Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors

This year we are growing Cherokee Purple Tomato, Black Strawberry Tomato, and Amish Paste Tomato. Growing heirloom plants often has us starting those plants from seed. It's too cold outside to stick a tomato seed in the ground in US Hardiness Zone 8b. Solution: Start Seeds Indoors. Start Tomato Seeds Indoors from 6 to 8 weeks before your average last frost date. When the plants are mature, you'll plant out on or near your last frost date (for us, about April 1st). Some Simple Steps: 1. Fill a cell/module tray with seed starting mix 2. Dampen the soil 3. Drop seeds on the surface, 1 or 2 per cell 4. Lightly cover with seed starting mix 5. Water gently 6. Put transparent lid over tray 7. Place on shelf under Grow Lights (or Shop Lights, in our case) 8. In a few days, when the seeds germinate, remove lid 9. Keep well watered 10. Transplant to larger pots when seedlings are 2 inches tall, and have 4 true leaves 11. Harden off by introducing plants to the out-of-door in increasing increments of time each day for one week before planting out (ex. Day 1: set outside for 1 hour; Day 2: Set outside for 3 hours, and so on) Southwest Desert Gardening, US Hardiness Zone 8b, Backyard Gardening, Starting Seeds Indoors

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