just a few drops in this
cup than overfilled so at this point
whichever way you go one cup or two and
if you do one cup you'll probably want
to put all these in a tray so that the
water doesn't go everywhere but again
make sure that water in the tray only
comes up halfway on these triangles the
next thing we need to do is create the
perfect growing environment and we start
that with humidity you want to be able
to keep the moisture inside and not let
the top dry out cuz remember your seed
is only a quarter to an eighth of an
inch deep so we're going to take a
regular little sandwich bag here and
just slip it right over the top of these
cups just like that we're going to leave
these on until you can look in there and
see that the seedling is up and as soon
as that seedling is up take off the bag
save this for next time you don't want
to leave the bag on there after the seed
is up and growing because you'll start
to get algae growth and you'll probably
get that disease damping off like I told
you a lot of funguses can thrive in that
environment for the rest of this we need
to take these inside the garage where I
have my seed starting set up so I can
walk you through that by the way don't
forget to label your
plants all right we've got humidity with
our baggie and now we need warmth now
being indoors could be enough if if you
like your heater set on high we do not
plus this is in the garage Tomatoes
germinate best at about 75° Fahrenheit
21 CS now to get this temperature uh I
use a heat mat and I recommend one with
a thermostat that way you can set the
temperature and not have to worry about
it and they're actually pretty
affordable now you can also Sit Them
above or on top of a warm Appliance like
a refrigerator if you have a radiator
with a window sill or a shelf above it
that can work too with bottom heat
Tomatoes can germinate in about 4 days
it's really fast now light is not needed
for tomato seed germination however as
soon as that seedling pops its little
head out of the soil it needs light ASAP
there's only so much energy in that seed
and now it needs to get it from the Sun
so keep a close eye on them and once
they have germinated you need to either
move them into a very sunny window and
when I say sunny window it only works if
you have six at least 6 to eight hours
of direct sunlight coming in that window
very few have that if you do you're
lucky if you don't you're going to have
to mimic that sunlight with a grow light
now don't get scared this is where most
new gardeners get turned off and scared
I'm going to simplify it and show you
three different kinds of Lights you can
use depending on your budget the
cheapest way would be to use one of
these clip-on lights can can also use a
fluorescent tube shop light or you can
use a professional grade grow light I'll
put a link to this one as well as any
other products that I use down in the
video description there are discounts
associated with some of them but for the
other two for the uh silver clipon and
the shop light this would be the
cheapest way unless you need a bunch of
them but for both this kind and the shop
light fluoresent tube kind uh you do not
need to spend extra money on a package
light that says grow light those are
going to be more expensive every time go
to Home Depot Lowe's wherever has a a
good selection of regular light bulbs
and you're looking for specific numbers
on the packages you want to look for
lumens and Kelvin lumens is just how
bright a light is the intensity of the
light and you're looking for between
1,500 and 2,000 lumens Kelvin is the
temperature of the light not the actual
heat that it puts off but the color
temperature you want it to mimic the Sun
so on the package you're looking for
something that says daylight or 4500 to
6500 Kelvin that's all you need to look
for and it can be a bulb it could be a
long tube it could be led it could be
whatever they have instead of LED now
maybe nothing with a professional grow
light like this the grow light can
actually be 12 18 in or more above the
plants because it has an intensity that
the other two just can't mimic what's
great about that is it can cover a large
area with the other two you need to keep
the actual light bulb 2 to three in
above the leaves of the plant at all
times so you need to either raise those
lights as the plants grow or lower the
plants away from the light as they grow
and you can do that by putting the uh
the trays or whatever you're growing in
up on books or bricks and just kind of
remove those a little at a time to allow
the plants room between the light and
the tray so you really got to figure out
how big of an area you have and which of
these bulbs would actually uh be the
best value for you if you notice your
seedlings stretching I'll put a picture
up right here that's what you don't want
to see that means they're really
struggling to get enough light and
probably not getting enough now in most
seedlings once they get to that stage
they're not you're not going to be able
to fix them Tomatoes you have a little
more leeway on which which you'll find
out why in a minute but you really got
to get the the plants close enough to
whatever type of light that you have now
no matter what light choice you make the
light needs to stay on 16 hours and off
for eight in a 24hour period now I
personally run mine all night long
because the electricity is cheaper then
so one more thing to get the environment
perfect and that would be this old fan
right here nothing fancy but this works
wonders for your seedlings they are here
in a protected
environment and in a few weeks they're
going to be expected to go out into the
cruel world of the garden and deal with
a lot of issues out there and you need
them to be as strong as they can be so
the first thing this is going to do is
make them strong it's going to give them
a workout you're going to see the plants
kind of swaying back and forth whenever
it needs to be an oscillating fan so it
can go back and forth forth and the
plants will you know move with that
breeze and that's going to get them
stronger the second thing it's going to
do is keep the top of the uh potting mix
dry and that's going to cut way down on
fungal issues and fungus Nets so this is
an optional thing but if you've got an
old fan laying around it's well worth
putting it in this area all right so
we've got the environment perfect the
light that we need to have them grow and
now we've sewed two seeds into each of
the cups if both of those come up you
want to wait until they have their true
leaves the first pair of leaves that
come up are the seed leaves and the
second pair are the real true leaves
they'll look like a tomato leaf they'll
look different so once they have their F
first set you pick the strongest one and
you clip the weakest one off at the stem
so you have one per cup now if you're
not heartless you can save both you
gently take them out of the cup and
tease those root Roots apart and give
them their own separate cups once they
have their first set of true leaves you
can begin to fertilize them every 2
weeks you're going to want to mix up a
liquid organic fertilizer half strength
I use Neptune's Harvest tomato and veg
and it's okay to get them on the leaves
you're feeding them through the leaves
that way make sure you check the water
level if it goes up too much give it a
chance to soak in still too much you can
dump it out till it's about halfway up
that triangle if you're growing them in
a tray instead of cups lift them up out
of the tray make sure that the half the
triangle is still out of the water
anything you pour out of the cup or the
tray save that that's nutrient-rich
water and water with it again next time
all right we're fast forwarding a few
weeks to where the plant is now Above
the Rim of the cup this is where we're
going to turn a regular seedling into a
supercharged seedling and that goes back
to the question why did we only fill
this cup halfway in the very beginning
tomatoes are one of the few plants that
actually grow roots anywhere their stem
touches the soil and the more roots that
you can develop the better and the
sooner you get them to develop those
roots the healthier and more robust the
plant's going to be when it's planted in
the garden a more robust plant is going
to have the ability to fight off disease
and pests and produce more fruit so
we're going to take some more potting
soil and we're going to fill up all the
way around that stem leaving about
a about a half inch of space at the top
just for uh watering and you may be
covering up leaves that are on the plant
it doesn't matter that's not going to
hurt anything in any way now you've
tucked your plant in all the way up its
neck and more roots are going to develop
in the top section of this cup another
great reason to do it this way is
tomatoes have two types of roots they've
got feeder roots and they've got water
Roots the water roots go deep to get
water and the feeder roots are in the
top section of the soil and they collect
food from around the top so generally in
the wild it would be rotting leaves and
things like that so throughout this
process we're developing more and more
leaves toward the top of the soil now in
just a couple more weeks your plant is
going to be getting nice and Tall nice
thick stem you might even see some
flowers forming that means it's ready to
go outside as long as you're past your
last frost date so you need to Google
your ZIP code Town wherever you are and
last frost frost date and find out when
the average last frost date is for your
area you don't want to put these out if
there's still a chance of frost in fact
you really would like it to be in the
upper 40s at night to put these out and
that would be the coldest if you can get
it in the low 50s even better so
remember when I said stick around to the
end of the video I was going to show you
a hack to supercharge this even more
when we plant it out in the garden this
guy's ready so let's go out in the
garden and take care of business all
right so here we are in the garden
Bella's here to help so always wanting
to take advantage of tomatoes being able
to grow roots along their stem when you
plant your tomato out you want to dig a
deep hole as deep as you can to bury as
much stem as you can now you have to
leave some out of the ground and you can
go ahead and take off these lower leaves
or not it doesn't matter I also like to
uh take off the first truss of flowers
so just pinch those off that puts more
energy into the actual root and stem
development rather than fruit right now
so you want to dig as deep a hole as
possible uh maybe here even that would
be good in this bed I have gopher issues
and so I have uh hardware cloth or
gopher netting on the bottom so this
bed's really only about 6 in deep now
there's native soil underneath so the
roots can still go deeper than that but
planting wise that's as deep as I can go
if you're in a similar situation or
maybe you're planting in a container
dig a trench as long as you need it to
be to lay this root ball and the stem
into the hole then we're going to pull
that
out lay it down in here and fill in
around it gently pulling the stem up at
an angle to be 45 it doesn't have to be
at a 90° angle you don't want to do that
it's probably going to break the stem
once the stem is half buried it's a
great time to add a Sprinkle of organ
organic granulated
fertilizer and it'll probably be aiming
that way but it'll straighten itself out
once it's in the Sun a couple days now
if you want to see The Next Step hit
subscribe right here when I get to that
point I'm going to put out another video
and keep putting out videos to follow
the progress and what you should be
doing all season long if you want to
skip ahead though click this video right
here it's an entire growing guide it's
got 12 million views at this point I'll
see you guys next time
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