Separate Tomato Seedlings

How to separate indoor tomato seedlings

Check out this video, where I explain how I separate my indoor tomato seedlings. I seeded these indoor tomatoes on January 17th. Once the seedlings have their second pair of leaves, they are ready to be separated and transplanted in a bigger pot. I recommend a 3″ pot if you will later transfer to a gardening bed, if not you can transfer them into their permanent larger pot (20 gal preferred) – make sure it is after your last frost.

supplies

If you are looking for supplies, my favorites are here.  You can also look into Grower’s Supply for bulk purchases (min purchase of each is typically 10).  And for my potting mix – I purchased 40lb bags from Nature’s Way Resources locally in Conroe, TX. 

Tomato seedlings

Tomatoes average germination is 7 to 14 days.  With the grow light system that I use, these tomatoes have germinated in 5 days.  The temperature they grow in is 75-95 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you are planning to start seeds indoors, you need to sow 6-10 weeks prior to your last frost date.  Here is a good site to find out what your last frost date is.

My average last frost date is March 9th, so this is why I started my seeds Mid-January.  Now that my seedlings have grown their 2nd pair of true leaves, it is time to bump them out of the 48-cell trays, to individual 3″ pots.  The 3″ pots are large enough to support tomatoes for about 1 1/2 months.  Longer than that, the tomatoes will begin to root bound and possible stunt their growth.

Tomatoes are not frost tolerant, so make sure you are aware of the weather prior to transplanting them to your garden.  If there is a sudden frost and you have planted your tomatoes, make sure you add a frost cover to protect them.  Keep in mind that your frost date is an average, if you plant early – you still have a chance of a possible frost.

 

My Tomato varieties

If you are curious on the tomatoes I’m growing this year, check out my 2021 seeds video for pictures and descriptions.  I’ll also include the list here.

CompanyName
Baker CreekWhite Currant
Baker CreekBrad’s Atomic Grape
Baker CreekBlack Beauty
Baker CreekSan Marzano Lungo No. 2
Baker CreekBlue Berries
Baker CreekChadwick Cherry
Baker CreekSunrise Bumble Bee
Baker CreekBlack Krim
Baker CreekMushroom Basket
Baker CreekPink Boar
Baker CreekPink Jazz
Baker CreekTomatillo Rio Grande Verde
Botanical InterestsGolden Jubilee
Johnny’s SeedsSupersweet 100
Johnny’s SeedsTidy Treats
Johnny’s SeedsMoskvich Organic
Johnny’s SeedsPink Berkeley Tie Dye Organic

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